WATERLOO — Two shots, two goals.
The Guelph Hurricanes scored on their first two shots of the second period, then iced the puck throughout the third to preserve a 3-1 victory over the Waterloo Siskins Wednesday at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex.
The game was the first of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League best-of-seven Midwestern Conference quarter-final playoff series.
“It was part of our game plan to keep it real simple,” Guelph head coach Jim MacEachern said. “Waterloo’s a heck of a hockey team. Other than maybe once or twice during the season, we’ve fairly well against them and the boys are a confident group. We had a game plan here and we kept it simple.”
After a scoreless first period, Jake Weidner hit for the first goal 20 seconds into the second when his shot from the left wing side found its way behind Waterloo goalkeeper Will Sibley.
Cam Jude added to the lead three minutes later on a breakaway when he stopped wristed a shot from high in the slot through Sibley’s five-hole.
“I just got my opportunity and had to step up,” Jude said. “We’re doing everything we need to do.”
Just over three minutes later, Waterloo got that one back when defenceman Kevin Czuczman completed an end-to-end rush by sliding the puck into the Guelph net between the legs of goaltender Chris McDougall.
That was to be all the scoring until Jude netted his second of the game with 1:33 to go in the third during Guelph’s only flurry of shots in that period. Most of the time, the Hurricanes were content to ice the puck to get it out of danger and give themselves a little breather here and there.
“We were just playing it safe, getting the puck out,” Jude said. “We were doing what we had to do to get the win.”
“I don’t think it was so much protecting the lead, it was a pretty quick-paced hockey game out there and we were starting to feel it,” MacEachern said. “We weren’t protecting it, but at the same time we weren’t doing anything to be real aggressive. We were just putting the puck off the glass and keeping it real simple, making them come the full 200 feet here to beat us.”
Zach Dion and Tyson Theaker each assisted on two of Guelph’s goals while single assists were awarded to Luca Penzo and Mike McFarlane.
Goaltender Colin Breen of the Siskins was awarded with the conference’s top goaltender award early this week, but was shaken up last weekend, the final weekend of the regular season.
“Let’s not fool ourselves, they’ve got a great one-two punch (in net) over there,” MacEachern said. “We felt if we could get some traffic in front of the net and just put pucks at the net, we didn’t need a ton of shots. They outshot us here but, for the most part, I thought there shots were from the outside and shots that (McDougall) could see fairly well. When we had our opportunities, we just put it to the net and it’s never a bad thing to put the puck to the net.”
McDougall stopped 39 shots in the Guelph net while his teammates fired 21 at the Waterloo net.
Second game of the series is set for Saturday night at the Sleeman Centre. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
from: http://www.news.therecord.com
WATERLOO — Will Sibley sauntered back onto the ice and plucked his water bottle from the back of the Waterloo Siskins net.
At the other end, the Guelph Hurricanes celebrated their 3-1 playoff victory at the Waterlooo Rec Complex on Wednesday.
Sibley was the last Siskin off.
His 18 saves weren’t good enough in the opener of the best-of-seven Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League series.
The upstart Canes, who got 40 saves from former Kitchener Rangers property Chris McDougall, were disciplined and determined.
Guelph’s only penalty came four ticks before the final buzzer.
“Can’t say much about that last one. Four seconds left?” said McDougall, whose Canes host Game 2 on Saturday night at the Sleeman Centre.
“That’s our biggest key, to stay disciplined.”
The Siskins, bent on a 12th Sutherland Cup in their 75th year, are in serious trouble.
Top tender Colin Breen has a wonky blocker-side shoulder that kept him on the bench on Wednesday.
Veteran defenders Reuben Smith and Matt Volpini are hurt.
Team captain Ben Skinner, who might have bulled the Siskins back into opener, is out two more weeks with a broken scaphoid below his right thumb.
“Get through this round and I’ll be good to go,” Skinner said during an intermission.
Getting through this round will be difficult.
Jake Weidner and Wade Pfeffer gave Guelph a 2-0 lead.
The winner snuck under Sibley’s pad and spun slowly across the line.
Kevin Czuczman scored for Waterloo. Cam Jude scored late for Guelph.
All Canes goals were along the ice.
The Siskins quickly and silently left after the game. Waterloo coach Dean DeSilva was not immediately available for comment.
DeSilva was named the Mid-Western Conference’s coach of the year for Waterloo’s second place finish.
We’re about to find out if he deserves that honour.
Waterloo hosts Game 3 on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
Guelph Hurricanes Hockey Club 