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THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017 • WATERLOO CHRONICLE • 25 SPORTS WATERLOO CHRONICLE Hawks downed by Siskins Waterloo Siskins face tall order in semi� nal series against Listowel By Adam Jackson Chronicle Sta� The Waterloo Siskins will need to pull o� a 2016-style run to take down the Lis-towel Cyclones. Waterloo's Junior B hockey team made it to the semi� nal round of the GOJHL playo� s with a 6-3 win over the Cambridge Winter Hawks on Saturday night, putting the � nish- ing touches on a 4-2 series win at Galt Arena Gardens. The Siskins will now take on the Cyclones, coming off a clean four-game sweep of the Brantford 99ers. "Nothing is going to change," said Sis- kins head coach Todd Ho� man of the series against the Cyclones. Making it to the second round was improb- able at the early onset of the series. Finding themselves down 2-0 due to a pair of losses -- the opener, 3-2 in overtime and Game 2, a 2-1 loss in Cambridge -- the Siskins made a change. Andrew Albano was given the assignment for the last four games of the series and the Siskins won all those games. "Liam (Devine) played well but we didn't win those games," said Ho� man. "It's nothing against the way he played." Going up against the Cyclones, the Siskins have their work cut out for them. In six regular season meetings between the teams, the Siskins were only able to win one -- a 5-2 win in Listowel on Oct. 7. Other than that, Listowel has won every game this season. � ere is a bright side, however. Two of the games -- a 4-2 loss on Oct. 2 and a 4-3 loss on Dec. 23 -- were decided in overtime. "We had some really close games," said Hoffman, formerly of the Kitchener Dutch- men, who just finished his second regular season with the Siskins. If there's one thing the Siskins have on their side, it's the performance of forward Ryan Sparkes, a Guelph Storm prospect, throughout the season series against Listowel. In the six games against the Cyclones, Sparkes has tallied nine points -- � ve assists and four goals. In the playoffs, however, Sparkes has yet to � nd the back of the net in six games. Instead, it's been Spencer Kersten and Lucas Pozzobon leading the way for the Sis- kins with a combined 20 points. Continued on page 27 Waterloo Siskins forward Lucas Goodman works past Cambridge Winter Hawks defender Adam Pys during Game 6 of the GOJHL quarter� nals on Saturday night at Galt Arena Gardens. The Siskins won 6-3, claiming the series. BILL DOUCET PHOTO