Siskins, who lead the series 3â€"2, will play host to Cullitons tomorrow night at Waterloo Arena at 8 p.m. : By Rick Campbell ~ Chronicle Sports Editor > They poked and probed and drilled and drove, and the clock went around, and around again, and around some more, but finally Waterloo Siskins achieved their goal Sunâ€" day night. f In more ways than one. ;. Tangibly, in that left winger Grant Musselman let go a bullet drive from the left slot at 7: 17 of the second overtime period to end the actionâ€"packed drama that gave Waterioo a 65 win over Stratford Cullitons in by far the most nerveâ€" wracking game of the Midwestern Junior B finals. Cullitons, who got back in the series with a 5â€"3 homeâ€"ice victory Friday, needed Sunday‘s encounter more than ever to gain back the valuable homeâ€"ice advantage but were it not for the outright thievery of Stratford goalie Rick Petrie, especially in the first straight 10â€"minute overtime period, it wouldn‘t have even been a ballgame. P The fifth and possibly deciding game was in Stratford last night, with a sixth if necessary back in Waterioo tomorrow and seventh reserved for the Festival City Friday. But based on how the series has unfolded to this point, Cullitons must be considered at least neck deep in quicksand and sinkâ€" ing fast. Intangibly also, in that it planted Siskins firmly, in the driver‘s seat in the eightâ€"point final with a 3â€"1 edge in game, and that it offered conclusive proof that Stratford, the Monâ€" treal Canadiens of playoff hockey, are becoming more morâ€" tal every day. ‘‘That was a very, very big win for us,‘‘ said jubilant Siskin coach Jack Egers in no way overstating the circumâ€" stances. "It‘s often the case when the other team has a real hot goalie in overtime that they turn around and score a flukey one to win it, but lucky for us tonight, that wasn‘t the time when Roy Russell jammed home his second of the game at 18:38 of the third period. But referee Bob Laurence, who let any and all infractions go after the midway point of the period, fingered Waterioo goalie Ed Takamatsu for a highly questionable delay of game penalty with 56 seconds left and with only two seconds remaining in regulation time Tim McLean of Stratford flipped home a rebound over the sprawling Takamatsu to send the game into extra innings. ‘‘That penalty wouldn‘t have won or lost the game for us,"‘ said Egers. "As a matter of fact I don‘t mind getting a penalty when you‘re up a goal in the last minute. You have the empty net and can ice the puck anytime you want. Beâ€" sides, we won the draw with seven seconds left but gave it away instead of eating it at the boards, it was just a mental mistake I hope won‘t be repeated." SportWaterloo_ Dana Saunders of Waterloo Siskins (inset) pulls away from Strafford‘s Brad Walsh Sunday and goes in to score on Rick Petrie while lying on his b'bck Stratford Cullitons defeated Waterloo Siskins 6â€"4 in Stratâ€" ford Tuesday to stave off elimination and force a sixth game in the Midwestern Junior B finals. age 14 â€" Waterioo Chronicle, Wednesday, March 12, 1980 It looked like Siskins has sewn up the game in regulation Can‘t keep a great club down! ‘Sisks slam overtime door on Stratford By Rick Campbell Chronicie Sports Editor There was a mixture of juâ€" bilation and relief in the Waâ€" terloo Siskin dressing room following Sunday‘s 6â€"5 doubleâ€"overtime win over Stratford. The secondâ€"year Siskin netminder became the focal point of the game late in the third period when he was called by referee Bob Laurence for delaying the game by holding on to the puck too long. That came with 56 seâ€" conds left, and although Sisâ€" kins killed much of the time, they won the draw with seven seconds left but electâ€" Place goalie Ed Takamatâ€" su on the relieved side. But then Siskins picked up the tempo again and when Brad Lund fought the puck away from a Stratford defenceman in the corner, wheeled and tossed a perfect pass to Musselâ€" man, the Cullitons and game three were history. ‘*Simple, I was trying to make my move before I had the puck,"" said the sheepish Schnurr afterwards. But the tenaâ€" cious centre had no reason to apologize as he submitted a truly tremendous effort, in fact, probably his best in a Siskin uniform as he tallied the opening goal and assisted on the other four in regulation time. One would think that by getting another life so late, Culliâ€" tons would have come out roaring in overtime, but on the contrary it was Waterloo who missed three glorious chanâ€" ces.â€"First Petrie made headshaking saves off Dana Saunders and Brad Lund, and then in the waning moments, Saunders slipped a pass across to Brad Schnurr in the clear but the puck slipped under Schnurr‘s stick and skittered harmlessly to the boards as time ran out. After the 10â€"minute sawoff, the teams went into suddenâ€" death play and Stratford almost ended in the first minute when a shot from the side ricochetted off the post behind Takamatsu. It was the leftwinger‘s second goal of the game, and of course pulling out all stops, Stratford appealed to have Musâ€" selman‘s stick measured, but it was found to be legal. ‘‘*Sure it was legal, there was never any doubt, but I think Nairn chased after Laurence after the period and no doubt any team would have tried the same thing in those cireumâ€" â€" spoke his mind, but the personable boss changed his tune in stances,"‘ said Musselman. the third when Laurence called the delay of game penalty on Dana Saunders had Siskins other goal on a tremendous inâ€" * Takamatsu. Eddie and friends keep‘ t ed to try to clear the puck from their zone. But Stratford‘s Darrell Christo blocked it at the blueline, drove it towards the net, and although Takaâ€" matsu made the first save, Tim McLean punched home the rebound with two seâ€" conds left. ‘‘*Stupid rebounds, I alâ€" lowed too many all night," said the goodâ€"humored goaâ€" lie, conceding that he should have gathered in the puck before McLean poked it home. ‘"The exact same thing happened in the first period (Scott Skinner‘s 2â€"2 tying goal.)" Takamatsu scoffed when asked about the delay of game infraction called by Then in overtime, Takaâ€" matsu was forced to a specâ€" tator‘s role as Petrie pulled off one unconscious save after another. Laurence which in effect gave Stratford a twoâ€"man advantage since they pulled goalie Rick Petrie simulâ€" taneously. ‘‘Yeh, he (Laurence) had given me a warning midway through the game, but when I held the puck at the end there were red shirts all around me. Their (Stratâ€" ford‘s) player called it, not the referee." ‘I was thinking, boy after all the chances we had I betâ€" ter not let in a soft one, but I wasn‘t really that worried, because these guys just dividual effort in the first period as he scored while falling on a breakaway. McLean with pair, Scott Skinner with two and Ken Chisholm had Stratford goals. . Once again Siskins proved that diligent spadework in the Stratford end pays off every time as they forced Cullitons into numerous giveaways: ' Stratford coach Jack Naim was livid at coincidental seâ€" cond period calls by Laurence, who by and large let the clubs play hockey for most of the game. ‘‘That‘s the key, to skate, skate, skate and make them cough it up,"" said Schnurr, who along with Saunders and Russell were the bestâ€"skating unit on the ice as they flitted like waterbugs on a warm July night. ‘*Roy mentioned to me late in the game that it looked like we were getting a bit flustered, but we made sure that at least one guy was back to pick up the winger when we sent two men in. At the midway point of the period, Paul Barton sent a rollâ€" ing puck to Takamatsu and although from Laurence‘s view the Waterioo goalie smothered the disc, it actually dribbled between his legs and in the confusion went into the net. But Laurence ruled he had blown the whistle beforehand and therefore disallowed the goal, which infuriated the vaâ€" luable Barton to the extent that he jostled the referee and received a match misconduct and five minute penalty as a result. Chronicle Sports Line 886â€"2830 But Cullitons almost did in the very first minute of sudâ€" den death, when a seemingâ€" ly harmless shot by Rod Poâ€" well from the right side pinged off the post (‘my best friends‘) behind Takamatsu. ‘"Oh I saw the puck all the way, but at first I thought it was going wide," Takamatâ€" su said with a chuckle. ‘‘Then, when I realized that it wasn‘t, well...." never give up. We were a litâ€" tle tight after they scored that late goal, but we had the attitude that we just had to go out there and win it, there is no way Stratford deâ€" served to win that game." That‘s relief, spelied Râ€"Eâ€" Lâ€"Iâ€"Eâ€"F.