The Elmira Sugar Kings fell short last weekend in trying to overtake the team ahead of them in the standings, but bounced back with a win over the first-place team to regain some ground.

A 4-2 loss in Ayr January 26 was followed with a 4-3 win over the KW Siskins Sunday night at the WMC.

Special teams were a factor as the Kings travelled to North Dumfries to face the Centennials, who scored a couple of power-play goals on route to the victory.

It was Ayr that opened in the scoring in the first, but Elmira replied just over 40 seconds later when Brady Schwindt potted a goal at 3:50. Assists went to Jackson Heron and Joey Martin.

The Centennials would regain the lead via the power play, however, with just one second left on the clock to make it 2-1 as the teams went back to their rooms for the intermission.

In the second, another opportunity with the extra man gave the hosts a 3-1 lead before Jayden Lammel, from Madden MacDougall and Brock Reinhart made it a one-goal game just over three minutes later with a power-play goal at 12:47.

That 3-2 score is how things would stand at the second intermission, but Ayr would score the loan goal of the third frame to seal the win at 4-2.

Shots were 41-25 in favour of Elmira, which went 1-5 on the power play while the Centennials were 2-3. Hayden Sabourin stopped 21 of the shots he faced.

The Centennials were able to capitalize on Elmira’s mistakes, while the same wasn’t true going the other way, said head coach Scott McMillan of the game’s results.

“We had a turnover that led to a goal very early in the first and a turnover that led to a goal very early in the third. You could look at that and say that’s a difference in the game. That and the power-play goal that came with one second left in the first – those three are kind of backbreakers,” he said.

“If you look at the third period, they had the first shot and they scored .The shots in the third after that were 18-5 – as soon as we felt like we were going to lose, we started working at a level where it was a one-sided game. I think we’ve got to find a way to have that type of effort before it looks like we’re going to lose,” he added of the takeaway message for the players.

It’s a message that may have been taken to heart Sunday, when the work of special teams was again on display as the Kings were 2-8 with the man advantage and the Siskins were 2-5.

The game’s opening goal was scored on a power play, coming off the stick of Elmira’s Liam Eveleigh at 12:39 of the first period. Reinhart and Adam Grein picked up assists on the play.

The Siskins got that one back just over two minutes later, and the teams were deadlocked at 1-1 after 20 minutes.

The visitors took the lead 12 minutes into the middle frame, but the Kings answered two minutes later when MacDougall scored an unassisted goal. Again, the teams would head into intermission with the score tied, this time 2-2.

After the break, it was Elmira’s turn to lead again. Reinhart’s goal at 6:03 (Jayden Lammel, Grein) held up for almost six minutes before the Siskins made it 3-3, which is how the score would stand through the rest of the period and overtime. It was off to a shootout.

In that battle, netminder Daniel Botelho stopped both Waterloo attempts, while Elmira’s Luke Della Croce and Logan Crans buried their chances.

Final shot totals were 35-27 in the Kings’ favour, Botehlo stopping 24 to pick up the win.

The effort was much better, and made for a very entertaining game for the fans, said McMillan.

“If you look at the two best games that we’ve played since coming back from Christmas, it’s an overtime win in Cambridge and it’s a shootout win against Waterloo at home. It’s no surprise that it’s the top two teams that we’ve played since we’ve been back.”

With just nine games left in their Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League regular-season schedule, the fifth-place Kings (24-16-1-0) are looking to surpass the fourth-place Centennials (14-15-1-1) as the teams go head-to-head Sunday evening at the WMC for the last time prior to what looks like a first-round playoff matchup.

Prior to that, the squad will have a good shot at two points Friday night in Caledon against the conference’s seventh-place Bombers (6-35-0-0).

“We’re one point behind Ayr. With the season that we’ve had – injuries and guys being called up to the OHL and things like that – I think we can reasonably say that we should have more points than we’ve got. We’re still only a point back, but we’re 1-5 against them, so the standings may say we’re only a point away but our head-to-head record says something completely different, and we’ve got to start turning that around,” said the coach.