13 hours Ago By SooToday Staff
NEWS RELEASE NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE ************************* SUDBURY – The Greater Sudbury Cubs got a pair of tallies off the stick of Ben Harris to propel them to a 4-2 triumph over the Soo Thunderbirds Friday night in the second game of their Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League semifinal at Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex. With the outcome, the Cubs take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set, heading into Game 3 Monday at John Rhodes Community Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, that gets underway at 7 p.
m. Going to work on their initial man advantage opportunity of the evening, Greater Sudbury’s Lucas Signoretti weaved around traffic before sending a cross-ice feed through bodies that found the stick of Nolan Newton who quickly whipped a shot past Soo starter Noah Beaulne, eight and a half minutes in. Countering a couple of shifts later, James McDowall put the Thunderbirds on the board as he fired an attempt from the point that clipped off a Cubs defender and got by netminder Noah Beaulne.
Retaking the lead at 15:22, Signoretti forced a turnover in the neutral zone and put a play to the top of the crease where Harris juggled a bouncing puck before managing to control it and stuff it in. More special teams work by the hosts saw them make it 3-1 while up a skater in the middle stanza as Signoretti once again helped generate another marker with a sharp backhand towards the net that a hard-charging Mason Walker buried from in close. Getting that back less than a minute later, T-Birds’ forward Harley Wardell chipped a play ahead to James Legler, who skated in slowly and put an attempt to the target from the top of the right circle that leaked through Beaulne.
A third extra-man effort by Greater Sudbury made it 4-2 at 7:06 with Harris neatly tipping in an Alexandre Valade for his second of the night. In the final frame, the T-Birds looked to get back in it, but some key stops by Beaulne when needed kept the frame scoreless as the Cubs closed out the home-ice victory. NOJHL semifinal No.
1 Greater Sudbury Cubs vs. No. 6 Soo Thunderbirds Cubs lead best-of-seven series 2-0 Game 1: Cubs 7 Thunderbirds 4 Game 2: Cubs 4 Thunderbirds 2 Game 3: Monday, April 7 at Soo 7 p.
m. (John Rhodes Community Centre) Game 4: Wednesday, April 9 at Soo 7 p.m.
(John Rhodes Community Centre) Game 5*: Thursday, April 10 at Sudbury 7 p.m. (Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex) Game 6*: Sunday, April 13 at Soo 7 p.
m. (John Rhodes Community Centre) Game 7*: Tuesday, April 15 at Sudbury 7 p.m.
(Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex) *-if necessary *************************.
