The Greater Sudbury Cubs are looking to get one back in their best-of-seven series tonight, travelling to John Rhodes Community Centre to take on the Soo Thunderbirds.
The puck dropped at 7 p.m.
The local Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League squad is trailing the T-Birds 2-1 in the playoff series. They took their second loss on March 25, losing 4-2 in Sault Ste. Marie.
On Monday, the T-birds drew first blood after Harley Wardell snapped in his first NOJHL playoff tally at 13:12 of the opening period.
Ninety seconds later, the Soo would make it 2-0 on the power play thanks to Kelsey Ouellet tipping in a point shot from Declan Gallivan.
“Answering a couple of shifts later, Marshall McCharles put the visitors on the board as he converted with bodies battling in front of T-Birds netminder Kolton Bourret,” the league said in a news release.
With the Cubs trailing 2-1, the T-Birds made it 3-1 in the second period after Jonathan Sonedecker flew into the Cubs’ zone on a delayed penalty and winged one by netminder Noah Metivier. It was Sonedecker’s second game-winner in as many games.
The Cubs didn’t give up though. At 2:10 of the third, McCharles stymied a T-Birds’ clearing attempt and fed Hudson Chitaroni, who made good and made it a 3-2 game.
Late in the period, the Cubs pulled Metivier while on a power play to get an extra skater, but instead of tying the game as they’d hoped, the Soo’s Daniel Beaupre forced a turnover at the T-Bird’s blueline, raced down the ice and sent the puck into the empty net to help secure the home ice victory.
With the loss, the Cubs are down two games to one in the series, but looking to tie it up tonight in Game 4.
Win or lose, the team then returns to Gerry McCrory Countryside Arena on Thursday, March 28 for Game 5 of the series.
If things go the way the Cubs hope they do, Game 6 will be played in Sault Ste. Marie on March 30. If a Game 7 is needed to settle things, it will be played in Sudbury on April 1.
