The visiting Espanola Paper Kings were shredded 11-1 when they came to visit the Greater Sudbury Cubs in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League action Sept. 26.
Leading the way for Sudbury was forward Lucas Signoretti, who picked up five points (two goals and three assists) to lead the team to the win at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Arena.
Signoretti opened the scoring just five minutes into the first period, driving into the Paper Kings’ zone while going left-to-right and powering his way across the top of the crease to lift a backhand past Espanola netminder James Meredith.
He would do it all over again eight minutes later on the power play by finishing off a two-on-one off a cross-ice feed from Ben Harris.
The Cubs would make 3-0 before the first intermission after Lucas Antonioni zipped over the Espanola blue line and made a couple of nice moves before tucking the puck between the Meredith’s legs.
Moving onto the second period, the Cubs would make it a 4-0 game when Harris took a feed from Signoretti on a power play and buried it.
Signoretti would pick up another assist at 12:15 of the second. As the Cubs slid into the Espanola end, the 2023-24 NOJHL MVP waited for fellow Cub Samuel Assinewai to get into position before firing a pass across that Assinewai directed around Meredith to make it 5-0 for Greater Sudbury.
“Not done there, Signoretti collected another helper on a two-man advantage as he fired an attempt that was stopped, but Alex Valade swooped in to bury the rebound,” a press release on the game states.
Up 6-0 and still in the second, the Cubs would make it 7-0 just before the end of the period when Mason Walker darted down the left wing and teed up Cameron Shanks with a nice back pass that he whipped in from the slot.
While the Cubs were up by seven goals, a stellar, four-goal third period was still to come.
To open the third, the Paper Kings’ pulled Meredith, giving back-up goalkeeper Andrew Bezaire his NOJHL debut.
Greater Sudbury welcomed Bezaire to the league by promptly scoring their fourth power play goal of the night. Valade sent a low shot from the point through a partial screen that found its way in.
“The onslaught continued midway through the third as Walker redirected a Jacob Signoretti attempt from the right circle for the club’s fifth extra-man effort,” the game report states.
Cubs’ netminder Noah Beaulne’s hopes for a shutout were dashed with 7:17 seconds left in the third after Espanola defender Carter Makasoff blasted a shot from the left circle that found the back of the net and gave the Paper King his first NOJHL goal.
Unbothered, Greater Sudbury would make it 10-1 after Eidan McCarthy shovelled one in from close range, giving the Cubs their sixth power play goal of the night. To put a capper on the game, Kyle Navarro turned a lengthy rush into a goal in transition, for a final tally of 11-1.
With the win, the Cubs’ record improves to 3-1-1-1, while the Paper Kings drop to 1-4-0-0.
Tonight, Espanols hosts the Blind River Beavers, while Greater Sudbury welcomes the Soo Eagles.
