Greater Sudbury Cubs captain Oliver Smith just keeps delivering. Named an Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) star of the week already once this season, the Cubs star notched his fifth career NOJHL hat trick Sept. 14, leading the team to past the Soo Eagles 8-4 at Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex.
Greater Sudbury opened the scoring 3:52 into the game. Breaking out of their own zone in transition, Marshall McCharles flew down the right wing and send a cross-ice pass to Hudson Martin, who snapped a low glove side shot past Sault Ste. Marie starter Marino Ramirez.
With the Cubs up 1-0, the Eagles evened the score drew midway through the first thanks Kenny Belanger Jr., who darted in alone into the Cubs’ zone and beat goaltender Noah Beaulne blocker side.
Tied 1-1, Greater Sudbury made it 2-1 in the second when Cameron Shanks set-up Smith cruising into the slot who whipped a wrist shot past Martinez to score his first of three on the game.
The Eagles tied it up again at 3:09 of the second when Belanger Jr., scored his second of the night, a short-side roofer that beat Beaulne.
That 2-2 tied wouldn’t last long though. On the very next shift, Smith scored his second of the game struck again when he knocked down a shot from the point from Cole Quevillon and tucked the puck past the outstretched pad of the Eagles’ netminder to make it 3-2.
The Soo tied it up again a couple of shifts later thanks to Benjamin Pouliot, in his NOJHL debut, who finished off a two-on-one with Jack Paweski.
Tied 3-3 and still in the second, the Cubs power play delivered to make it 4-3 as McCharles slid in the back door and buried a crisp feed from Nolan Newton.
The scored stayed 4-3 for the rest of the second. Moving onto the third, Greater Sudbury made it 5-3 after Shanks dashed into the Eagles’ zone and wheeled around the net. His attempted wrap-around failed, but the puck slid right across to Smith who finished off his three-goal performance from close range.
Moments after the next faceoff, Brock Houser sent a rising shot from the point that sailed through a screen into the top right hand corner to make it 6-3. It was Houser first goal in the NOJHL.
Just 23 seconds after that, the Soo’s Paweski made it 6-4.
The Cubs weren’t done though. Ben Harris banged in a rebound to make it 7-4. Then, Newton went five hole on an odd-man rush to make it 8-4, where it would remain.
With the result, the Cubs improved to 3-0 while the Eagles fell to 0-2.
