Two goals from Nolan Newton led the Greater Sudbury Cubs to a win over the Soo Eagles on Jan. 26. The 5-3 win extends the team’s comfortable lead in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.
With a record of 34-6-2-0, the Cubs have 70 points on the season so far, putting them five points ahead of their closest rival, the Timmins Rock, and seven points ahead of the Hearst Lumberjacks.
The loss drops the Eagles’ record below .500 overall, falling to 17-18-3-1, which puts them eighth in the NOJHL.
Cubs’ forward Cameron Shanks opened the scoring four minutes into the game at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex on Thursday when he flew down the left wing, drove hard to the net, and put one upstairs on Sault Ste. Marie netminder Logan Raffaele.
OIiver Smith extended the lead for the Cubs to 2-0 at 13:06 of the first, taking a pass just outside the Eagles’ blueline, zipping nto the high slot and whipping a wrister by the outstretched pad of Raffaelle.
Moving onto the second period, the Cubs made it a 3-0 game just 48 seconds into the middle frame after Newton scoopoed up his own rebound and stuffed a backhand in the Eagles’ net.
“Newton and Greater Sudbury came back with another just over five minutes after that when he neatly tipped in a Mason McCharles attempt from the top of the circles,” the Cubs said in a news release.
The Eagles weren’t giving up though. Soo scoring leader Jack Mortson notched his 22nd after taking a pass from Chase Taillare and finding an open corner to beat Cubs netminder Noah Metivier.
With the Cubs up 4-1, the Eagles pulled within one goal after Tieg Driessen found the right hard corner.
Still in the second, Greater Sudbury made it a 5-2 game as the period drew to a close thanks to Cole Crowder, who picked up his 20th of the season by chipping one passed a sprawled Raffelle.
Mortson would score his second of the game in the third and brought the Eagles to within one after Isaiah Gagerman rebounded the puck off the end boards and it bounced in front of the net, giving the Eagles’ captain the chance to convert from close range.
The Cubs would go scoreless in the third, but the Eagles weren’t able to capitalize again and the game ended 5-3.
Tomorrow, the Cubs travel to the Soo, this time to take on the Thunderbirds at the John Rhodes Community Centre.
