saultsports Photos: Caleigh Fera – Points North Media
SUDBURY, Ont. – Making an early statement, the defending Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League-champion Greater Sudbury Cubs showed they have every intention of looking for a repeat after downing the Iroquois Falls 7-1 in Game 1 of their quarter-final series Thursday at Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex.
Greater Sudbury wasted little time in opening the scoring when Lucas Signoretti clicked 70 seconds into the match-up as he knocked in a backhand put into the crease from teammate Ben Harris.
The Cubs then added to their early edge at 5:09 as Harris sent Nolan Newton dashing through the Iroquois Falls defence, who darted in and ripped a shot past Storm starter Justin Sullivan.
A third in the session saw the home side convert on a man advantage and saw Signoretti wheel into the slot and put an attempt on that target that was stopped, but Newton was right there to snap in the rebound.
Getting one back before the intermission, Jordan Mayo of Iroquois Falls flipped a crafty feed up to Lucas Willoughby, who went in and tucked his chance between the legs of the Cubs’ Karsen Chartier.
On the power play to commence the middle frame, Spencer Horgan made it 4-1 just 35 seconds in as he took a draw won back to him by Daks Klinkhammer and was allowed to cruise in untouched before making a move to his right and putting the puck past a diving Sullivan.
Winning another face-off deep in the visitors end generated an additional Greater Sudbury marker, less than four minutes, later thanks to Signoretti neatly deflecting in a Horgan wrister from the top of the right circle.
That resulted in a goaltending change with Maverick Fletcher entering in relief for the Storm.
Skating four-on-four, the hosts clicked again with a falling Newton in front controlling a pass put his way by Signoretti and depositing his third of the evening at 16:47.
Continuing to push hard in the third, the Cubs’ Samuel Assinewai finished it off while weaving through traffic before roofing a shot on another extra-man effort to round out the scoring.
The teams are right back it Friday in Sudbury at 7 p.m., as well as online via FLOHockey.tv.
NOJHL quarter-final
No. 1 Greater Sudbury Cubs vs. No. 8 Iroquois Falls Storm
Cubs lead best-of-seven series 1-0
Game 1: Cubs 7 Storm 1
Game 2: Friday, March 21 @ Sudbury 7 p.m. (Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex)
Game 3: Monday, March 24 @ Iroquois Falls 7:30 p.m. (Jus Jordan Arena)
Game 4: Tuesday, March 25 @ Iroquois Falls 7:30 p.m. (Jus Jordan Arena)
Game 5*: Thursday, March 27 @ Sudbury 7 p.m. (Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex)
Game 6*: Sunday, March 30 @ Iroquois Falls 7:30 p.m. (Jus Jordan Arena)
Game 7*: Tuesday, April 1 @ Sudbury 7 p.m. (T.M. Davies Community Centre Arena – Walden)
*-if necessary
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