saultsports Photos: Rod Turnbull
IROQUOIS FALLS, Ont. – Lucas Signoretti’s second goal of the game, coming with 45 seconds remaining in the first overtime, lifted the Greater Sudbury Cub over the Iroquois Falls Storm 4-3 Monday evening in a thrilling Game 3 of their Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League playoff match-up at Jus Jordan Arena.
With the result, Greater Sudbury now leads the best-of-seven affair 3-0, with Game 4 going Tuesday back in Iroquois Falls at 7:30 p.m.
Named NOJHL MVP earlier in the day Signoretti, continued his torrid pace early on as he corralled the puck in the high slot, then wheeled around on the left side before cutting hard to the net and tucking one by Storm starter Maverick Fletcher five minutes in.
Adding another during a man advantage, midway through the first period, the visitors made it 2-0 thanks to Samuel Assinewai, who took his time on the right side before banking in a close-range shot.
Getting back into it seven minutes into the second stanza, on a two-man advantage, Jordan Mayo of Iroquois Falls took a feed from in deep by Jaden Lyons and wired it into the top corner from the high slot past Cubs’ goalkeeper Karsen Chartier.
After a few opportunities for the home side hit iron, an extended power play helped the visitors get that back at 15:08 when a fortunate bounce eventually found the stick of Ben Harris, who slammed it over the pad of a downed Fletcher for his third career playoff marker.
Impressing as he has done all season long, Mayo, the league’s rookie-of-the-year, brought the Storm to within one with three minutes to play as he burst through the Cubs’ defence with speed and then made a couple of crafty fakes before finishing off his second of the evening.
Continuing to press, a resilient Iroquois Falls team then notched an equalizer at the 18-minute mark as Jack Jarvis chipped in a Landon Trethewey feed to finish off a two-on-one and force extra time.
End-to-end action in OT saw both clubs trade chances.
In the end however, it was Greater Sudbury that eventually prevailed when Signoretti snagged a nice backhand pass from below the goal line by Eidan Macartney and whipped the game-winner into the right corner for his NOJHL-leading sixth of the postseason.
NOJHL quarter-final
No. 1 Greater Sudbury Cubs vs. No. 8 Iroquois Falls Storm
Cubs lead best-of-seven series 3-0
Game 1: Cubs 7 Storm 1
Game 2: Cubs 6 Storm 5
Game 3: Cubs 4 Storm 3 (OT)
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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