Cubs Take 2-1 Series Lead Over Hearst in NOJHL Championship with Dominant Game Three Win -

Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos

With the 2025 NOJHL Copeland McNamara Cup championship series knotted at one game apiece following a pair of matchups in Greater Sudbury, the battle shifted north to Hearst for a pivotal Game Three on Tuesday night. In front of a loud crowd at Claude Larose Arena, the Sudbury Cubs delivered a complete performance, skating to a commanding 5-1 win over the Hearst Lumberjacks to take a 2-1 series lead.

The Lumberjacks opened the scoring just 5:20 into the first period when Mathieu Comeau pounced on a Chase Thompson rebound and beat Cubs netminder Karsen Chartier to give the home side a 1-0 edge. But Sudbury wasted no time responding. At 7:58, Mateo Signoretti capitalized on a turnover in the right faceoff circle and snapped a shot past Alexandre Boivin to tie things up 1-1, with Nick Kohan tallying the lone assist on Signoretti’s first goal of the postseason.

The Cubs grabbed the lead for good just over midway through the opening frame. Lucas Signoretti, continuing his stellar playoff run, took a feed from Daks Klinkhammer and slipped the puck through Boivin’s five-hole for his 15th goal of the playoffs. William Healey added a secondary assist on the go-ahead marker.

Sudbury continued to apply pressure in the second. At 6:18, Ben Harris found himself in the right place at the right time, scooping up a bouncing puck in the slot and lifting it over a sprawling Boivin to make it 3-1. Klinkhammer picked up his second assist of the night on Harris’ fourth of the playoffs.

Late in the middle frame, the Cubs made the most of a man advantage. With just 17 seconds remaining in the period, Kohan redirected a low shot from Lucas Signoretti into the Hearst net to push the Sudbury lead to 4-1. Klinkhammer again earned an assist, his third of the night.

Sudbury put the game out of reach early in the third. At 3:54, Lucas Signoretti blocked an errant clearing attempt along the boards and quickly turned the play into a two-on-one rush, setting up Nolan Newton for his eighth of the postseason and a 5-1 cushion.

The Lumberjacks pulled Boivin for an extra attacker in a late-game push, but it was the Cubs who capitalized. Mateo Signoretti sealed the deal with his second goal of the night at 16:39, sliding the puck into an empty net with Kohan notching his third point of the game.

Karsen Chartier was sharp between the pipes for Sudbury, stopping 23 of 24 shots, while Boivin faced 22 shots, turning aside 16 in the loss.

Hearst coach Marc Alain Begin told Saultsports that “we just have to play with more passion and have to work harder for our bounces and get ready for game four Wednesday evening.”

With the win, the Cubs take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven final. Game Four is set for Wednesday, April 23rd back in Hearst, with puck drop scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The Lumberjacks will look to regroup and even the series, while Sudbury aims to push the defending champions to the brink.