saultsports SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. – The Greater Sudbury Cubs are moving on to a second-straight Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League final after finishing off a four-game sweep of the Soo Thunderbirds Wednesday, with a 5-0 victory at John Rhodes Community Centre.
Posting the shutout in the finale was Karsen Chartier, who now has two, in closing out each of his club’s initial pair of postseason series.
The Cubs now wait to face either the Hearst Lumberjacks or Timmins Rock for the Copeland Cup – McNamara Trophy and a berth into the Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, May 8-18 in Calgary, Alta.
Hearst leads that best-of-seven semifinal match-up 3-1 heading into Game 5 at home Friday at 7 p.m.
Having yet to trail at any point of the playoffs through eight games, Greater Sudbury continued that by notching Wednesday’s initial tally, 3:17 into the proceedings.
After a face-off win, Samuel Assinewai jumped in from the left side and worked his way to the high slot where he put a shot to the net through traffic that hit the post and bounced in on Sault Ste. Marie’s Noah Metivier.
The Cubs then added another two minutes later as Lucas Antonioni redirected in a Ryan Rubic backhand put into the crease.
With that, Sault Ste. Marie opted to make a goaltending change as Lincoln Mellenthin entered in relief.
A red-hot Lucas Signoretti then made it 3-0 with a man advantage marker by cranking in his NOJHL-leading 11th of the playoffs with a one-timer from the right circle after being teed up by Spencer Horgan.
Metivier did return for the Soo to begin the middle stanza.
That second period proved to be scoreless as Greater Sudbury carried their three-goal cushion into the intermission.
In the final frame, the Cubs extended their edge just over seven minutes in when Daks Klinkhammer went to the net on a one-on-one and made a nifty move to his right before powering a backhand past Metivier.
Needing goals to try and get back in it, the T-Birds pulled their goalkeeper during a man advantage for an additional skater with seven minutes remaining, but Signoretti ended up picking off a Soo pass in his own end, then moved up and scored into the empty net from the neutral zone, for his second of the night, and 12th overall, to close it out.
NOJHL semifinal
No. 1 Greater Sudbury Cubs vs. No. 6 Soo Thunderbirds
Cubs win best-of-seven series 4-0
Game 1: Cubs 7 Thunderbirds 4
Game 2: Cubs 4 Thunderbirds 2
Game 3: Cubs 6 Thunderbirds 3
Game 4: Cubs 5 Thunderbirds 0
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