saultsports Photos: Rob Fera – Points North Media
SUDBURY, Ont. – Moving ever-closer to wrapping up the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League’s regular season title, the Greater Sudbury Cubs handled the French River Rapids 7-1 Thursday night in a match-up held at Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex.
Running a point streak to five, Cubs’ captain Mason Chitaroni gave his side the lead nearly four minutes into the first period when he collected a pass between the circles from Daks Klinkhammer and pumped it high over the blocker of Rapids’ goaltender Nicholas Tarantella.
Getting another a couple of shifts later, Greater Sudbury went up by a pair after Spencer Horgan put a play in front that was inadvertently directed in off the stick of a French River defender.
Notching another before the frame was half-way complete, Eidan Macartney made it 3-0 at 8:08 as he slammed in a rebound off a Lucas Signoretti attempt.
After that, Brock Grein entered in relief in the Rapids’ net.
A back-and-forth start to the second period saw early chances generated at both ends of the ice, but it was the Rapids who converted when Hunter Vilanez chipped the puck off the side boards while stepping around a defenceman, then went in and whipped his team-leading 21st tally in beating the Cubs’ Noah Beaulne.
Regrouping, Greater Sudbury countered by striking three times in quick succession to blow it open.
A Brady Bouchard blast from the high slot began the outburst at 10:37.
Then just over a minute later, Rubic and Signoretti connected 15 seconds apart to put the hosts in full control.
Rubic’s marker saw a Michael MacLean chance look to deflect off him in close while Signoretti hammered in a feed off the stick of teammate Nolan Newton.
Extending their cushion in the final frame, MacLean fired one upstairs on Tarantella, who had come back in net for French River, to cap-off the evening’s scoring.
The victory now sees the Cubs needing just one more point earned, or lost by the Hearst Lumberjacks, to claim the seasonal crown and collect the No. 1 seed in the upcoming NOJHL playoffs.
Also with the outcome, the Soo Thunderbirds secured themselves a postseason berth.
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