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Photos: Northern Lights Photography
HEARST, Ont. – Receiving stellar netminding from Karsen Chartier, his efforts backstopped the Greater Sudbury Cubs to a 5-1 triumph over the Hearst Lumberjacks Wednesday night in the fourth game of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League Final at Claude Larose Recreation Centre.
With the outcome the Cubs take a 3-1 edge in the best-of-seven affair as the series heads back to Sudbury for Game 5 Friday at Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex at 7:30 p.m., as they look to close out a second-straight NOJHL championship.
Greater Sudbury opened the scoring four and a half minutes into the contest when Daks Klinkhammer fired a shot that was blocked by a Hearst defender, but he swooped right in and neatly tucked a backhand into the open corner on netminder Alexandre Boivin.
Tacking on another during some sustained pressure in the Hearst zone, Lucas Signoretti corralled a loose puck off a Spencer Horgan attempt and snapped in his league-leading 16th goal of the playoffs, over a downed Boivin at 13:03.
The tally also saw Signoretti extend a postseason point streak to 12 in succession.
Pushing hard to get on the board throughout the second stanza, the hometown Lumberjacks generated multiple quality chances, but could not beat Cubs netminder Karsen Chartier, who held firm in the session.
Heading to the third period, the visitors extended their lead moments into a man advantage when Nolan Newton came out from the side boards and wired a shot from the left circle by Boivin with 12:10 remaining in regulation.
Adding another power play marker less than two minutes later, Greater Sudbury’s Noah Kohan put a pass out from along the goal line right to Klinkhammer at the top of the crease that he quickly steered in.
A superb play by Signoretti saw the falling forward spin while along the ice and put a play up between the circles and find Eidan Macartney, who pumped in his initial playoff marker for a shorthanded effort midway through the period.
That saw Hearst make a goaltending change as Owen Bonthuis entered in relief to see his first postseason action.
The Lumberjacks eventually solved Chartier on a two-man advantage that saw Henry Ouellet crank in a one-timer off a cross-ice backhand from DonHeaven Veilleux.
The proved to be the night’s final offensive effort as the Cubs skated away with a second consecutive road victory in Hearst.
NOJHL Final
No. 1 Greater Sudbury Cubs vs. No. 2 Heart Lumberjacks
Cubs lead best-of-seven series 3-1
Game 1: Lumberjacks 6 Cubs 2
Game 2: Cubs 5 Lumberjacks 4 (OT)
Game 3: Cubs 6 Lumberjacks 1
Game 4: Cubs 5 Lumberjacks 1
Game 5: Friday, April 25 @ Sudbury 7:30 p.m. (Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex)
Game 6*: Monday, April 28 @ Hearst 7 p.m. (Claude Larose Recreation Centre)
Game 7*: Wednesday, April 30 @ Sudbury 7 p.m. (Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex)
*-if necessary
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