Lumberjacks Hold Off Cubs in Game Six of the Copeland McNamara Cup Championship to Force a Decisive Game Seven -

Coming off a hard-fought 10-6 victory on Friday, April 25th, in Sudbury, Ontario, during game five of the best-of-seven NOJHL Copeland McNamara Cup Championship series, the Hearst Lumberjacks successfully extended the series and brought it back home for a crucial game six matchup. With momentum on their side, the Lumberjacks returned to the Claude Larose Recreation Centre, where they faced off against the Greater Sudbury Cubs on Monday, April 28th. The hometown crowd packed the arena, eager to support their team as they looked to force a decisive game seven and continue their pursuit of the championship.

Game six of the series between the Hearst Lumberjacks and the Sudbury Cubs delivered plenty of drama, momentum swings, and key performances as the Lumberjacks survived a late Cubs rally to earn a 5–4 victory and force a game seven showdown.

Sudbury opened the scoring early when Daks Klinkhammer picked off a turnover at the Lumberjacks’ blue line and broke in alone on Hearst rookie goaltender Alexandre Boivin, snapping home his seventh goal of the playoffs at 6:50 of the first period. Noah Kohan picked up the lone assist on the play.

Hearst responded at 11:18 when Cole Miller rifled a snapshot from the left faceoff circle past Sudbury netminder Karsen Chartier, knotting the score at 1–1. DonHeaven Veilleux and Chase Thompson earned the helpers on Miller’s second goal of the postseason.

Just as the first period was about to expire, Hearst seized the momentum. With only three-tenths of a second remaining, Owen Hey found a lane through traffic and buried his first goal of the playoffs from between the faceoff circles. Damien Bourdon-Lemoyne and Ty McKay assisted on the go-ahead marker, sending the Lumberjacks into the intermission with a 2–1 lead.

The second period saw Hearst extend their advantage. At 15:37, Liam Boswell took a feed from Tyler Patterson in front and deked around Chartier to notch his fifth goal of the postseason. Mathieu Comeau added an assist on the play.

Just 13 seconds later, Adam Shillingford capitalized on a rebound from Ty McKay’s shot to score Hearst’s fourth goal. Bronson Babyak picked up the secondary assist on Shillingford’s fourth of the playoffs, chasing Chartier from the Sudbury net. Noah Beaulne took over in goal for the Cubs.

Sudbury clawed one back late in the period. With 31 seconds left and just after a Lumberjacks penalty expired, Michael MacLean pounced on an Eidan Macartney rebound to lift a shot over Boivin’s glove, cutting Hearst’s lead to 4–2 heading into the second intermission. Ben Harris also assisted on MacLean’s second of the playoffs.

In the third, Hearst regained their three-goal cushion. At 7:02, DonHeaven Veilleux picked up a loose puck at the Cubs’ blue line, beat the last defender, and ripped a shot from the left circle past Beaulne for his twelfth goal of the postseason. William Pâquet provided the lone assist.

Refusing to go quietly, Sudbury fought back. Michael MacLean struck again at 8:30, converting a turnover at the Hearst blue line with help from Lucas Signoretti to make it 5–3. Then, with 6:43 remaining and on a power play, Daks Klinkhammer blasted home his second of the night to pull the Cubs within one.

Despite late pressure, Boivin stood tall. The Lumberjacks’ rookie netminder finished with 33 saves on 37 shots. Cubs goalies Chartier and Beaulne combined for 30 saves on 35 shots in the loss.

With the series now tied at three games apiece, a decisive Game 7 is set for Wednesday, April 30th in Sudbury. The winner will punch their ticket to the 2025 Centennial Cup National Championship in Calgary, which begins May 8th.