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The Soo U18 Greyhounds hit the road on March 1st and 2nd, traveling to Powassan, Ontario, to take on the North Bay U16 Trappers in GNU18HL action. The weekend series proved to be a thrilling and high-scoring affair as the Greyhounds secured a pair of victories, showing off their offensive depth and strong team play.
The first game on March 1st started with the Greyhounds showing their offensive power early. At 3:31 of the second period, Gavin Avery found the back of the net for his first goal of the season, assisted by Gavin Killoran and Dylan Rousselle. Just over a minute later, Nathan Dupuis extended the Soo’s lead to 2-0, with Caleb Walker and Anthony Spironello picking up the assists on Dupuis’ seventh goal of the season.
Caleb Walker then added to the Greyhounds’ lead with a power-play goal at 12:19 of the second, marking his 24th of the season. Killoran and Rousselle assisted on the play. North Bay responded at 15:01 when Grady Dale scored his 18th goal of the season, pulling the Trappers to within one at 3-1. Emerik Bray and Evan Rowe provided the assists.
The third period kicked off with a bang as Danny MacDonald scored just 16 seconds in, increasing the Soo’s lead to 4-1. MacDonald’s goal was unassisted, marking his tenth of the season. North Bay fought back with two goals to close the gap. Grady Dale scored again at 15:22 on the power play, bringing the score to 4-2. Later, with under two minutes to play, Kobe Gravelle added another unassisted goal at 18:05 to bring the Trappers to within one, but the Greyhounds held on for the 4-3 victory.
In the second game on March 2nd, the Greyhounds continued their dominant play, starting with Caleb Walker scoring his 25th goal of the season at 5:48 of the first period to give the Soo a 1-0 lead. Spironello and Alessandro Parco assisted on the goal. With just 75 seconds remaining in the first period, Dupuis scored his eighth goal of the season on the power play, extending the Soo lead to 2-0. Emeric Barker and Rousselle were credited with the assists.
The second period saw the Greyhounds pull away further. Jackson Thornton scored his fourth of the season at 2:12, with Gavin Avery and Bodie Belair adding assists. However, North Bay responded with a power-play goal from Uilliam Noll at 4:13, pulling the Trappers within two at 3-1. But the Greyhounds’ offensive firepower proved too much for the Trappers to handle. Thornton struck again at 8:36 with his second goal of the game, and Rousselle made it 5-1 with his 14th of the season at 12:49.
North Bay mounted a mini comeback, as Grady Dale scored his 20th of the season at 17:17, pulling the Trappers within three. Just 21 seconds later, Philippe Lafontaine added his ninth goal of the season to bring the score to 5-3. A minute later, Ty Dubreuil netted his 17th to close the gap to 5-4.
However, the Greyhounds responded with MacDonald scoring on the power play at 17:50 to make it 6-4. In the third period, Killoran added a shorthanded empty-net goal at 18:42 to give the Soo a 7 – 4 lead, followed by Thornton’s first career hat trick at 19:03, securing a 8-4 victory for the Soo. Belair earned the assist on both of Thornton’s late goals.
With two dominant victories under their belt, the Soo U18 Greyhounds will now shift their focus to the 2025 GNU18HL playoff tournament. Scheduled to take place in Timmins, Ontario, from March 12th to 16th, the tournament’s schedule will be released soon. The Greyhounds, with their high-scoring offense and strong team play, will be a formidable opponent as they look to continue their successful season.
The Greyhounds’ offense has been firing on all cylinders, with key players like Caleb Walker, Jackson Thornton, and Nathan Dupuis leading the charge. As they head into the playoff tournament, they will aim to carry their momentum and contend for a championship.
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