Photos: Caleigh Fera – Points North Media
SUDBURY, Ont. – A pair of Nolan Newton tallies, including the eventual game-winner late in the third period, helped the Greater Sudbury Cubs withstand the Espanola Paper Kings 4-3 in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League encounter Thursday at Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex.
Action in the first period saw Greater Sudbury generate most of the scoring chances and were rewarded with the night’s initial tally 13:43 into the proceedings.
On the marker, some sustained pressure by the Cubs led to Spencer Horgan being left with a tap in on Espanola netminder Jack Helkie to give him points in five straight to begin the season.
Moving to the middle frame, the home side went up by two on a delayed penalty as they worked a chance up ice that saw Daks Klinkhammer saucer a pass over to Newton in front, who got enough of it to chip it through Helkie at 6:24.
Cutting into the deficit during a man advantage in the latter stages of the second stanza, the Paper Kings got on the board when Cameron Menard spun behind the net and put a feed in front that Graydon Guthrie snapped past Greater Sudbury goaltender Mateo Beites .
That helped Menard, and Joseph Coates, who picked up the second assist, to both run point streaks to seven straight outings while the marker against was the first one Beites allowed in nearly 111 minutes of playing time.
Striking shorthanded early in third, Greater Sudbury’s Nate Lazarus snagged a loose puck in the neutral zone then darted into the Espanola end and made a superb between the legs move before sliding it over to Eidan Macartney who promptly snapped it upstairs.
Pulling back to within one again, the Paper Kings’ Carter Drigo picked off a clearing attempt that allowed Coates to move in along the right wing and put a play through the crease that was inadvertently knocked in by a diving Cubs’ defender.
A huge save by Beites kept his side in the lead with under six minutes to go while the guests were up a skater.
Adding the decider with 2:31 left, Newton won a draw to Jacob Signoretti at the point, who backpedalled along the blueline, then fired a shot to the target that Newton redirected in for his second of the evening.
Continuing to battle, Menard scored for a seventh game in a row to begin the campaign by shovelling in an Ashton Pitawanakwat chance off a turnover with Helkie out for an extra attacker and under a minute remaining in regulation.
Adding a sixth skater more, Espanola tried to tie it and force overtime, but Greater Sudbury held on to secure the home ice victory.
