Photos: Caleigh Fera – Points North Media
SUDBURY, Ont. – A pair of second period power play markers by Mason Walker, one of which was the eventual game-winning goal, helped lead the Greater Sudbury Cubs to a 6-3 triumph over the Espanola Paper Kings in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League matchup Thursday night at Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex.
Espanola did strike first in the contest, 75 seconds in, when Luc Warner took his time in the corner, then spotted Joseph Coates alone at the top of the crease where he took the feed and roofed it on Greater Sudbury starter Mateo Beites.
With that, Coates extended a consecutive game point streak to six.
Notching the equalizer six minutes later, the Cubs came into Paper Kings territory on the left side where Kaeden Long dropped a pass back to Caden Dubreuil, who fired a shot that was handled by the pad of netminder Jack Helkie, but Long was quick to stuff in the rebound on a backhand.
The home side carried the majority of play in the opening frame, generating multiple shots throughout, and were rewarded on final one with a buzzer-beater as Owen King spun at the top of right circle and wired in a rising wrister at 19:59 on a late man advantage.
That gives King seven tallies in his past five games.
In the second stanza, an early turnover helped Greater Sudbury add to their lead as it allowed Spencer Horgan to go to the net where he lifted a backhand by Helkie.
The Cubs then went up 4-1 while up a skater as Nolan Newton wheeled in and slid a crisp cross-crease pass to a hard-charging Walker that he promptly buried at 5:05.
Getting right back in it, the Paper Kings clicked on back-to-back power plays to move back to within one.
Contributing to both was the NOJHL’s rookie point leader, Owen Smith.
He initially notched his 11th goal of the season as he pumped in a shot in the slot off a set-up from teammate Cameron Menard.
Smith then collected his 25th point as he sent Carter Drigo in, who whipped the puck through the legs of Beites.
That resulted in a change between the pipes as Matthew Vahramian entered in relief.
Regrouping, a diligent forecheck by Greater Sudbury helped them go back up by two at 11:05 as King stopped up down low and put a play between the circles that defenceman Alex Valade scored on.
A third special teams effort then made it 6-3 Cubs when Walker notched another on the man advantage as he finished off the leftovers off a Long chance and slammed it in for his third multiple-goal outing in just eight contests this season.
Continuing to pile up the attempts on target by a wide margin, the hosts pushed for more in the final period, however the efforts of Helkie kept it scoreless in the last 20 minutes as the matchup ended 6-3 in Greater Sudbury’s favour.
With the victory, the Cubs improve to 14-6-1-0 and in defeat, the Paper Kings drop to 13-8-0-1.
