Photo: Lori Johnston
MASSEY, Ont. – The Greater Sudbury Cubs got two goals apiece from Hudson Martin, Ethan Larmand and Oliver Smith to help propel them to a 9-3 triumph over the Elliot Lake Vikings in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League get together Friday at Massey & District Community Arena.
It took Greater Sudbury just over two minutes to open the scoring as defenceman Martin was in close and snapped a shot upstairs on a downed Sam Keene in the Elliot Lake net.
Up a skater midway through the first period, the Cubs went up by a pair when Marshall McCharles fired an attempt, blocker side, to give him 14 markers on the season.
Heading to the second stanza, the visitors went ahead by three as Smith steered in a Samuel Assinewai feed at 1:27.
They then added another on the next shift on a play that Keene inadvertently knocked into his own net after losing sight of the puck, with Ethan Larmand credited with the goal.
Not done there, Greater Sudbury collected a fifth on the evening with Nolan Newton making no mistake after being set-up alone in front.
The Vikings got one back while on a man advantage and saw Gavin McLenaghan wheel into the Cubs’ zone and fire a feed from a sharp angle that clipped off a defender and eluded goalkeeper Noah Beaulne at 4:38.
Getting that back, the visitors broke out in transition and saw Larmand convert from between the circles for his second of the evening.
Beaulne then stopped Nathan Marincola on a penalty shot to keep it 6-1 after two.
Entering the final frame, McLenaghan connected for Elliot Lake once again as he sent a knuckling puck from the left face off dot that knuckled under the glove of the Greater Sudbury goalkeeper.
Smith answered that for the Cubs with his second of the night and 43rd overall a couple of shifts later after taking a long up-ice feed from Chris Innes, then going in and tucking his chance between the legs of Keene.
Coming back to complete a hat trick, the Vikings’ McLenaghan went in alone on a breakaway and wired a shot into the top right hand corner for his initial three-goal game in the NOJHL.
Adding an eighth for his team, Mason Chitaroni put one through a couple bodies from the point that eluded a screened Elliot Lake netminder.
Martin then roofed a shot in the late going to round out the scoring.
With the win, the Cubs move to 41-12-1-2 overall and in defeat, the
Vikings slip to 5-44-1-4.
