The first place Greater Sudbury Cubs fell behind early but had plenty of fire power in response as they downed the French River Rapids 9-3 Jan. 9 in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League meeting at Noelville Arena.
The Rapids generated some early pressure to take a 1-0 lead just 20 seconds into the contest, when Tristan Kitchen muscled free a loose puck and sent a cross-crease feed across to Jacob Cantin who steered it past Cubs’ starter Matthew Vahramian.
Coming back to tie it four minutes later, Lucas Antonioni wheeled into the slot from the right side and wired a shot over the pad of French River netminder Matis Bureau-Morel.
Eidan Macartney then put the visitors ahead a few shifts later and he darted down the left wing and into the circle where he snapped in a sizzler for his 11th of the season.
Another chance moments later saw Daks Klinkhammer taken down on a breakaway, which led to a penalty shot, but Bureau-Morel stayed with it and made a nice pad save to deny the attempt.
Tacking on another in the session, Greater Sudbury’s Nolan Newton won a draw directly back to Kyle Navarro at the right point then neatly tipped in a shot from the Cubs’ defenceman.
More from the guests on a late power play, Owen King spun in the Rapids’ zone and ripped a shot past a blocked out Bureau-Morel at 19:26.
In the middle stanza, off a quick transition, Cantin collected his second of the evening when his attempt to the target while driving down the left wing leaked through Vahramian.
Trading tallies seconds apart, Noah Kohan shovelled in a loose puck laying at the top of the crease during a power play to make it 5-2, only to see Kitchen counter right off the face off as he picked off a play in the Greater Sudbury zone and deposited a backhand.
Doubling their lead deep in the frame, the Cubs’ Caden Dubreuil flew down the right wing, and after darting around a defender, whipped in his 10th goal of the season.
Reaching the 20-goal plateau to supply some insurance in the third, Mason Walker added to the lead as he wired in a blocker side attempt through traffic.
Two others off the stick of King, via an extra-man both times, put it out of reach as Greater Sudbury cruised to the win.
The Cubs take on the Rapids again on Jan. 15, but this time at home at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex.