Signoretti scores overtime winner to lead Cubs past Thunderbirds.©(@ChiefCub)
The Greater Sudbury Cubs made a fantastic comeback, coming back from a two-goal deficit in the third period to beat the Soo Thunderbirds 5-4 in overtime on Sunday at the John Rhodes Community Centre in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) game.
The game began with an early offensive burst from Greater Sudbury. Just 37 seconds into the first period, Nolan Newton skated into the Sault Ste. Marie zone used a defender as a screen and fired a shot past Thunderbirds’ goaltender Noah Metivier from the left circle to give the Cubs a quick 1-0 lead.
The Soo Thunderbirds answered with a power-play goal at 10:56 in the first period. James Elliot received a pass from Jake McPherson and fired a one-timer past Greater Sudbury’s goaltender Noah Beaulne, tying the game at 1-1.
The Thunderbirds took their first lead of the game just over six minutes into the second period. Jacob Smith drove down the left wing and, from a sharp angle, banked a shot off a defender and past Beaulne, giving Soo a 2-1 advantage.
The third period was chaotic, featuring five goals, with Greater Sudbury scoring three times to force overtime. At 8:24 of the period, James Legler capitalized on a breakaway, beating Beaulne to extend the Soo’s lead to 3-1.
The Cubs responded quickly, with Daks Klinkhammer firing a shot top-shelf from the left circle to cut the Thunderbirds’ lead to 3-2. Greater Sudbury continued to press, and two minutes later, Newton scored his second goal by tipping in a deflection from Samuel Assinewai to tie the game at 3-3.
Soo regained the lead just 14 seconds later, as Lucas Willoughby made a slick move on a defender and picked the left corner of the net, putting the Thunderbirds back on top 4-3 with 9:10 remaining in regulation.
But the Cubs weren’t finished. Klinkhammer struck again, taking a pass from Jacob Lamoureux on the left side and rifling a low shot past Metivier to tie the game at 4-4, forcing overtime.
In the extra frame, Greater Sudbury sealed the comeback. Just 45 seconds into overtime, Lucas Signoretti capitalized on intense pressure and jammed in a rebound off a Noah Kohan shot to give the Cubs a 5-4 victory.
The goal was Signoretti’s sixth game-winning goal of the season, which led the NOJHL. Three of those game-winners have come in overtime.
With the victory, the Cubs improved to 18-2-1-1, maintaining their first-place position in the standings. Despite earning a point in the overtime loss, the Thunderbirds dropped to 10-10-1-1 and slid to sixth place in the standings.
The dramatic win underscores the Cubs’ resilience, and their strong performance throughout the game showed why they remain a dominant force in the NOJHL this season.
