Photos: Allyson Demers
KIRKLAND LAKE, Ont. – A pair of third period goals helped the Greater Sudbury Cubs grind out a narrow 2-1 triumph over the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners Monday night in hard-fought Game 3 of their Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League playoff series, in front of a season-high crowd of 1,085 at Joe Mavrinac Community Complex.
With the outcome, Greater Sudbury takes a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven set and have a chance to close it in Game 4 Tuesday back in Kirkland Lake where the home side will look to stave off elimination.
Taking their first lead of the series, the Gold Miners clicked 15 and a half minutes into the contest when Cayden Kowal made a nice reverse back pass from behind the net to the top of the crease that Nathan Harper swatted it in past Cubs’ starter Iain Wintle.
Still 1-0 Kirkland Lake into the second stanza, goaltender Glen McInnes stymied Greater Sudbury’s Lucas Antonioni on a partial break with a solid pad save midway through the session.
The tight-checking affair remained low-scoring as the scoreline stayed the same after two periods of play.
Notching the equalizer 35 seconds into the third, the Cubs broke out of their own zone in transition that allowed Mason Walker dart down the left wing then set-up Daks Klinkhammer in the slot where he wired a shot into the right corner on McInnes.
The visitors then went in front at 8:59 as they once again moved up ice quickly from their own end and saw Antonioni feed Mateo Signoretti, who ripped the go-ahead marker by McInnes to finish off an odd-man rush.
A strong Greater Sudbury forecheck in the late going prevented the Gold Miners from pulling their goalkeeper for an extra attacker until the waning moments, which helped the Cubs secure the come from behind victory.
NOJHL quarter-final
No. 1 Greater Sudbury Cubs vs. No. 8 Kirkland Lake Gold Miners
Game 1: Cubs 9, Gold Miners 1
Game 2: Cubs 6, Gold Miners 1
Game 3: Cubs 2, Gold Miners 1
Game 4: Tuesday, March 24 @ Kirkland Lake 7 p.m. (Joe Mavrinac Community Complex)
Game 5*: Thursday, March 26 @ Sudbury 7 p.m. (T.M. Davies Arena)
Game 6*: Saturday, March 28 @ Kirkland Lake 7 p.m. (Joe Mavrinac Community Complex)
Game 7*: Tuesday, March 31 @ Sudbury (T.M. Davies Arena)
*-if necessary
Greater Sudbury leads best-of-seven series 3-0
