The opening day of the NOJHL Showcase concluded with three contests, highlighted by a dominant offensive showing from the Soo Eagles, a comeback win for the Powassan Voodoos, and a tight victory for the host Greater Sudbury Cubs.
Soo Eagles secure first win of the season
The Soo Eagles earned their initial victory of the season with a decisive 6-1 win over the Blind River Beavers. The Eagles established control early, scoring three goals in the first period.
Coulson Bell scored 18 seconds into the game, followed by Carter Huckson for his first NOJHL goal. Anden Marceau then scored his league-leading 10th goal of the season to make it 3-0.
Marceau added his 11th goal just 14 seconds into the second period. Blind River’s Jonah McIndoo broke the shutout, but Nolan Nemecek responded to restore the four-goal lead. Micah Seery capped the scoring in the third with a power-play goal.
Seery was named a player of the game.
Voodoos rally for comeback victory
The Powassan Voodoos staged a third-period comeback, overcoming a two-goal deficit to defeat the St. Andrew’s College Saints 4-3.
St. Andrew’s led 2-0 after two periods on goals from Cooper Bordeaux and Finn Kearns. The Voodoos quickly erased the deficit in the third.
Captain Justin Rousseau scored 30 seconds into the final frame. Reid de Bokx tied the game just over seven minutes in. Jax Pereira gave Powassan the lead on the power play at 8:33, and Cayden Kowal scored to extend the lead to 4-2.
St. Andrew’s scored a late goal with the extra attacker, but Powassan held on for the win.
Goaltender Derrick Champagne was recognized as a player of the game.
Cubs get revenge, double up Thunderbirds
The Greater Sudbury Cubs finished Day 1 with a 4-2 victory over the Soo Thunderbirds. Nolan Newton scored the eventual game-winner on the power play in the second period.
Greater Sudbury opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal from Caden Dubreuil in the first. Tyson Rismond extended the lead to 2-0 early in the second.
Adam Pszeniczny scored for the Thunderbirds to cut the lead to one, but Newton restored the two-goal margin with a power-play tally. The Thunderbirds again closed the gap with a power-play goal from Deven Jones-McDonald. Daks Klinkhammer secured the victory for the Cubs with another power-play goal in the third.
Tyson Rismond and Ryan Hicks were named Players of the Game.