Daks Klinkhammer scored twice, Briir Long struck two more, Mason Walker piled up three assists, and the Greater Sudbury Cubs overwhelmed the Soo Eagles over the final 20 minutes to seize early control of the series
The Greater Sudbury Cubs did not just win Game 1 of their NOJHL semifinal Thursday night. They imposed themselves on it.
For 40 minutes, the Soo Eagles managed to keep things within reach, trading an early punch and surviving wave after wave of pressure. But by the time the third period was over, the Cubs had turned a tight 1–1 hockey game into a 5–1 statement, using their captain’s finish, their stars’ timing, their power play’s precision and their overall territorial control to take a 1–0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The final score told one story. The shot clock, the special teams battle and the flow of the game told an even bigger one. Sudbury outshot Soo 40–28, went 1-for-5 on the power play, killed off all four Eagles opportunities and added a late shorthanded empty-net goal for good measure.
The Eagles struck first, with Lucas Caufield opening the scoring 3:57 into the first period off feeds from Nolan Nemecek and Kaden Schneider. But Sudbury responded with control, not urgency.
Captain Daks Klinkhammer tied the game at 11:55, finishing a play set up by Mason Walker, and from that point on, the ice began to tilt.
Sudbury outshot Soo 13–9 in the first period and widened the gap in the second with a 15–7 edge. Despite the 1–1 scoreline, the Cubs controlled over 63 percent of the shots through two periods, dictating pace, possession, and zone time.
The second period didn’t produce a goal, but it helped shape the game.
The Eagles were forced into back-to-back penalties midway through the frame, with CJ Zaharias called for high-sticking at 12:26 and Coulson Bell sent off for holding at 14:05. Sudbury didn’t convert, but the sequence disrupted Soo’s rhythm and kept the play tilted in the Cubs’ favour.
The breakthrough came early in the third.
Klinkhammer scored his second of the night at 6:23, a timely finish that stood as the game-winner and shifted momentum fully in Sudbury’s favour.
From there, the game opened up and tensions followed.
At 7:54, Dominic Cicco was assessed a slashing penalty, and Sudbury capitalized quickly. Briir Long struck on the power play at 8:35, extending the lead to 3–1 and snapping Soo’s perfect playoff penalty kill.
Just seconds later, the temperature rose.
Cicco and Noah Aboflan exchanged roughing minors at 8:51, with Aboflan picking up an additional minor served by Aleksander Duguay. The physicality continued as the period wore on, with Bell taking another penalty at 13:17 for tripping.
Through the back half of the period, scrums and frustration took over. Colton Huckson and Aboflan were both involved in another altercation at 15:21, with Aboflan also receiving a misconduct for unsportsmanlike conduct. Mateo Signoretti was later called for interference at 17:40, adding to a penalty-filled third period that reflected the shifting momentum.
Sudbury stayed composed through it all and kept scoring.
Long added his second of the night at 12:10, with Walker earning his third assist of the game, pushing the lead to 4–1 and putting the game out of reach.
Kaedyn Long sealed it late, scoring a shorthanded empty-net goal with 42 seconds remaining to cap off a dominant third period.
By the final horn, the numbers told the full story.
Sudbury outshot Soo 40–28, went 1-for-5 on the power play, killed off all four Eagles opportunities, and added a shorthanded goal controlling the game at even strength and on special teams.
The Cubs’ top players led the way. Klinkhammer finished with two goals, Briir Long added two of his own, and Mason Walker drove the offence with three assists. The trio continues to anchor a lineup that has produced consistently through the postseason.
Between the pipes, Iain Wintle remained perfect. He stopped 27 of 28 shots, maintaining a league-best 1.00 goals-against average and .964 save percentage in the playoffs.
Through five postseason games, Sudbury has now outscored opponents 32–7, building on a dominant opening-round sweep of the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners, where they held a 27–6 edge. That form mirrors their regular season, where the Cubs led the NOJHL in both goals for (298) and goals against (124), backed by elite special teams and depth throughout the lineup.
The Soo Eagles, coming off a first-round sweep of the Powassan Voodoos, showed early promise but struggled to generate sustained offence after their opening goal. They finished 0-for-4 on the power play and spent extended stretches defending as Sudbury controlled the flow of the game.
Game 1 didn’t decide the series, but it set the tone.
In front of 201 fans at T.M. Davies Community Centre, they turned a competitive semifinal opener into a reminder of why they remain one of the most dangerous teams left standing. Game 1 did not win the series. But it did give the Cubs exactly what they wanted: the lead, the momentum, and one more piece of evidence that this playoff run is being built on far more than just talent. It is being built on pressure, execution and a team that knows how to squeeze a game until it breaks.
The Cubs dictated pace, handled the physical pushback, and delivered when it mattered most.
Sudbury leads the semifinal 1–0 and looks every bit like a team built for another championship run.
