Photos: Sudbury Light Event Photography
SUDBURY, Ont. – Getting a three-goal performance from Jaxon Bedard helped the Greater Sudbury Cubs skate to a 5-1 victory over the Blind River Beavers in a chippy Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League match-up Thursday at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex.
Blind River capitalized first, connecting 15 minutes into the match-up, as the guests supplied the night’s initial marker after defenceman Ryan Cooper banked a high shot off the glass down the ice to Hayden Webster, who in turn fed Kyle Caron going to the net where he tipped the puck past Greater Sudbury goaltender Joel Rainville.
Answering before the first period came to a close, the Cubs’ Seth Coulter bagged the equalizer at 17:42 as he took a Cameron Walker feed from behind the net and quickly snapped a shot that the Beavers’ Gavin Disano could only get a piece of before it trickled across the goal line.
In the second period, the home side took the lead on another point picked up by Coulter as he put one towards the net during a man advantage where Bedard had a couple of whacks at it before sliding a chance past a sprawled Disano.
Heading to the final frame, Greater Sudbury added some insurance midway through the stanza while up a skater as Graeme Siren left one go from right point that found a hard-charging Bedard driving to the net where he tipped it in.
They then secured the home ice victory as Kyler Campbell outraced a Blind River on a rush and made a quick deke to his right before slipping in his NOJHL-leading 19th of the season, which came shorthanded.
Adding another off a breakaway, the Cubs’ Billy Biedermann was stymied, but Bedard dove across to knock in the rebound to collect his first league hat trick at 15:52 to round out the scoring.
Coulter joined Bedard with a three-point night as Greater Sudbury won their fifth game in a row.
Shots on goal finished up 33-23 in the Cubs’ favour with Rainville collecting the victory while Disano was saddled with the loss.
