Photos: Allyson Demers
KIRKLAND LAKE, Ont. – A multi-point night from their captain Daks Klinkhammer led the Greater Sudbury Cubs past the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 10-3 Tuesday evening in Game 4 of their Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League quarter-final at Joe Mavrinac Community Complex.
With the outcome, the Cubs take the best-of-seven series 4-0 to send them on their way to the NOJHL semifinals.
The Cubs set the tone early, scoring just 25 seconds into the contest.
On the tally, they broke out of their own zone after a face off that led to Klinkhammer darting down the right wing with speed, before firing a pass over to defenceman Alex Valade, who had joined the rush, and buried a shot past Gold Miners’ starter Glen McInnes.
Briir Long then made it 2-0 as he pumped in a puck that came out off the end boards off a Valade attempt.
With an injury to McInnes on the play, that saw back-up Logan Coates enter in long relief.
The home side did get one back shortly after that as Tysen Anderson was set-up in the left circle after Owen O’Grady picked off a clearing attempt, that allowed him to whip one through Greater Sudbury goalkeeper Matthew Vahramian.
Answering that less than a minute later, Briir Long put the guests back up by two with a nice left-to-right move in close that he tucked in.
Action in the middle stanza featured a fourth on the night for the regular season title holders as Lucas Antonioni worked his way between the circles and sent a shot through a crowd and in for his third of the series.
Extending their edge to 5-1, Klinkhammer connected for another with a low attempt into the net off a pass from Mason Walker.
Eidan Macartney then clicked for the Cubs on a shorthanded breakaway that he wired into the bottom left corner.
Another nice effort from Kirkland Lake’s O’Grady saw him spot Jake Williams coming in the back door where his pass allowed his teammate to pump his chance by Vahramian to make it 6-2 after 40 minutes.
The clubs would trade tallies early in the third as Jeremy Schoenborn scored for the Gold Miners by finishing off a Lex Lamontagne pass with a five-hole wrist shot.
Matching that a couple of shifts later, Greater Sudbury’s Owen King made no mistake after going in alone and converting on Coates.
Briir Long, affiliate Khade Metatawabin, with his first, and Mateo Signoretti then capped it off for the Cubs to close it out.
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: Cubs 10, Gold Miners 3
Greater Sudbury wins best-of-seven series 4-0
