Photos: Sudbury Light Event Photography
SUDBURY, Ont. – A Yan Bessette man advantage marker, off a turnover, nearly three minutes into overtime lifted the Espanola Paper Kings to a 4-3 victory over the Greater Sudbury Cubs in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League match-up Thursday at Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex.
Espanola were first to strike on the night as well when Alexander Christopoulos was credited with his second tally of the campaign, with help from Atley Gringorten and Hunter Friesen, with the latter collecting his first NOJHL point in his league debut.
Tacking on another early in the second period, the Paper Kings’ Spencer Horgan chipped a play past a Cubs’ defender on a back pass and darted in alone before cutting left and lifting a backhand over the pad of Greater Sudbury goaltender Nathaniel Boyes.
Cutting into the deficit at 8:04, the home side got on the board off a face-off win back to the left point, where Cole Quevillon fired an attempt that appeared to clip off an Espanola player and skip past Paper Kings’ netminder Andrew Gaulton.
Continuing to press, Greater Sudbury drew level before the second intermission as Cameron Walker won a race into the corner on a dump in and got it behind the net to Pierson Sobush, who in turn fed Billy Biedermann in front where he snapped in the equalizer.
After a couple of glorious chances to take the lead in the final moments of the stanza, the Cubs looked to carry the momentum into the third.
There, the hosts were the beneficiaries of a favourable call that went their way to give them the lead, early in the session, as Biedermann banked an attempt off an Espanola player towards the goal line that was deemed on the ice to have gone in and was ruled a goal.
Regrouping though, the visitors countered to tie it, while up a skater, as Kyle den Ouden jammed in a rebound off a Joshua Romolo effort from up high to knot the affair a 4-4 with 12 minutes to go and help force extra time.
In OT, the Paper Kings picked up a power play and on a play put deep into Greater Sudbury territory, the Cubs’ Boyes went out to play it, but his clearing attempt went right to Bessette who had ample time to put the game-winner into the open net before the goalkeeper could get back and give the guests the road win.
The result sees Espanola improve to 2-1-0-0 early on in the season while the Greater Sudbury slipped to 3-0-1-0.
Highlight of the Night – NOJHL YouTube Channel
