Recently crowned the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League champions, the Greater Sudbury Cubs are now sharpening their claws for the Centennial Cup.
To be held May 9-19 in Oakville, the annual Centennial Cup sees the top junior hockey teams in the country come together to settle, at least until next season, which is the best team in Canada.
It was quite a season of hockey for the Cubs up to the this point.
In the fifth game of the championship best-of-seven series on April 25, the Cubs defeated the Powassan Voodoos 5-3 to claim the Copeland Cup – McNamara Trophy as the NOJHL champs.
The win came after a stellar season for the team, which saw them sitting in first or second place in the league all season. Greater Sudbury trailed the Blind River Beavers for much of the latter portion of the season, but defeated the Beavs in five games to claim the NOJHL West Division title.
At the Centennial Cup, Greater Sudbury will take on the Collingwood Blues (OJHL); Navan Grads (CCHL); Calgary Canucks (AJHL) and Collège Français de Longueuil (LHJAAAQ) in the 10-team event.
For information on how to watch the games online, you can Hockey Canada’s Centennial Cup site.
Here’s a look at the teams the Cubs will meet
Collingwood Blues (OJHL)
Friday, May 10, 4 p.m.
Collingwood captured their second consecutive Ontario Junior Hockey League Buckland Cup title after knocking off the Trenton Golden Hawks in six games. Led offensively by veteran forward Spencer Young, who provided 30 points in 19 postseason outings on a dozen tallies and 18 assists, the Blues also count Dylan Hudon and Jack Rimmer as point getters, with 24 and 22 respectively. Netminder Noah Pak was stellar between the pipes for Collingwood, going 16-3 with a 1.74 goals-against average and a solid .939 save percentage, along with an OJHL-best four shutouts.
Navan Grads (CCHL)
Sunday, May 12, 4 p.m.
Navan won the Central Canada Hockey League’s Bogart Cup championship by defeating the Smiths Falls Bears four games to two. The Grads boasted four of the Top 5 scorers in the playoffs. Pacing the group was Colin MacDougall, who registered 21 points on 10 tallies and 11 helpers. Defenceman Nicholas Paone and forward Cristobal Tola provided 14 points apiece to share fourth in league numbers. Rookie goaltender Jaeden Nelson went 12-5 in the playoffs to backstop his side to the CCHL crown, sporting an average of 2.41. along with a .932 save mark and a CCHL-high two shutouts.
Calgary Canucks (AJHL)
Monday, May 13, 4 p.m.
Winning the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s interpipeline Cup back on April 17, the Canucks were the first team to join the host Oakville Blades (OJHL) in the Centennial Cup. A three-player threat in Ty Hipkin, Gavin Garland and Julien Gervais tied for the AJHL playoff scoring lead with 18 points each. Goaltender Julian Molinaro went 12-3 in the postseason, with an average of 2.56 and a .908 save mark. He also had one shutout.
Collège Français de Longueuil
Wednesday, May 15, 12 p.m.
Claiming the Quebec AAA Junior Hockey League NAPA Cup crown, Collège Français downed the Everest de la Côte-du-Sud in a thrilling seven-game affair that went the distance. Simon Laramee was Longueuil’s top point-getter as he chipped in with 19 points in 18 outings on 10 goals and nine assists. Next on the squad was Thomas Bourbonnais (8G-10A-18PTS) and Brandon Boudreau (11G-6A-17PTS). Netminder Mathis Lacroix-Goulet appeared in 18 playoff games, going 12-6 with a 2.37 goals-against average, along with a crisp .924 save percentage.
