Cubs host Voodoos in final home game of regular season

Sudbury, ON – The Greater Sudbury Cubs welcome the Powassan Voodoos to the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex for the sixth time in the Cubs’ final home game of the regular season. The Cubs, who currently sit second in the West division with 85 points, await the league’s announcement of their impending playoff matchup against the Soo Thunderbirds. Sault Ste. Marie sits third in the West Division with 79 points.

Greater Sudbury is coming off another high-scoring week, putting away the Espanola Paper Kings 7-1 last Thursday at home before defeating the Elliot Lake Vikings the following night 9-3 in a dominant away victory. With the back-to-back wins, Sudbury finished 13th in the final CJHL Top 20 Rankings – Fuelled by Gatorade, for the 2023-24 season. The Cubs remain second in Goals For (274) but have moved back into third in the league in Goals Against (164).

The Voodoos come into the Countryside Sports Complex 7-2-1-0 in their last 10 games and enter tonight on a four-game winning streak having most recently defeated the French River Rapids to a combined score of 14-5 in back-to-back games last week. Forwards Mathieu MacMillan (04-F) and Alexander Case (03-F) scored a combined four goals and eight assists for 12 points during the Voodoos’ two-game set against the Rapids.

Previous meetings

Sudbury has had the upper hand this season with a 7-2-0-1 record against Powassan and has historically been the better team over the last five seasons going 16-7-1-1 against Powassan over that span. The Voodoos have won two-straight against the Cubs, snapping a six-game losing streak against them. A loss to Powassan tonight would be a third-straight home loss to the Voodoos for Greater Sudbury this season.

Player to watch (Sudbury)

Samuel Assinewai (04-F) – The 19-year-old enters tonight on a 14-game point streak where the forward has put up nine goals and 24 assists for 33 points in that span. Through his 34 games played this season, the Little Current, ON, native has 21 goals and 41 assists for 62 points, averaging 1.82 points-per-game, and currently sits 15th overall in league scoring behind fellow Cubs Hudson Chitaroni (6th) and Oliver Smith (4th).

Player to watch (Powassan)

Mathieu MacMillan (04-F) – The 19-year-old enters tonight on a seven-game point streak where the forward has scored five goals and racked up 10 assists for 15 points in that span. On the season, the Gloucester, ON, native has 24 goals and 48 assists for 72 points through 50 games played and scored his 100th NOJHL career point during Powassan’s 9-3 away victory over French River this past Saturday.

BEAR FACTS

LEADING SCORERS – SUDBURY

1. Oliver Smith (03-F) – 56 GP – 43 G – 55 A – 98 Pts [8 PPG – 18 PPA – 1 SHG – 1 SHA – 6 GWG]
2. ^* Hudson Chitaroni (07-F) – 53 GP – 31 G – 44 A – 75 Pts [11 PPG – 14 PPA – 1 SHA – 3 GWG]
3. Samuel Assinewai (04-F) – 34 GP – 21 G – 41 A – 62 Pts [4 PPG – 8 PPA – 3 GWG]
4. Nolan Newton (06-F) – 30 GP – 28 G – 31 A – 59 Pts [10 PPG – 8 PPA – 4 GWG]
5. Cameron Shanks (04-F) – 54 GP – 15 G – 24 A – 39 Pts [1 PPA – 2 SHG – 1 SHA – 3 GWG]

* rookie

LEADING SCORERS – POWASSAN

1. Mathieu MacMillan (04-F) – 50 GP – 24 G – 48 A – 72 Pts [8 PPG – 12 PPA – 3 GWG]
2. Chase Thompson (05-F) – 53 GP – 23 G – 36 A – 59 Pts [5 PPG – 10 PPA – 2 GWG]
3. Cameron Lemcke (03-F) – 53 GP – 16 G – 38 A – 54 Pts [4 PPG – 10 PPA – 1 SHA – 2 GWG]
4. ^* Reyth Smith (07-F) – 52 GP – 26 G – 24 A – 50 Pts [1 PPG – 6 PPA – 1 SHG – 4 GWG]
5. Ryan Patrick (04-F) – 54 GP – 18 G – 26 A – 44 Pts [7 PPG – 9 PPA – 3 GWG]

* rookie

LAST FIVE GAMES – SUDBURY

1. 9-3 W @ Elliot Lake (08-03-24)
2. 7-1 W vs Espanola (07-03-24)
3. 7-6 L @ Espanola (03-03-24)
4. 11-2 W vs Elliot Lake (29-02-24)
5. 5-4 W @ Espanola (25-02-24)

LAST FIVE GAMES – POWASSAN

1. 9-3 W @ French River (09-03-24)
2. 5-2 W vs French River (08-03-24)
3. 2-1 W vs Hearts (05-03-24)
4. 4-3 W @ Espanola (01-03-24)
5. 4-2 L vs Espanola (28-02-24)

GOALIE STATS – SUDBURY

1. Noah Beaulne (04-G) – 24 GP – 17 W – 3 L – 1 OTL – 1 SOL – 2.50 GAA – 0.917 SV%
2. Noah Metivier (04-G) – 36 GP – 23 W – 9 L – 1 SOL – 2 SO – 2.98 GAA – 0.910 SV%
3. Matthew Vahramian (06-G) – 20 GP – 4 W – 11 L – 2 SOL – 4.57 GAA – 0.884 SV%

GOALIE STATS – POWASSAN

1. ^* Tyson Wilcox (05-G) – 8 GP – 6 W – 1 L – 1 SO – 2.45 GAA – 0.936 SV%
2. Patrick Charette (05-G) – 8 GP – 5 W – 1 L – 1 OTL – 2.83 GAA – 0.920 SV%
3. Daniel Dirracolo (05-G) – 35 GP – 18 W – 13 L – 2 SOL – 2 SO – 2.85 GAA – 0.925 SV%
4. ^* Miles Gordon (05-G) – 7 GP – 4 W – 3 L – 3.32 GAA – 0.891 SV%

* rookie

POINT STREAKS OR RECORDS – SUDBURY

1. Oliver Smith (03-F) – The 20-year-old enters tonight sitting on 98 points this season with 43 goals and 55 assists and has the chance to be the first Cubs’ player to record a 100-point season since the 2011-12 Sudbury Cubs had three players do so: Jordan Carrol – 157, Jamie Haines – 128, and Nick Esposto – 115.

2. Hudson Chitaroni (07-F) – The rookie hopes to extend his point streak to eight games after racking up five goals and eight assists in his last seven games and enters tonight with a 12-point lead on the NOJHL rookie-scoring leaderboard with 31 goals and 44 assists for 75 points through 53 games this season.

3. Noah Metivier (04-G) – The third year NOJHL backstop is amidst his most winningest season with a 23-9-0-1 record entering tonight and currently sits fifth all-time amongst NOJHL goaltenders in Goals Against Average with a career GAA of 2.37 coming into tonight. 

POINT STREAKS OR RECORDS – POWASSAN

1. Cameron Lemcke (03-F) – The forward broke a six-game pointless streak against French River last Friday with a power-play assist on Powassan’s fourth goal of the game. The Callander, ON, native recently committed to the Sault College Cougars (ACHA II) for the 2024-25 season.

2. Reyth Smith (07-F) – The rookie forward looks to extend his point streak to three games after recording two goals and two assists for four points in last two games.

3. Ryan Patrick (04-F) – The forward looks to extend his point streak to five games entering tonight with two goals and three assists in that span.

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