The Soo U18 Greyhounds put together an impressive round-robin performance at the 2026 Big Nickel Tournament in Sudbury, Ontario, collecting three consecutive victories against AAA U18 competition before seeing their tournament run come to an end in the quarter-finals.
The 46th edition of the Big Nickel Tournament ran November 5th–9th and featured 32 AAA U18 hockey programs from across Ontario, providing the Greyhounds with an opportunity to compete against some of the province’s top teams.
The Soo opened tournament play on Thursday, November 5, with a 4-2 victory over Myers U18. The Greyhounds started their weekend on a positive note, earning their first win and setting the tone for the remainder of the round-robin schedule.
On Friday, November 6th, the Greyhounds returned to the ice for a busy two-game schedule. In their first matchup of the day, the Soo faced the Whitby Wildcats and came away with a hard-fought 4-3 victory. The one-goal decision gave the Greyhounds their second consecutive win of the tournament.
The Soo followed that performance with another strong showing in their second game of the day, defeating the Eastern Ontario Wild by a 4-1 score. With back-to-back victories on Friday, the Greyhounds improved their tournament record and carried plenty of momentum into their final round-robin matchup.
On Saturday, November 7th, the Greyhounds closed out round-robin action against Canadian Hockey Enterprise. The Soo delivered their most dominant offensive performance of the tournament, recording a convincing 7-0 shutout victory to finish the preliminary round with four consecutive wins.
However, the quarter-finals would present a different challenge for the Greyhounds as they faced the Burlington Eagles later Saturday.
Despite entering the elimination round on a four-game winning streak, the Soo came up short against Burlington, falling by a 5-2 final to bring their 2026 Big Nickel Tournament campaign to a close.
The Greyhounds finished the tournament with three round-robin victories and one quarter-final appearance, demonstrating their ability to compete against a strong field of AAA U18 programs from across Ontario.
Next Up: Three-Game Home Weekend Against North Bay
The Soo U18 Greyhounds will return to GNU18HL action over the November 20–22 weekend when they welcome the North Bay U18 Trappers to Sault Ste. Marie for a three-game series.
The weekend schedule will feature:
- Friday, November 20: Soo Greyhounds vs. North Bay Trappers – 5:00 p.m
- Saturday, November 21: Soo Greyhounds vs. North Bay Trappers – 8:00 p.m
- Sunday, November 22: Soo Greyhounds vs. North Bay Trappers – 10:00 a.m
The three-game home series will provide the Greyhounds with an opportunity to carry lessons from their Big Nickel Tournament experience back into league play as they continue their 2026–27 GNU18HL season.
