Photo Eric Verbonac

Coming off a 6 – 2 semi-final win in Kapuskasing at the 2022 Great North Midget League playoffs on Saturday, March 19th, the 2022 GNML regular season champions, the Soo U18 Greyhounds took to the ice Sunday, March 20th for a championship matchup against the Sudbury U18 Nickel Capitals for a chance to represent the NOHA at the 2022 OHF U18 Ontario Championships in Toronto, Ontario starting April 4th.

From the left faceoff circle, Dominic Morris fires a shot along the ice to find the back of Greyhound netminder Charlie Burns through the Soo netminder’s five hole 3:12 into the opening period to give the Nickel Capitals a 1 – 0 lead. Jet Bertrand had the lone assist on Morris’ goal. Deep in Sudbury’s zone to right of Nickel Capital goaltender Logan Carr’s net, Greyhound Gabe Zimbaro pulls the Soo even 1 – 1 at 13:37 of the first with Lincoln Moore and Austin Fellinger drawing the contributors on Zimbaro’s tying goal. At 8:59 of the first, Parker Tardif slides the Nickel Capitals go-ahead goal under Burns’ left pad to give Sudbury a 2 – 1 lead. Ryan Ward and Ethan Morris notched the contributors on Tardif’s goal.

Lincoln Moore rifles the tying goal from between the faceoff circles to register his second point of the game to find the back of Capital goaltender Carr’s net over his blocker to tie the game 2 – 2 for the Greyhounds. Cole Cond added the assist on Moore’s tying goal. With Harley Wardell on a Greyhound two on one breakaway, Wardell fires a snapshot over Carr’s catcher to give the Soo a 3 – 2 lead 5:58 into the second period with Evan Roach setting up Wardell’s go-ahead goal. With 33 seconds remaining in the GNML championship, Jacob Smith lifts the game winner over a sprawling Logan Carr to give the Greyhounds a 4 – 3 championship win. Gabe Palumbo and Carmine Perna had the assists on Smith’s game winner. Sudbury’s Dominic Morris and Soo’s Charlie Burns were awarded the 2022 GNML Championship MVP selections.

Coach Jamie Henderson told Saultsports that “this is a special day for this program we haven’t had the opportunity to compete for this championship with two great teams the past couple seasons due to COVID and these kids have been through so much it’s a great feeling.”

“We talked prior to the game about really taking it a shift at a time and credit Sudbury they played a great game and gave us everything we could handle we were fortunate to get a late one from Jacob Smith and Charlie Burns was simply outstanding the last two periods. We’re really proud of them,” added Henderson.

The Greyhounds will now advance to the 2022 OHF U18 Championship in Toronto, Ontario hosted by the Toronto Young Nationals on April 4 – 10, 2022.