Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
After both teams battled through semifinal victories on Saturday, March 14th in New Liskeard, the Soo U18 Greyhounds and North Bay U18 Trappers met in the championship game of the 2026 GNU18HL Playoff Tournament. The Greyhounds advanced with a 4–2 win over the New Liskeard Cubs, while the Trappers punched their ticket to the final with a 6–4 victory over the Sudbury U18 Wolves. In a fast-paced championship showdown, North Bay held off a determined Soo comeback to capture the title with a 5–4 win.
North Bay struck quickly to open the game. Just 25 seconds into the first period, Scott Szczygiel scored his 4th goal of the playoffs, giving the Trappers a 1–0 lead. Kobe Gravelle and Francis Popkie recorded the assists on the early marker.
The Greyhounds responded late in the period. With just one second remaining in the frame (19:59), Frankie Reda tied the game at 1–1 with his second goal of the playoffs, finishing a play set up by Espen Escasa and Hunter Thorkilson.
Soo took their first lead in the second period on the power play. At 7:23, Makks Demidovich scored his second goal of the playoffs, putting the Greyhounds ahead 2–1. Frankie Reda and Dreyon Boissoneau assisted on the go-ahead goal.
North Bay answered with a power-play marker of their own. At 14:33, Cedar Montreuil scored his 9th goal of the playoffs, tying the game 2–2 with Scott Szczygiel picking up the assist.
The Trappers grabbed the momentum late in the second period. At 16:49, Philippe Lafontaine scored his 4th goal of the playoffs, assisted by Cedar Montreuil, giving North Bay a 3–2 lead. Just over two minutes later at 19:10, Francis Popkie added another, scoring his 4th goal of the playoffs with Montreuil collecting his second assist of the period to extend the Trappers’ lead to 4–2.
The Greyhounds pushed back early in the third period. At 3:28, Makks Demidovich scored his second goal of the game and third of the playoffs on the power play, cutting the deficit to 4–3 with an unassisted tally.
Soo continued to battle and eventually pulled even. At 11:42, Espen Escasa scored his third goal of the playoffs, tying the game 4–4. Hunter Thorkilson and Anthony Carbone assisted on the equalizer.
However, North Bay found the decisive goal late in regulation. At 17:27, William Fournier scored his third goal of the season, assisted by Scott Szczygiel, giving the Trappers a 5–4 lead they would hold until the final buzzer.
In goal, Sebastien Brassard handled the duties for the Greyhounds, while Carson Ruddy earned the win for the Trappers.
The championship game also marked the final GNU18HL appearance for several graduating Soo Greyhounds players, including Anthony Spironello, Cameron Kontulainen, Hunter Thorkilson, Nathan Dupuis, Jack Thornton, Espen Escasa, and Sebastien Brassard, who closed out their minor hockey careers with a strong playoff run.
With the victory, the North Bay U18 Trappers earned a berth in the 2026 U18AAA Central Region Championship, hosted by the Markham Waxers from March 30 to April 5 at the Angus Glen Community Centre in Markham, Ontario. The event will bring together the top U18 AAA teams from across the region as they compete for the chance to advance to the next stage of the championship pathway.
