The Saultsports Report brings you the weekly highlights from across Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma, showcasing the athletes, teams, coaches, and sports stories making an impact throughout the region. From football and hockey to baseball, basketball, soccer, and more, we’ll recap the biggest games, standout performances, exciting wins, and memorable moments from the week that was. Stay connected with The Saultsports Report for your weekly look at local sports across Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma.
SaultSports Report: September 13–20, 2026
1. Greyhounds open OHL season with overtime thriller
Soo Greyhounds 5, Saginaw Spirit 4 — OHL Hockey
September 18
The Soo Greyhounds opened the 2026–27 OHL regular season with an exciting 5–4 overtime victory over the Saginaw Spirit at Memorial Gardens. The story of the opening period was Noah Laus, who scored three times in the first 8:21 to give the Greyhounds a 3–1 advantage.
Saginaw battled back in the third, tying the game 3–3 before Ryan Kaczynski restored the Greyhounds’ lead. The Spirit answered again with just 1:47 remaining to force overtime.
Just 1:18 into the extra period, Trevor Daley Jr. ended the game on the power play, scoring his first goal of the season. Laus finished with three goals and an assist, while Daley Jr. provided the dramatic game winner. Goaltender Landon Miller stopped 25 of 29 shots.
Standouts: Noah Laus, Trevor Daley Jr., Ryan Kaczynski, Landon Miller.
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2. Kaczynski’s hat trick highlights wild loss to Sarnia
Sarnia Sting 5, Soo Greyhounds 4 — OHL Hockey
September 20
The Greyhounds returned to Memorial Gardens Saturday night looking for consecutive wins after their overtime victory over Saginaw. Instead, the game became another offensive thriller as Ryan Kaczynski recorded a hat trick, but Sarnia rallied late to take the victory.
Kaczynski’s three-goal performance was the individual highlight, but the Sting’s late push proved decisive. The result left the Greyhounds with one win and one loss through their opening two regular-season games.
The game also continued an action-packed opening weekend for Sault, which saw the Greyhounds score nine goals across their first two games.
Standout: Ryan Kaczynski — three goals.
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3. Cougars remain undefeated at 6–0
Sault College Cougars 52, London Beefeaters 10 — OFC Football
September 19
The Sault College Cougars continued their remarkable 2026 football campaign by travelling to London and defeating the Beefeaters 52–10 under the lights. The victory pushed the Cougars’ record to 6–0.
Sault entered the contest after beating Ottawa 43–21 the previous weekend and carried that momentum into another convincing road performance.
The Cougars’ combination of offensive production and defensive pressure allowed them to control the game throughout. The victory represented another important step in an undefeated regular season and kept Sault at the top of the OFC standings.
Standout: The Cougar offence and defence collectively produced another dominant performance.
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4. Thunderbirds dominate Eagles in home opener
Soo Thunderbirds 8, Soo Eagles 1 — NOJHL Hockey
September 18
The Soo Thunderbirds couldn’t have asked for a better home opener. After winning their first two games of the season in Hearst, the Thunderbirds returned home and overwhelmed their cross-border rivals, the Soo Eagles, 8–1.
Soo exploded out of the gate with four first-period goals. Landon Hill scored twice in the opening frame, while Andrew Warne and Jackson Mead also found the net.
The Thunderbirds continued the offensive assault in the second, with Adam Pszeniczny scoring to make it 5–0. The Eagles finally got on the board through Samuel Gold, but the Thunderbirds answered with three more goals in the third.
Cam Boville was excellent in goal, stopping 24 of 25 shots.
Standouts: Landon Hill, Adam Pszeniczny, Felix Sapay, Cam Boville.
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5. Thunderbirds defeat Elliot Lake to complete big home weekend
Soo Thunderbirds 4, Elliot Lake Vikings 1 — NOJHL Hockey
September 19
The Thunderbirds followed their 8–1 victory over the Eagles by returning to the ice Saturday against the Elliot Lake Vikings. Sault carried its momentum into another strong performance, defeating the Vikings 4–1.
The win capped a terrific opening stretch for the Thunderbirds, who entered the weekend having already swept a two-game road set in Hearst.
The victory also meant the Thunderbirds successfully handled two very different opponents on consecutive nights—first dominating their cross-border rivals before following it up against Elliot Lake.
Standout: Goaltender Nathan Maguire, who stopped 32 of 33 shots.
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6. U18 Greyhounds sweep Kapuskasing
Soo U18 Greyhounds — GNU18HL Hockey
September 18–20
The Soo U18 Greyhounds opened their GNU18HL regular season in dominant fashion, sweeping the Kapuskasing Flyers in a three-game road series.
The Greyhounds scored 27 goals while allowing only six, winning all three games and finishing the opening weekend 3–0. The opening contest ended 8–4, followed by a 10-goal performance in Game Two and another nine-goal outburst in the finale.
Finlay Escasa was arguably the offensive star of the weekend, scoring seven goals over three games, including a hat trick in Sunday’s finale. Jacob Vincent also had an outstanding weekend with five goals, while Nico Bossio and Dos Reis each contributed three goals.
Standouts: Finlay Escasa, Jacob Vincent, Nico Bossio, Finlay Carlson, Myka Venneri.
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7. U16 Greyhounds start season 2-1in Sudbury
Soo U16 Greyhounds — GNU18HL Hockey
September 18–20
The U16 Greyhounds also returned home with a perfect opening weekend, finishing 2-1 in Sudbury. The team opened Friday with a thrilling 4–3 overtime victory over the Sudbury U18 Wolves.
Saturday brought an 8–6 setback against the Sudbury U16 Wolves, but the Greyhounds responded emphatically Sunday morning, crushing Sudbury 10–1.
The team scored 20 goals across the three games. Jayden Fisher-Ruck was one of the weekend’s leading offensive contributors, while Brason-Doan produced a hat trick and five-point performance in Sunday’s victory.
Standouts: Jayden Fisher-Ruck, Brason-Doan, Jasper Jarratt, Lukas Maninos.
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8. St. Mary’s rallies for dramatic junior football win
St. Mary’s Knights 26, Korah Colts 23 — High School Football
September 14
One of the most dramatic games of the week came Monday night when St. Mary’s erased an eight-point deficit in the final two minutes to defeat Korah 26–23.
Korah led 23–15 with just 1:55 remaining, but St. Mary’s mounted an incredible comeback. Carter Tait scored a touchdown to make it 23–21, and quarterback Landon Chiarot kept the ball on the two-point conversion to tie the game.
Then came the decisive moment.
With only 3.2 seconds remaining, Tyler Diluzio calmly connected on a seven-yard field goal to give the Knights the 26–23 victory.
Earlier in the game, Korah quarterback Davian Clarke had connected with Bobby Real for a major, while Zyler Dougherty provided St. Mary’s with an explosive 86-yard touchdown.
Standouts: Tyler Diluzio, Landon Chiarot, Carter Tait, Zyler Dougherty, Davian Clarke.
Read the full SaultSports article
9. St. Mary’s senior Knights defeat Superior Heights
St. Mary’s Knights 31, Superior Heights Steelhawks 2 — High School Football
September 17
St. Mary’s followed its dramatic junior victory with another impressive senior performance, defeating Superior Heights 31–2 in Week Two action.
Superior Heights opened the scoring with a safety, but St. Mary’s quickly took control. Aaron Juma recovered a fumble and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown, while John-Anthony Giallonardo added a field goal.
The Knights then produced one of the game’s biggest plays when Hunter Jackson broke through for a 53-yard touchdown run, avoiding three tackles along the way.
Jackson later added his second major, this time catching a two-yard pass from Alex Hayes before breaking away for another seven yards. Adam Provenzano also added a 17-yard rushing touchdown.
Standouts: Hunter Jackson, Aaron Juma, John-Anthony Giallonardo, Adam Provenzano.
Read the full SaultSports article
10. Local NOJHL players earn Week One recognition
Dalton Hoornstra, Felix Sapay & Kieran Prichett — NOJHL Hockey
September 14
The week also brought league-wide recognition for three players connected to the local NOJHL scene. Soo Eagles goaltender Dalton Hoornstra, Soo Thunderbirds forward Felix Sapay, and Elliot Lake Vikings forward Kieran Prichett were named the NOJHL’s Week One Stars of the Week.
Hoornstra was particularly impressive in his first start, stopping all 39 shots in a 1–0 Eagles shutout of Espanola.
Sapay, a 16-year-old winger making his NOJHL debut, recorded four points in two games, including a goal and three assists, as the Thunderbirds swept Hearst.
Prichett scored all three Elliot Lake goals in a game against Blind River, producing a natural hat trick in just over five minutes during the first period.
Standouts: Dalton Hoornstra, Felix Sapay, Kieran Prichett.
Read the full SaultSports article
The Week at a Glance
Major storylines from September 13–20:
- 🏒 Greyhounds: Dramatic 5–4 OHL overtime win over Saginaw, followed by a late loss to Sarnia.
- 🏒 Thunderbirds: Started the NOJHL season with a perfect 4–0 record and a combined offensive surge highlighted by the 8–1 Eagles victory.
- 🏒 U18 Greyhounds: Perfect 3–0 opening weekend in Kapuskasing while scoring 27 goals.
- 🏒 U16 Greyhounds: 2-1 opening weekend in Sudbury
- 🏈 Sault College Cougars: Improved to 6–0 after a 52–10 road victory in London.
- 🏈 St. Mary’s: Produced one of the week’s most dramatic finishes with the 26–23 junior comeback over Korah and followed it with a 31–2 senior victory.
- ⭐ Local recognition: Hoornstra, Sapay and Prichett were recognized among the NOJHL’s Week One stars.
