Over the March 27th to 29th weekend in Sudbury, Ontario, the Soo U13AA Greyhounds joined the Sudbury Wolves, Copper Cliff Reds, North Bay Trappers, and Timmins North Stars at the 2026 NOHA Tournament of Champions with one goal in mind — earning a spot at the 2026 Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) Championships.
Facing some of the top competition in Northern Ontario, the Greyhounds battled through a demanding round-robin schedule before delivering when it mattered most, ultimately securing their place at the OHF Championships set for April 17th to 19th in Copper Cliff, Ontario.
Strong Finish on Friday
The Greyhounds opened the tournament on Friday morning with a 3-1 loss over the Copper Cliff Reds, setting the tone early with a solid all-around performance at both ends of the ice.
Later that day, the Soo faced a tough test against the host Sudbury Wolves. Despite a strong effort, the Greyhounds won 7-3 in a high-scoring contest, evening their record at 1-1 heading into Saturday.
Hard-Fought Saturday Results
Saturday proved to be a test of resilience for the Greyhounds, as they played two tightly contested games.
In the morning matchup, the Soo skated to a 2-2 draw against the North Bay Trappers, earning a valuable point in the standings. Later in the afternoon, the Greyhounds found themselves in another back-and-forth battle, this time against the Timmins North Stars. The teams exchanged goals throughout the contest, finishing in a 4-4 tie.
With a record of one win, one loss, and two ties, the Greyhounds did enough to advance to the semi-final round on Sunday.
Greyhounds Rise in Semi-Final
In Sunday morning’s semi-final, the Greyhounds once again met the Copper Cliff Reds who loss only three regular season games in 2025/26. Much like their opening game, the Soo delivered a strong performance, skating to a 3-1 victory to secure their spot in the championship game.
Championship Game Result
The Greyhounds capped off their weekend in the championship final against the Timmins North Stars. The Soo won 7-1 in the title game.
After a weekend that showcased their determination, depth, and ability to compete with the region’s best, the Soo U13AA Greyhounds will now turn their focus to the provincial stage.
Greyhound coach Matt Moore told Saultsports that “when we drafted this team at the start of the season we knew we had a special group of kids. It means so much to us as a coaching staff that we stuck to our plan and the kids played their hearts out for us. We could not be prouder of the resilience they showed and how hard they worked every game. What excites us the most about winning NOHAs and moving on to the OHFs is that we believed in this group all season long. The team record does not indicate how good of a team we are, and despite all those on the outside doubting us, we proved that our plan worked and the kids finally believed in themselves, just like we had all season long. We are looking forward to playing the top teams in the province as we know we can compete with them and our kids are definitely excited for the opportunity.”
The Soo U13AA Greyhounds roster featured a dedicated and talented group of players who played a key role in the team’s success at the NOHA Tournament of Champions. Representing the Soo were Asher Caswell, Noah Bouchard, Aaron Nolan, Benjamin Nadeau, Cole Van Hoek, Emily Evans, Ethan Sherlund, Grayson Kreutzweiser, Hendrik Fraser, Jack Dugas, Jakob Maninos, Jaxson Stacy, Kian Yun, Kobe Bodnar, Ryan Moore, Tori Micomonaco, Grady Brown, and Walker Dugas. Each player contributed throughout the weekend, showcasing strong teamwork, determination, and a commitment to competing at a high level against some of Northern Ontario’s top programs.
Behind the bench, the Greyhounds were supported by a committed coaching and support staff who helped guide the team to success. The staff included managers Alisha Kreutzweiser and Daniel Kreutzweiser, assistant coaches Georgios Maninos, Jeremy Van Hoek, Kevin Yun, Michael Bodnar, and Ryan Nadeau, along with head coach Matthew Moore. Their leadership, preparation, and support were instrumental in the team’s development and performance, helping the Greyhounds earn their spot at the upcoming Ontario Hockey Federation Championships.
“The team was successful because the kids bought into our game plan. They finally believed what we told them all season, is that we are a very solid hockey club, strong goaltending, solid defence, and we started capitalizing on our chances. Giving up 2 goals combined in the semis/finals shows that our kids were relentless, didn’t give teams space, and capitalized when we had the chance. It was an overall team effort and I couldn’t be more proud of the kids and coaches who proved to all those that didn’t believe that we could be successful,” added Moore.
The OHF Championships, scheduled for April 17th to 19th in Copper Cliff, Ontario, will provide the Greyhounds with an opportunity to test themselves against top teams from across the province as they continue what has already been a successful season.
