Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos

At the John Rhodes Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, it was a battle of the Greyhounds as the Soo U18 Greyhounds took on the Soo U16 Greyhounds in GNU18HL regular-season action. The matchup provided fast-paced, physical hockey from start to finish, with both teams showcasing strong skill and effort, but it was the U18 squad that came away with a 6–3 victory.

The U18 Greyhounds opened the scoring early in the first when Jacob Vincent netted his eighth of the season unassisted at 1:35. Later in the period, Makks Demidovich added to the lead with a power-play goal—his seventh of the year—assisted by Dreyon Boissoneau and Frankie Reda, sending the U18s into the first intermission up 2–0. The second period saw Nico Bossio strike just minutes in, followed by Espen Escasa finding the back of the net for his 13th of the season. The U16 Greyhounds got on the board late in the frame when Gage Guzzo converted on the power play, assisted by Bailey Fitzpatrick and Bryson Palahnuk, trimming the deficit to 4–1.

The U16s continued to push back in the third, cutting into the lead with Ashton Neufeld’s power-play goal at 8:09, assisted by Rocco Dos Reis and Ethan Farquharson. But the U18s responded as Hunter Thorkilson scored unassisted to restore the cushion. The U16s replied quickly with Farquharson’s third of the year from Reegan Dezordo, but a late shorthanded breakaway goal from Finlay Escasa sealed the 6–3 win for the U18 Greyhounds.

Next up, the Soo U16 Greyhounds hit the road to face the North Bay U18 Trappers, with their first game set for 2:30 p.m., while the U18 Greyhounds prepare to host the New Liskeard Cubs at the John Rhodes Centre, with puck drop scheduled for 6:00 p.m.