On Wednesday, March 12th, the North Bay U18 Trappers took to the ice with only three losses during the regular season, the Trappers met the Soo U18 Greyhounds in game one of the 2025 GNU18HL Playoff Tournament in Timmins, Ontario. The Trappers wrapped up the 2024-2025 GNU18HL regular season in first place with an impressive 57 points, while the Greyhounds finished in third, 15 points behind. As the playoffs begin, the stakes are high, with the winner advancing to the U18 AAA Central Regional Championship in Kemptville, set for March 31 to April 6, 2025.
At 6:42 of the first period, from inside the left faceoff circle, Scott Szczygiel capitalized on a Greyhound turnover, quickly firing a sharp snapshot under Soo netminder Sebastien Brassard to give the Trappers a 1-0 lead. Colton Loiselle recorded the lone assist on Szczygiel’s goal. Then, at 14:15, Soo forward Bodie Belair responded for the Greyhounds, picking up a loose puck in the right faceoff circle and blasting a shot along the ice through traffic, sneaking it past North Bay goaltender Logan Coates to even the score at 1-1. Anthony Spironello earned the assist on Belair’s tally.
At 6:22 of the second period, Anthony Spironello registered his second point of the contest, pouncing on a rebound off North Bay goaltender Logan Coates. Spironello slid the puck under Coates’ left pad to give the Greyhounds a 2-1 lead. Alessandro Parco and Caleb Walker were credited with the assists on Spironello’s go-ahead goal. Later, with Michele Culbert serving a two-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for the Trappers’ goalie, Coates, Dan MacDonald capitalized on the power play, finding the back of the North Bay net from the left faceoff circle at 13:38 to give the Greyhounds’ a 3-1 win. Nathan Dupuis picked up the assist on MacDonald’s goal.
Greyhound coach Jeremy Stevenson told Saultsports that “I think the last couple months the boys have been figuring out everything, like learning how to play with the lead and how to play a full sixty minutes that came into today’s game knowing it’s gonna be a battle, especially against North Bay. We have to have the playoff mentality. The boys just have to keep up there intensity and focus for the next few games.”
The U18 Greyhounds next opponent in Timmins will be the hosts, the Timmins Majors on Thursday, March 13th in a 12:00 p.m puck drop while the Trappers are back in action on March 13th with a 9:30 a.m start against the Soo U16 Greyhounds.
