Over the October 31st to November 2nd weekend, the Soo U18 Greyhounds hit the road for a Northern Ontario swing, facing the New Liskeard Cubs and the Kapuskasing Flyers in three GNU18HL matchups. The Greyhounds returned home with an impressive weekend sweep, showcasing depth, offensive firepower, and steady goaltending throughout the trip.
The weekend opened Friday night in New Liskeard, where the Soo edged the Cubs 2–1 in a tight battle. Jackson Thornton opened the scoring for the Greyhounds at 14:12 of the first period with his fourth of the season, assisted by Nathan Dupuis and Aiden Giovanatti. The Cubs answered early in the second when Keiran McCoy tied the game on the power play, assisted by Ethan Roy and Kyle Cloutier. With time winding down in the period, the Greyhounds regained the lead at 19:42 on Hunter Thorkilson’s sixth of the season, with assists from Liam Clark and Myka Venneri. Neither team found the back of the net in the third, as Gavin Zuccato turned in a solid performance in goal for the Soo, outdueling Morgan Hyndman of the Cubs to secure the victory.
Saturday’s matchup in Kapuskasing was all Greyhounds from start to finish, as the Soo offense erupted in a commanding 10–1 win over the Flyers. Makks Demidovich opened the scoring at 3:24 on the power play, followed by short-handed and even-strength goals from Jacob Vincent and Espen Escasa to make it 3–0 after the first. The onslaught continued in the second with Frankie Reda, Escasa, and Vincent all adding tallies, while Dustin Niquet broke the shutout bid for Kapuskasing with a lone unassisted marker. The Greyhounds poured it on in the third with goals from Liam Clark, Finlay Carlson, Demidovich, and Anthony Spironello to seal the lopsided win. Sebastien Brassard stood tall in net for the Soo, while Alexandre Gravel faced the barrage for the Flyers.
In Sunday’s series finale, the Greyhounds capped off the trip with another dominant effort, defeating the Flyers 7–1. Espen Escasa continued his torrid scoring pace, notching four points, including his 13th goal of the season. He opened the scoring at 5:42 of the first, assisted by Finlay Carlson, and added another in the second and third periods. Frankie Reda, Thornton, Finlay Escasa, and Dreyon Boissoneau also contributed goals, while the younger Finlay Escasa added multiple assists in a memorable family performance. Niko Lessard scored the lone goal for Kapuskasing. Gavin Zuccato and Sebastien Brassard shared the goaltending duties for the Soo, combining for the win, while Nicolas-Xavier Racicot was in net for the Flyers.
The Soo U18 Greyhounds now turn their attention to their next matchup — a city showdown against the Soo U16 Greyhounds on Wednesday, November 12th, with puck drop scheduled for 8:00 p.m. at the John Rhodes Centre.
