Over the January 24th and 25th weekend in Sault Ste. Marie, the Soo U18 Greyhounds welcomed the North Bay U16 Trappers for back-to-back AAA matchups in GNU18HL action. The Greyhounds delivered a dominant performance across both contests, combining balanced scoring, special teams success, and steady goaltending to earn a pair of decisive victories.
Game one on Saturday evening, the Greyhounds wasted no time setting the tone in the opener, striking just 54 seconds into the game as Liam Clark opened the scoring with his eighth of the season, assisted by Frankie Reda and Myka Venneri. Soo continued to pressure, doubling the lead at 8:15 when Hunter Thorkilson finished a setup from Dreyon Boissoneau and Espen Escasa.
Special teams played a key role midway through the period, with Finlay Escasa burying a powerplay goal at 14:37, assisted by Anthony Spironello and Finlay Carlson. The opening frame was capped off at 17:05 when Makks Demidovich made it 4–0, converting a feed from Liam Clark and Finlay Carlson.
North Bay got on the board early in the second period as Zander Main scored his first of the season at 2:00. Any momentum was short-lived, however, as the Greyhounds responded at 8:28 with Espen Escasa netting his 25th of the season, assisted by his younger brother Finlay Escasa. Less than three minutes later, the brothers connected again, this time with Finlay Escasa scoring and Espen Escasa picking up the assist.
The offensive onslaught continued at 14:31, as Makks Demidovich scored his second of the game, assisted by Anthony Spironello and Espen Escasa, pushing the lead to 7–1. The third period saw no scoring as Soo comfortably closed out the win.
In the opening game of the weekend, Greyhounds goaltender Gavin Zuccato turned aside 14 of 15 shots, while Josh Saucier was busy at the other end, making 39 saves on 46 shots for the Trappers.
Game two of the back to back weekend GNu18HL series took place on Sunday morning, the Greyhounds carried their momentum into Sunday’s morning matchup, opening the scoring at 10:54 of the first period when Nathan Dupuis finished a play set up by Nico Bossio and Hunter Thorkilson.
Soo quickly took control early in the second period. Just 56 seconds in, Hunter Thorkilson scored his 15th of the season, assisted by Finlay Carlson and Andrew Aikens. Moments later, at 1:05, Nico Bossio extended the lead to 3–0, finishing a feed from Hunter Thorkilson and Nathan Dupuis.
North Bay responded late in the period on the powerplay, as Cole Coulter scored at 18:23 to cut the deficit to 3–1 heading into the third.
In the final frame, the Greyhounds reasserted control. Myka Venneri made it 4–1 at 5:30, assisted by Espen Escasa, followed by Anthony Spironello at 8:42 with helpers from Espen Escasa and Finlay Escasa. At 16:27, Espen Escasa capped off a strong weekend with his 26th of the season, assisted by Anthony Spironello and Myka Venneri. North Bay added a late goal from Cole Coulter at 17:34, but the outcome was never in doubt.
In game two, Greyhounds netminder Sebastien Brassard stopped 27 of 29 shots, while Trappers goaltender Logan Claveau turned aside 26 of 32 attempts.
U18 Greyhound coach Jeremy Stevenson told Saultsports that “it was a good weekend. Scoring was through the team. We stuck with our plan of attack. Next weekend we need to keep our competitiveness high and keep playing within our system.”
The Soo U18 Greyhounds put together a complete weekend performance, outscoring the North Bay U16 Trappers 13–3 over two games. Strong contributions throughout the lineup, effective special teams, and reliable goaltending highlighted a successful homestand as Soo continues its push in GNU18HL play.
