Noah Kozmick netted his second goal of the game with 6:31 remaining in the third, breaking a 4-4 tie just over a minute after the Sudbury U16 AAA Nickel Capitals had finally pulled even as the visiting North Bay U16 AAA Trappers surprised the homeside 5-4 Wednesday night at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex, registering just their fourth win of the season.

North Bay jumped all over Sudbury early, rewarded with a pair of goals in the opening three minutes as both Samuel Rivet and Braeden Estabrooks found the back of the net for the Trappers.

Anthony Urso got one back before the end of the frame, converting on passes from Max Campbell and Cole Dubowsky as the Nickel Caps gradually got their legs beneath them, still hampered by injuries and with call-ups Josh Cholette-Hebert, Riley Graffi, Gabe Gauvreau and Kygen Richer all dressed for this encounter.

The teams traded goals in the middle stanza as tallies from Kozmich and Sudbury defenceman Carter Carriere left the scoreboard reading 3-2 North Bay after two.

Rivet matched Kozmick with a two-goal effort of his own, doubling the Trappers' lead exactly 99 seconds into period three before the Nickel Caps rallied, with Urso making it close and Dubowsky evening the contest on the power play, giving way to one final counter from the Gateway City crew.

Jackson Curran picked up the win between the pipes for North Bay while Mateo Beites was tagged with the loss as both of these teams prepare to close out Great North U18 AAA League play this coming weekend.

Sudbury plays host to the New Liskeard Cubs Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in Copper Cliff while the U16 North Bay squad faces the U18 AAA Trappers on Friday before welcoming the Sudbury U18 AAA Nickel Capitals to Memorial Gardens the very next day.

All of this, of course, leads up to the GNML playoff weekend set for Sault Ste Marie, with play kicking off on Thursday, March 16th and the winning team advancing to the OHF Central U18 AAA Telus Cup Playdowns April 3rd to the 9th in Windsor.