A slew of close wins with a couple of laughers mixed in for good measure have the Greater Sudbury Cubs riding a seven game unbeaten string that has vaulted them to the top of the NOJHL (Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League) standings.

The Cubs took full advantage of a pair of extra "home" games, albeit contested on ice pad #2 at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex during the recent NOJHL Showcase last week as well as a lopsided affair in Kirkland Lake to bump their record to 8-1-1-1, good for 18 points and a three-point lead over the Blind River Beavers.

Beaten 6-2 by the Hearst Lumberjacks in their second game of the year and edged 5-4 in overtime on the return trip north to close out that home and home series, Sudbury finally overcame the league's northernmost franchise, edging Hearst 5-4 on day one of the Showcase.

Lucas Antonioni, Cameron Shanks, Eidan Macartney, Ben Harris and Noah Kohan lit the lamp for the defending league champs while Noah Beaulne turned in a 28-save performance for the win.

William Paquet, Keenan Quenneville, Aiden Kalin and Owen Hey replied in a losing cause for the Lumberjacks, sitting in fourth place with a record of 6-3-0-0.

The following evening, the Cubs needed overtime to dispose of the Powassan Voodoos after Caden Dubreuil knotted the contest at 3-3 for the visitors with less than three minutes to play, setting the stage for a game-winning snipe from Lucas Signoretti.

The goal was the second of the game for the NOJHL 2023-2024 leading scorer, joined on the scoresheet by Ryan Rubic and Samuel Assinewai while Cayden Kowal and Nathan Pelletier hit paydirt earlier in the contest for Powassan.

The local NOJHLers had a much easier time in their one and only weekend encounter, jumping out to a 3-0 first period lead and doubling that in the middle stanza en route to an 8-0 whitewashing of the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners.

Providing ample support to the 18-save shutout for Beaulne were Lucas Signoretti, with the hat trick, Cameron Shanks with a pair of tallies and solo markers from Samuel Assinewai, Eidan Macartney and Noah Kohan.

Captain Mason Chitaroni chipped in with three assists, as did Assinewai, while Alexander Valade and Lucas Antonioni added two helpers apiece.

The Cubs have a pair of games on the slate for this week, hosting Powassan on Thursday night in Sudbury and travelling to face the Blind River Beavers Saturday evening in what shapes up to be a very good battle.