All good things must come to an end - though it should be noted that a nine game unbeaten streak for the Greater Sudbury Cubs has propelled the two-time defending league champs back into the thick of what is shaping up to be a great race for first round home ice positioning come NOJHL playoff time.

After extending their run of success to just under the double digit mark with an 8-3 road win over the Espanola Paper Kings on Friday night, the Cubs were unable to bring home a 1-0 lead after forty minutes of play the next evening, south of the border.

The Soo Eagles scored four unanswered goals in the final twenty minutes of play, downing the Cubs 4-1 as the latter returned home with a season mark of 13-6-1-0, good for 27 points in 20 games.

That is just five points back of the Hearst Lumberjacks and one behind the Soo Thunderbirds, dead even with the afore-mentioned Paper Kings and just two points clear of the Powassan Voodoos - with the Timmins Rock just four points back of the Cubs.

It's clear that every win is important so while a whole slew of penalties in Espanola was hardly ideal, the Cubs were more than happy to walk away victorious as Owen King broke out with a four-goal effort and Daks Klinkhammer struck for a pair of markers.

Nolan Newton and Spencer Horgan capped off the Sudbury scoring while Owen Smith (2) and Carter Drigo replied in a losing cause for the Paper Kings.

Goals were much tougher to come by some 24 hours later as Cubs' blueliner Kyle Navarro recorded the only tally of the first two periods in Soo (Michigan).

Eagles netminder Jace Knoerle would not be beaten again, finishing with a 38-save outing while teammates Lucas Caulfield, Micah Seery, Nolan Nemecek and Anden Marceau (empty net) all found their way on to the scoresheet for the home team that sits in eighth place with a record of 8-13-0-1.,/p>

Sudbury has a pair of games on their slate this week, playing host to the Espanola Paper Kings Thursday evening at 7:10 p.m. at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex and then travelling east to face the Powassan Voodoos the next evening.