There is no running away from the pack this year for the Greater Sudbury Cubs.

Where the two-time defending NOJHL (Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League) champs finished the 2024-2025 campaign with a ten point lead over the Hearst Lumberjacks and a whopping 18-point gap over the third place Blind River Beavers, their hold atop league standings this year is far more tenuous.

Racking up their ninth win in the past ten games Saturday night, doubling the hometown Espanola Paper Kings 4-2 allowed the Cubs to remain just a single point clear of the Timmins Rock, with Hearst and the Soo Thunderbirds only four and six points behind at the moment.

The Cubs netted the only goal of the opening frame courtesy of Mason Walker, traded tallies in a four goal second period and added an insurance marker, on the power-play, midway through the third as Nolan Newton drilled home his second of the game.

Throw in the fourth of the season from Mateo Signoretti and coach Darryl Moxam and company had more than enough to offset counters from Joseph Coates and Graydon Guthrie, also both scored with Espanola one man up.

The Cubs outshot the Paper Kings 48-29 as Matthew Vahramian picked up the win between the pipes for Sudbury while puckstopper Logan Vale stood tall for Espanola at the opposite end of the rink.

Sudbury has a pair of home games leading them into the holidays as the Powassan Voodoos are in town on Wednesday night, followed by the French River Rapids on Thursday.

An extended Christmas break this year sees the Cubs next action not taking place until Thursday January 8th as Sudbury and Powassan do battle, once again, at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex.