The ability to lock-down a third period lead will be key in post-season play if the Greater Sudbury Cubs are to three-peat as NOJHL (Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League) champs.

Surrendering a one goal lead twice in the final 13 minutes of play Thursday night at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex, the Cubs let slip away a point that would have brought them that much closer to clinching first place in regular season play.

Instead, the locals settled for a point as Sudbury played the visiting Soo Thunderbirds to a 3-3 tie with the seven-minute three on three session remaining scoreless.

With an outside chance of catching the fourth place Powassan Voodoos still in sight, the Thunderbirds opened the scoring with the only goal of period one as Wyatt Groth jammed home a puck in tight.

Grant Booth pulled the Cubs even in the middle stanza, converting on feeds from Caden Dubreuil and Owen King as goaltenders Nathan Maguire (SSM - #1 star) and Iain Wintle (SBY) continued to stand tall.

The offensive floodgates opened somewhat in the third as Mason Walker put Sudbury ahead only to see Adam Pszeniczny deadlock the contest at 2-2 on the power play 129 seconds later.

A man advantage on the Sudbury side restored the Cubs advantage when Noah Kohan pulled the trigger before Aiden Atkinson found himself a seam in the slot, taking a nice pass from James Legler to force overtime with 1:19 showing on the clock.

The single point extended the Cubs lead over the Hearst Lumberjacks to ten points, though the latter hold three games in hand (with six to play, in total - all on the road!).

Sudbury travels to Powassan this evening and closes out the 2025-2026 campaign with a two-game set next week, hosting the Soo Eagles on Thursday and facing the Espanola Paper Kings one night later some 70 kilometres to the west.