For the third straight game, the third period of play was the truly deciding factor in the first round NOJHL (Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League) matchup between the Greater Sudbury Cubs and the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners.

For the first time in this series, however, game three would come right down to the wire.

Trailing 1-0 heading into the final stanza, the Cubs received goals from Daks Klinkhammer and Mateo Signoretti to secure a 2-1 win and 3-0 series lead in a contest in which the shots on goal favoured Sudbury by a final count of 36-32.

With the goaltenders securing the first (Iain Wintle - Sudbury) and second stars (Glen McInnes - Kirkland Lake), the scorers for each team would be hard pressed to find the back of the net.

In fact, a blast from Nathan Harper late in the first period stood as the only goal of the game through forty minutes of play, with the teams sticking to hockey as referees Cole Ritz and Charlie Giesler assessed just three minor penalties, all to the Gold Miners.

Sudbury is hoping to complete the sweep with game four set for tonight (Tuesday March 24th) in Kirkland Lake, with game five, if necessary, back in Sudbury on Thursday night.

In other NOJHL news this week, a good number of the Greater Sudbury Cubs were recognized a part of the year-end league awards, including defenceman Spencer Horgan (NOJHL Trophy - Best Defenceman) and forward Mason Walker (NOJHL Trophy - Best Overall Team Player).

Sudbury Cubs' netminders received the Team Goaltending Award (Fewest Goals Allowed), with Matthew Vahramian sharing the Wayne Chase Memorial Award with Frederic Cousineau (Timmins Rock), with both posting league-low goals against averages of 2.14.

Local NOJHLers named to the first all-star team were Spencer Horgan, Nolan Newton and Owen King, with Mason Walker and trainer Chris Seguin named to the second team and Dave Clancy (GM) and Darryl Moxam on all-star team three.

Following are the remaining major award recipients:

Mathieu Comeau (Hearst Lumberjacks): NOJHL MVP (Carlo Cattarello Trophy)

Owen Smith (Espanola Paper Kings): Rookie of the Year (John Grignon Trophy)

Ty McKay (Hearst Lumberjacks): Most Improved Player (Gilles Laperriere Trophy)

Justin Rousseau (Powassan Voodoos): Best Defensive Forward (Mitch Tetreault Memorial Trophy)

Ryan Saginaw (Powassan Voodoos): Most Gentlemanly Player (David Harrison Trophy)

Mathieu Comeau (Hearst Lumberjacks): NOJHL Scoring Champion (Jimmy Connors Memorial Trophy)

Peter Goulet (Powassan Voodoos): Coach of the Year (Mirl "Red" McCarthy Memorial Award)

Jonathan Blier (Hearst Lumberjacks): Director of the Year (Joe Drago Trophy)

Richard Witty (Iroquois Falls Storm): NOJHL Broadcaster of the Year

The league also confirmed last week the reinstatement of the Elliot Lake Vikings for the 2026-2027 season, coinciding with the scheduled reopening of the Rogers Arena this summer.