Everything clicked for exactly one game of the 2026 Centennial Cup for the NOJHL champion Greater Sudbury Cubs in Summerside, P.E.I. this week.
Handing the Truro Bearcats their only loss to date with a complete team effort 4-1 victory in game two, the Cubs proved that they can compete with the very best CJHL teams in the country.
Unfortunately, the local juniors did not manage to replicate that effort in the final two games of round robin play, sent packing on Tuesday following back to back losses to the Flin Flon Bombers (6-4) and Collège Francais de Longueuil (3-1).
Finishing with a record of 1-3-0, the Cubs fell short of securing a top three berth as they had one year ago, enough to move them along to a cross-over quarter-final match. All in all, it was a disappointing end to a post-season that saw the Sudbury reps reel off 12 straight wins on route to walking off as NOJHL champs for a third straight year.
For the second time in three games, starting netminder Iain Winkle would not complete the game on Monday, pulled with the Cubs trailing 4-1 to Flin Flon late in the first period.
That said, a Briir Long goal in the first gave way to tallies from Owen King, Daks Klinkhammer (30 seconds apart) and Long, with his second as the Cubs pulled even at 4-4.
The backbreaker would come when Reid Arberry bested netminder Matthew Varahmian from distance with less than a second to play in the middle stanza, setting the stage for a third period insurance tally from Landon Alexander (19:41 - empty net).
With their hopes still alive but needing some help, the Cubs opened the scoring against College Longueuil, with Mason Walker hitting the mark as coach Darryl Moxam looked to lead his team to a 2-2-0 mark that would match their 2025 effort.
Unfortunately, Mathieu Derome pulled the LHJQ entry even some three minutes later. Gabriel Provencher scored the eventual game-winner midway through period three with Adam Lemay sealing the deal as the Cubs outshot Longueuil 36-33 but struggled to solve goaltender Mathis Lacroix-Goulet.
