AUNDECK OMNI KANING—Samuel Assinewai, a member of the Greater Sudbury Cubs hockey team who were recently crowned as champions of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) playoffs, says the team seemed to peak during the playoffs. The Cubs won the Copeland Cup-McNamara Trophy NOJHL championship in April and will now be competing in the Centennial Cup this month.
“We had a tough time against Soo Thunderbirds in the first round of the playoffs (winning the best four of seven series in six games), but we found our groove in that round,” Mr. Assinewai told the Expositor. The Sault team had defeated the Cubs in the finals in the playoff finals in 2023.
“Since the Soo series we have been kind of on a roll, winning both the semi-finals (Blind River Beavers) and the finals against the Powassan Voodoos four games to one in each series. We just seemed to have peaked at the right time as a team.”
The Cubs finished in second place in the regular season standings and Samuel also had a very strong season. In the regular season he played in 36 games, notching 21 goals and 43 assists for 64 points.
In the 16 games the Cubs played in the playoffs, Samuel scored five goals and had nine helpers for 14 points. “I was injured the first two months of the season and didn’t play.” But he still had a pretty good year, helping the Cubs win the league championship for the first time in 16 years.
“I’m fortunate to be playing with a great team,” said Samuel. “I am super pumped to be on this team and taking part in the Centennial Cup (May 9-19 in Oakville).”
