For much of their 10-game winning streak, the Greater Sudbury Cubs have relied on their big guns for timely goals as their current run has featured no less than six one-goal victories.
The Cubs looked in a different direction Thursday night at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex in extending their roll to eleven games - though the one goal difference remained unchanged.
Netting his first goals since the second game of the year, Tannen Iserhoff scored twice, Deven Jones-McDonald drilled home his second of the season and Cameron Shanks added his sixth as Sudbury edged the Blind River Beavers 4-3.
Ryder Hill, Rylan Gibbs and A.J. Saadeh replied for the visitors, who now find themselves five points back of the first place Cubs in the single-division 12-team loop.
"It's definitely harder to score here," noted Iserhoff, an 18 year-old rookie from Cochrane who racked up 22 goals in 33 games as a member of the Timmins Majors in the Great North U18 AAA League last year.
"The people here are faster and they catch up to you - and they're bigger and knock you off the pucks easier."
It's forced the 5'10" forward to adjust his style of play as he looks to fill a role on a Cubs' team that is hoping to defend the NOJHL crown they captured last April.
"I am trying to play more defensively, back check hard through the middle - and work hard in the offensive zone too, getting pucks deep," said Iserhoff.
The attention to detail in junior hockey is often emphasized significantly more than in the minor hockey ranks, even at the "AAA" level, with Iserhoff and others thankful for the additional teachings that now come his way.
"I like how we get "keys" before each game, what we need to focus on," said Iserhoff. "They are always talking to us on the bench, letting us know what to do next shift. They like to stretch their guy on the far side so we had to watch for pucks through the middle."
The Cubs are on the road to face the Soo Eagles on Saturday night, returning home for a rare Halloween Night encounter with the Espanola Paper Kings on Thursday.
