An early season head-start was clearly in evidence Wednesday evening at the Ray Plourde Arena in Val Caron.

Having kicked off training camp in mid-August and with a pair of tournament appearances already under their belt, the Sudbury Bantam AA Lady Wolves were a step ahead of the Nickel City Tigers, taking to the ice for their first game action of the year.

The end result was a 4-2 win for the girls, led by a two-goal performance from Meagan McGaughey, who chipped in with an assist as well. Melisa Kingsley, on a pretty individual effort, and Melissa Martel rounded out the scoring for the winners as Terri Dempsey turned aside 18 of the 20 shots between the pipes.

Trailing 2-0 after the opening period of play, the Tigers received goals from Ben Lagadin and Alexandre Bouthillier, but could not overcome the early deficit.

Nickel District Minor Hockey League (NDMHL) Bantam Division II action continues on the weekend as the Tigers meet up with the Lady Wolves, for a second straight time, Sunday at 5 p.m. at the Sudbury Arena.

The Nickel City Midget AA Rebels defeated the Nickel City Midget A Devils 5-2 on Tuesday night in a penalty-filled affair, with a slew of misconducts handed out at the completion of the game.

Luc Seguin paced the Rebels with a pair of goals, with singles coming courtesy of Jordan Piette, Denis Lemieux and Alain Sicard. Nick Dombek and Jordan Connors replied in a losing cause for the Devils.

Northeast House League play also kicked off this week, with a pair of games raising the curtain Monday evening in Coniston. In the opener, the SMHA Just Lubes Oilers scored four times in the final period, posting a come-from-behind 5-4 win over the Rayside-Balfour Tigercats in a Bantam Division encounter.

Jakob Mancini was a one-man offensive wrecking-crew, scoring four times for the Oilers, with Patrick McLean adding a solo marker. A more balanced Rayside attack would see Nicolas Chiasson, Ryan Drolet, Patrick Fortin and Cayman Gagnon all hit the scoresheet for the Tigers.

The ensuing midget game stayed close for a while before the SMHA Thornloe Cheese Factory gradually pulled away, eventually posting a 7-3 win over the SMHA Wolverines.

David Helmer showed the way for the "cheeseheads," potting a quartet of goals, with singles coming from Kyle Scagnetti, Trevor Baird, Paul Maley and Pierce Wallingford.

Joel Sheppard answered with a pair of goals for the Wolverines, with Tristan Tulini adding a solo marker as well.