Thunderbirds Win Thriller, Wildcats Sign Local

On Saturday August 30th, NOJHL expansion team Elliot Lake Wildcats hit the ice to square off against future West division rival, Soo Thunderbirds. The Wildcats brought in a total attendance of 724 people in their only pre-season game.


Going into the game against the Thunderbirds, the Wildcats were fresh out of training camp and haven't established a complete roster yet. A few hours prior to puck drop, the Wildcats announced tonight would be the debut for Elliot Lake native goaltender Tristan Hanna. The 18-year-old goalie had attended Wildcats main training camp and played two games last year for the Bobcats recording a 2.42 GAA.

The game was scoreless throughout the first period and chances coming to both sides. Then with only a minute left in the first period, Wildcats forward Nathan Campbell netted a power play goal and the games first to put Elliot Lake up. Starting the game in goal for the Wildcats though was AJ Smith, Smith faced ten shots in the first period stopping all of them to keep the game 1-0 after the first twenty minutes.

Going into the second, Smith was taken out of the game and Tristan Hanna was put in. Just over two minutes into the second, Thunderbirds forward Jacob Porco beat Hanna to tie the game up at one a piece. Throughout the second, the Wildcats were given three power play opportunities including a two man advantage but could not convert. Hanna stopped nine of ten shots faced in the second frame.

The Wildcats made another change in goal to get 17-year-old and Barrie native Allan Menary into the game. A little over eleven minutes into third, with both teams unable to convert on power play opportunities the Thunderbirds took the 2-1 lead off of Porco's second goal of the night. The Wildcats would respond quickly though as Alec Mackenzie buried the game-tying goal only two minutes later. At the end of the period, Menary had saved twelve of thirteen Thunderbird shots. The Wildcats only managed to land six shots in the third on Thunderbirds goalie Mario Culina, and a total of twenty-nine throughout regulation play. The game was nodded at two and headed to overtime.

The overtime period begun, and Wildcats coach Nathan Hewitt had made the decision to keep Menary in net for the beginning of the sudden death round. Menary would play less than a minute in the overtime period though, Matt Pinder would score on the Thunderbirds second shot of overtime to end the game early.

The Wildcats would fall just short of the win on home ice, and the Thunderbirds head to the bus with their first win of the season (if you really wanna count pre-season). The Wildcats power play went 1 for 9,  and the team gave up four power plays throughout the game.  The final shots recorded were 35-30 in favour of the Thunderbirds and final score of 3-2 in OT. The Wildcats take the ice next September 10th in Sudbury to face off against the Nickel Barons and begin their season.

NOJHL Powers Rankings 2015

As the NOJHL season comes closer, teams start to come together. Pre-season is underway, teams have fought through training camps, and roster spots have been battled for. Before the season begins, questions always start to emerge coming from everybody, from the fans to the owners. Who will have a breakthrough year? What can we expect from this team? Who are the early favourites? Which team is still far from contending?  Ask no more, the 2015 Junior Puck King rankings will give you all of the answers. 

Number 9: Blind River Beavers

 Why they're here: The Beavers have struggled for a long time, actually a really long time. Since being founded in 1999, the Beavers have never finished higher than 4th, and never advanced past the quarter-finals in postseason play.  Last season the Beavers finished with 127 goals for and 281 goals against. Scoring the least amount of goals in the league and allowing the most. 

Key to improvement: A young core of high-potential players may be the only chance to take this franchise out of its misery. Offence, defence, and goaltending all need a new look to turn things around. A major step backwards with a roster demolition and rebuild may come with a great future. The Tyson MacLeod and Scott Marshall days are over Blind River fans. 

Number 8: Mattawa Blackhawks

Why they're here: The North Bay Trappers used to be a top tier team in the NOJHL and financially stable. Yeah, used to be. The Trappers finished also as a bottom feeder last season, recording the second most losses, GF, GA, and points, only being better than the cursed Beavers. Despite winning the league title in 2012-2013, the Trappers have fallen off, and now fallen back to Mattawa in desperation to save the franchise. It'll be a rocky start, and we got a preview of it with back-to-back losses against the Crunch, 5-3 and an embarrassing 12-2.  

Key to improvement: Given the chance of a fresh new start as the Blackhawks, use it. Staying close to North Bay area in Mattawa, it provides the opportunity to bring back the faces that did well for the team. This team will need its veteran leaders to get through the season. As well as bring in new talent to give the team a fresh spark. Mattawa will also have a new fan-base in their home city, and probably some returning North Bay fans. 

Number 7: Powassan Voodoos

Why they're here:  Powassan is one of few teams this year that could win the league title, or finish dead last, but either way nobody would be surprised. This is because nobody knows what to expect this year from the new 2014-2015 expansion team. Being affiliated with OHL franchise North Bay Batallion may play in thei favour, but won't be enough to push towards a winning season. Why rank them number seven then? Powassan is located very close to Mattawa, causing great competition for player signings. Also, Powassan is in the strong East division for the 2014-2015 season, where well built teams will go up against the new wildcard known as the Voodoos. Lastly, Powassan was also crunched by the Crunch in pre-season play, 9-1. 

Key to improvement: This first year could be a trial run for the team, but even if it is, make an impact. Powassan needs to make a splash in the league and let players know that this franchise is up and coming and that a young core of 95-98 born players could start this hockey team out on the right foot. Oh, and try and get out of the East division, sorry Voodoos but you really don't wanna be there.

Number 6: Elliot Lake Wildcats

Why they're here: The other 2014-2015 expansion team this year starting from "scratch", the Wildcats. The Wildcats may have a better chance of winning this year than they are thought to for one reason, they are in the not as powerful West division. This division still has its threats, but is more forgiving on a team starting with literally nothing. The Wildcats also have their share of player signing competition, but did sign players from around the continent. Including a few Quebecois and a handful or Americans. One of these Americans being goaltender AJ Smith from Wisconsin. Smith's performance may earn the team a few extra wins this season. 

Key to improvement: As a new team without any record, the Wildcats will need to stand their ground in the West, and build their core chemistry throughout the season as the top teams roll into town. Going forward, the Wildcats need to make the best of their three sixteen year old player signings each year, building the future of the team.

Number 5: Sudbury Nickel Barons

Why they're here: Sudbury, being one of the bigger cities in the NOJHL, is a bigger market for player signings. Going into the 2014-2015 season, the Barons have bolstered the roster. Bringing back OHL Sudbury Wolves prospect, Khadyn Butterfly, recruiting 96 born talent Dylan Callaghan, and signings of two high-potential sixteen year old defence-man Whitehead and Mooney. The Barons are setting up for the future, while also being a strong competitor this season.


Key to improvement: With new goalie Jessie Morin acquired from Blind River and two sixteen year olds on the blue line,  more depth on defence will be needed to support this team. The Barons will also have to battle hard to knock off division rival Soo Thunderbirds for top spot in the West.

Number 4: Abitibi Eskimos

Why they're here: Abitibi finished last season 4th in the league but only a single point back of 3rd. They moved on to the semi-finals of the postseason before being eliminated. The Eskimos go into the 2014-2015 season as an experienced team, offensive minded team and with league top-ten scorer Brady Clouthier to help lead the way. The Eskimos are a team that will make you fight for every inch of ice behind five-time NOJHL coach of the year Paul Gagne.


Key to improvement: Despite scoring 212 goals last season, most first period goals and having a league top scorer on your roster, the team also allowed 212 goals against and 2049 shots. Defensively the Eskimos need to lockdown and play smarter in their own end to stay on in it with the top teams.

Numer 3: Kirkland Lake Gold Miners

Why they're here: Defending champions, Gold Miners expect to stay on top of this league. Bringing back top players such as Steven Babin and league top-five goaltender Kenny Fitzgerald. The Gold Miners finished the 2013-2014 regular season with 46 wins and 92 points in only 56, while also only recording two losses in a playoff domination. The Gold Miners also managed to handle the Eskimos in a four-game pre-season series, winning the series 3-1. With the championship roster, top goaltender, and former NOJHL coach of the year and Canadian junior hockey assistant coach Marc Lafleur, the Gold Miners aren't ready to take any steps backwards.


Key to improvement: Though Kirkland Lake seems to be in a good situation,  time is ticking and the championship roster is slowly going. Kirkland Lake will lose its championship core within the next couple years, and now have to compete for player signing with Abitibi as well as Cochrane.

Number 2: Cochrane Crunch

Why they're here: When the Crunch left Elliot Lake and the Bobcats name, they left the struggles behind with them. Since establishing the Cochrane Crunch, owner and manager Ryan Leonard's work has been nothing short of spectacular. Leonard managed to bring Bobcat offensive threat Cordeiro, defensive cornerstone and captain Max Glashauser, and others to the city of Cochrane. The Crunch are undefeated in their preseason so far, scoring a whopping twenty-six goals in three games, and allowing only six. Leonard has put together a team to be reckoned with. "The Beast of the East" is approaching.


Key to improvement: Goaltending. Even with the new-look big and strong defence, the Crunch cant afford to have bad goaltending this year in the NOJHL. Last season in Elliot Lake the team allowed 3.62 goals against per game, and three goalies with a GAA above 3.40. Without a change in goaltending performance, the Crunch could end up back in the bottom half of the league, where they left off in Elliot Lake.

Number 1: Soo Thunderbirds

Why they're here: Last season the Thunderbirds lead the league in points with 99, goals for with 245, and fewest goals against with 102. The Thunderbirds dominated the regular season leader-boards as well, with captain Gavin Burbach leading in points and goals. Also topping the leader-boards on the back end was Thunderbirds goalie Joel Horodziejczyk, who actually swept the boards. He lead the league in GAA, save percentage, wins, and shutouts. To be blunt, this team is stacked offensively and on its back end. The Thunderbirds are constantly brining in top end talent from all over North America, and never taking a year off to rebuilt. This is a team that plays its best hockey and re-tools at once. The Thunderbirds should dominate the West division this season, and looks to seek redemption on Kirkland Lake in the playoffs.

Key to improvement: The Thunderbirds have only finished below 3rd twice since being established in 1999, and have won two league titles and one Dudley-Hewitt Cup victory.  Are they a dynasty? No.

The team has appeared in the finals six times since 1999, and hasn't finished the job 66% of the time. A team that dominated the regular season need to be able to finish off a season with a championship, and thats what the Thunderbirds need improvement on. Clutch.  You could finish with the best scorer, goalie, and most points, but guess what, Kirkland Lakes one championship at the end of the season will always be sweeter.  

NOJHL Anticipation

This years Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League season is less than twenty-three days away now, and is suiting up to be a historical one. With the most teams in league history, the rapid growth of fans and league interest, and much-anticipated heated rivalries, this wait will feel way longer than just twenty-three days. Over the offseason, the NOJHL went through many major changes.

The two biggest alterations the league saw over the offseason were relocations of two teams. The Elliot Lake Bobcats and the North Bay Trappers were both relocated due to financial issues. The Bobcats landed in Cochrane, roughly 100km north of Timmins, to become the Cochrane Crunch. The Trappers relocated only 60km east of North Bay, staying close to home and settling in Mattawa. The Trappers are now known as the Mattawa Jr. A Blackhawks.

The NOJHL had more major news to come, granting two expansion teams into the league. The first being the now Powassan Voodoos. Powassan is located just 30km south of North Bay, and 75km from Mattawa. The Voodoos looks to promise a great rivalry with Jr. A Blackhawks as they have their first meeting on September 15th in Powassan. The other expansion granted was to Elliot Lake. After recently losing the Bobcats this summer, the NOJHL expansion was granted and the Elliot Lake Wildcats were established as a new franchise in the league. Although all Bobcat records, players, and history are still with Cochrane, the Wildcats get a chance to start fresh. Although the Crunch and Wildcats are over seven hours and 550km apart on the map, they will bring a grudge match to the ice.

With the relocations and expansions this summer the NOJHL now has nine teams, the most teams the league has ever had. With more teams in the league it brings a new level of competiveness for the top spots on top of the league, and the Copeland Cup-McNamara Trophy. In addition to competing for regular season points and standings, the team’s management will also now have the extra challenge of signing players with more teams now on the market and looking to build their roster.

Other minor news this offseason comes from the player’s side of the NOJHL. Former Blind River Beaver, 1992 born Brett Findlay signed a one-year contract with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. If Findlay were to make it one step further and crack the NHL roster he would only be the eighth NOJHL player to do so, joining familiar names such as Todd Bertuzzi, Steve Sullivan, and Alex Auld. Findlay will be the first Blind River Beaver to ever play AHL hockey.

Findlay wasn’t the only NOJHL player to move forward with their career this summer, as 30 players moved on to other showcases and leagues. NOJHL commissioner Robert Mazzuca says, “Those 30 players who were promoted and/or committed to higher levels of competition, it came at a time when the league had eight teams. They'll have nine teams in the 2014-15 season.” With that being said and with a new league high-nine teams now in the league, scouting on the NOJHL and fan interest are on the rise. The NOJHL buzz granted the league to host the 2016 Dudley Hewitt Cup, the Central Canadian Junior A Championship that determines the central seed in the National Junior A Championship, the Royal Bank Cup.

What do all these transitions and updates mean for the league? Success, and more coming that could see the sixth ranked junior league in Canada rise to the top five in the near future. As the season approaches, everything starts to change. Rosters get fiddled with, players get juggled around, the writers get nosey, and the fans get anxious. With only twenty-three more days to wait, the season is just around the corner.

My Hockey Beginning

Everybody begins his or her journey with the love of hockey as a kid. For some it’s skating before they could walk, others it’s watching their favorite team with their daddy, or even a “hockey is in my blood” type of person. My passion for hockey started a little differently, with junior hockey.

It was 1998 and I was barely two years old. My dad had received two free tickets to the Barrie Colts game that night, and of course wanted to go see some OHL action. So instead of dropping me off at home a like he usually would to go have a night out with the guys, he decided to take a risk and bring me to the game. He made it clear to my mother that if I didn’t like it there, we would both leave and come home.

So he brought me as a baby in diapers to the OHL game and my first real hockey experience. He held me like a baby in his arms as we walked through the tunnel to see the ice, the players warming up, and over 4,000 people. My dad looked at me the moment we walked through expecting tears and fear in my eyes but instead he says he saw the happiest kid ever. My eyes were stuck open staring at the ice and he couldn’t wipe that smile off my face if he tried. With that said, we stayed for the game, and came back for the next 5 seasons.

As I grew older, I started loving the games even more. I would beg to go to the games early to watch the Zamboni and warm-up. Once I was in my seat and the puck dropped there were no further distractions. Hungry? Nope. Have to pee? I can hold it. The only thing I was doing at those games was cheering hard, meeting mascot Charlie Horse, and winning fan of the game. Being at those Colts games were the best nights of the week, and after every game I would look forward to the next.

After OHL games, most teams have a concessions stands afterwards that the players go to and meet fans. Win or lose, I was going every single time. I would wait patiently behind everybody getting their jerseys and hats signed by future professionals, because my jersey was already full of 2.signatures from the first time I met them. Why go then if I’ve already met everybody and got my signatures? I liked to talk to them. I would talk to guys like Bryan Little and say "don’t worry about team Canada; you’ll make it next year." Sure enough he did make the world junior squad the next year, won a gold medal, and got drafted first round in the NHL. The more I talked with these players, the more I realized that they’re just normal guys playing hockey.

After moving north with my family, I continued to follow junior hockey with the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL, and learning of a new league, the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. The NOJHL brought a whole other option for a kid watching hockey. I was paying $7 a ticket to go watch junior hockey with my friends; we could sit wherever we wanted! The NOJHL expanded eventually and to this day is only getting bigger and better.

That’s how it all began with me, diapers at the game, fan of the game attitude, meeting some regular guys who play hockey, and my dad who lead the way for me. Without being brought into the hockey world by my dad at such a young age, I don’t think that I would even be writing about it today. It would just be another sport like basketball or soccer. So if anybody is skeptical about bringing kids to a junior game or even a professional game, do it. They might cause some grief, get into some trouble or make a scene, but if they’re lucky enough to get the same feeling I get when I watch hockey now, it’ll be worth it.