ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
The Newmarket Hurricanes, a perennial power in the OJHL, will soon have one of those rare nights when they are not concerned about the scoreboard.
For the third straight season, the Hurricanes will play host to a charity game.
This year’s event, dubbed Hurricanes For Life, is scheduled for Dec. 27.
The Couchiching Terriers, who were sitting atop the over-all standings in the 37-team OJHL, will provide the opposition for the match, which will be staged at the Hurricanes’ home rink, the Ray Twinney Complex.
During the past two years the Hurricanes held charity games which raised more than $40,000 for Newmarket’s Southlake Cancer Care Centre.
The games were held in honour of ex-Hurricanes’ player Kevin Lord, who died in 2006 of brain cancer.
The Hurricanes’ organization suffered a pair of other blows this past off-season.
For starters, K.J. Ramolla, who was expected to be the Newmarket captain this season, died in a car accident. And then a few days later, Hurricanes’ assistant coach Steve Sedore, had his 14-year-old son Josh, who had Muscular Dystrophy, die.
Besides the Southlake Cancer Care Centre, proceeds from this year’s charity contest will also go to Muscular Dystrophy Canada, the K.J. Ramolla Memorial Trust Fund and the Bloorview Kids Foundation.
CENTRAL JUNIOR A HOCKEY LEAGUE
Pembroke Lumber Kings’ forward Andy Starczewski has certainly been a star thus far this season.
And the 20-year-old native of Whitesboro, N.Y., was rather impressive during November, earning the league’s player of the month honours.
Starczewski began the month with a bang, picking up five points (one goal, four assists) in his club’s 5-0 triumph over the Ottawa Junior Senators on Nov. 2.
Starczewski also had five other multiple-point games during the month. He played 14 games in November and collected 25 points, including 11 goals.
Starczewski was also the CJHL’s leading point-getter in mid-December. He had appeared in 34 matches and had 61 points (26G, 35A).
Meanwhile, a pair of other players were also honoured for their November performances.
Adam Laderoute, a member of the Cumberland Grads, was chosen as the league’s goaltender of the month. And Curtis Watson of the Kanata Stallions, was picked as the league’s top rookie for the month.
Laderoute started the month with a pair of losses and also closed out November with a loss. But in between these setbacks he appeared in seven other contests and registered six victories and an overtime loss.
Watson, a blueliner, earned rave reviews for his solid defensive play in 13 November games.
NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR A HOCKEY LEAGUE
Catching the North Bay Skyhawks in the over-all league standings might be something that just won’t be accomplished this season.
But should they go on to advance to the league finals, the Skyhawks could face a rather formidable foe in the Soo Thunderbirds.
Following its first 29 matches, North Bay, which had racked up 47 points, was leading not only the league’s Eastern Division with its 23-5-1 record but was also atop the NOJHL over-all standings.
The Thunderbirds, however, were in first place in the Western Division with 40 points thanks to their 20-9-0 mark.
The Thunderbirds, however, had scored nine more goals than the Skyhawks (142-131) in their first 29 games. And the Soo squad had also allowed goal less than North Bay in these matches (80-79) .
Since they are in different divisions, the two rivals had only met twice thus far in regular season matches. But neither side had the edge there as they split those affairs.
North Bay downed the visiting Thunderbirds 5-3 back on Sept. 28. But the host Soo squad edged the Skyhawks 3-2 on Nov. 1.
The two rivals will face off twice more in regular season action, Jan. 9 in the Soo and Feb. 15 in North Bay.
SUPERIOR INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
Though he is just 16, Fort William North Stars’ rookie goaltender Jay Pelletier has been virtually unbeatable this season.
The Thunder Bay native had been credited with nine victories by mid-December. His only loss thus far was back on Oct. 3 when the North Stars were downed 5-4 by the Thunder Bay Bearcats in a match decided by a shootout.
Pelletier’s impressive performances included back-to-back shutouts on Nov. 22 and on Nov. 26.
For starters, he made 13 saves and blanked the Fort Frances Junior Sabres 3-0. And then he stopped all 16 shots he faced as the Fort William side skunked the Bearcats 8-0.
Besides the 10 games he had a decision in, Pelletier had briefly appeared in three other contests. And he was the only goalie in the SIJHL to have a goals-against average under 2.00.
In his 13 appearances, Pelletier’s GAA was a sparkling 1.58.
The second-best GAA in the league was held by Junior Sabres’ puckstopper Ryan Faragher. He had appeared in 20 matches and had a 2.13 GAA.
Pelletier, however, was not the only reliable player the North Stars had between the pipes.
Patrick Sullivan, a native of Kelowna, B.C., was Fort William’s other dependable goalie. He had the league’s third-best GAA. Sullivan had a 2.86 GAA in 13 appearances.
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