By Sam Laskaris /
With about half a month left in 2009, here’s a quick look at what all Central Canadian Hockey League clubs were up to.
EAST DIVISION
AJAX ATTACK
Forward Hayden Perroni has been producing at a point-per-game clip since joining the Attack in late October. Perroni, who also played for Pickering and Whitby this season, has 18 points, including 12 goals, in 18 games for Ajax.
BOWMANVILLE EAGLES
It’s no Bull. One of the Eagles’ top plus-minus players has yet to score a goal this season. That would be defenceman John Bull, who was tied for the team lead with a plus 12 rating. Bull had chipped in with nine assists through 31 games.
COBOURG COUGARS
Though they were ninth in their 10-team division, the Cougars were scoring their share of goals. Cobourg had 140 goals in 35 games, the second most in the division behind Ajax, which had 143 goals in 36 matches.
LINDSAY MUSKIES
If you show up for a Muskies’ game, there’s a good chance Linsday forward Kevin George will score. George is averaging almost a goal every match this season. He had 30 goals in 32 games. He also had 27 assists for a team-high 57 points.
MARKHAM WAXERS
The Waxers have had nine out of their first 32 games decided either in overtime or via a shootout. Markham has won four of those contests. But the Waxers lost back-to-back OT matches Dec. 11 (4-3 to Bowmanville) and Dec. 13 (4-3 to Ajax).
PETERBOROUGH STARS
After a slow start to their season, the Stars, who won just one of their first seven matches, have been making a climb up the standings. Peterborough was in sixth place in the division standings, thanks in part to a four-game winning streak in early December.
PICKERING PANTHERS
Panthers’ forward Khalid Alli scored the only goal in a shootout which lasted six rounds as Pickering edged the visiting Peterborough Stars 5-4 on Dec. 6. Alli was a somewhat unlikely hero having scored just five times in 30 games.
STOUFFVILLE SPIRIT
If he could ever make it to the pro ranks, Spirit forward Andrew Doyle would be a Lady Byng candidate. Doyle had yet to be assessed a penalty through his first 28 games this season. He also chipped in with 17 points, including six goals.
WELLINGTON DUKES
They had only played three games thus far but the Dukes were undefeated in December. Wellington required a shootout to defeat Lindsay 3-2 on Dec. 6. The Dukes also beat Pickering and Stouffville by identical 5-1 scores.
WHITBY FURY
Well they weren’t exactly living up to their name. The Fury is one of the least penalized teams in the division. Whitby had 490 penalty minutes after 31 games, the second fewest amount of minutes in their division and fourth fewest in the league.
WEST DIVISION
BURLINGTON COUGARS
Cougars’ sniper Greg Carey was the first player in the league to hit the 50-goal plateau this season. Carey’s 50th marker came in the Cougars’ 6-5 win over Orangeville on Dec. 13, a game in which Carey scored a natural hat trick in the second period.
DIXIE BEEHIVES
The BeeHives, who have just eight wins in 34 starts, no doubt thought they were on the way to win Number 9 on Dec. 14. But Dixie, which scored four times in the middle period, blew a 6-3 third-period lead and lost 7-6 to host Cobourg.
HAMILTON RED WINGS
Red Wings’ 20-year-old forward Brad Schuler might not score that often. But he is a threat to score when his club is shorthanded. Four of Schuler’s nine goals thus far this season have come when Hamilton was playing a man short.
NEWMARKET HURRICANES
The Hurricanes were in an early December slump. The Newmarket side was on a three-game losing streak and lost four out of its first five games of the month. The Hurricanes’ lone win was a 5-4 OT triumph over Burlington on Dec. 5.
NORTH YORK RANGERS
Good things seem to happen for the North York squad when Rangers’ forward Jacob Mooney is on the ice. Mooney, who had 41 points in 34 games, had a team-high plus-minus rating of plus 21, the only North York player with a rating above plus 10.
ORANGEVILLE CRUSHERS
Nick Gigone has been a workhorse between the pipes for the Crushers this season. The 19-year-old appeared in 31 of the club’s first 35 games. Gigone had an impressive 2.89 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.
ST. MICHAEL’S BUZZERS
Buzzers’ forward Daniel Campini has already doubled the 30-point season he registered a year ago. Campini was leading the St. Michael’s team in scoring as he had accumulated 60 points, including 28 goals, in 34 games.
SEGUIN BRUINS
Since allowing a season-high 10 goals in their 10-3 loss versus Burlington on Nov. 24, the Bruins have played somewhat better defensively. But Seguin, which allowed 21 goals in its next five outings, still lost all of those matches.
STREETSVILLE DERBYS
Derbys’ blueliner Justin Baker was not only leading the team in scoring with 50 points (12G, 38A) in 32 games. But Baker also had more points than all of the other Streetsville defencemen, who collectively had 39 points.
TORONTO JUNIOR CANADIENS
Junior Canadiens’ 20-year-old forward Jason McDonough could end up leading the club in scoring and penalty minutes this season. McDonough had a team-high 50 points after 33 games. He also had 108 penalty minutes, second most on the team.
UPPER CANADA PATRIOTS
The Patriots were on a bit of a roll in late November and early December as they went on a three-game winning streak. But the Upper Canada side couldn’t maintain this momentum and lost its next four matches. |