Hockey + weather = bonus
Does it get any better than this? If you are into various levels of hockey, warm weather and happen to live in Sault Ste. Marie, this is a good time of the year.
Not only is hockey season in full swing in the good old Soo, the summer-like weather is a September bonus.
It’s been the best of both worlds lately.
For me, it meant walking to the John Rhodes Community Centre in light clothes, under the warmth of the September sun — and then cooling off once I got to the rink.
To be sure, the Rhodes Centre was like home to me over the past week.
In all, I watched parts of three Great North Midget Hockey League games and two Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League matches from the air-conditioned comfort of the Centro Sports Bar, which is located upstairs in the Rhodes Centre.
Sault Ste. Marie now has two teams in the Great North loop — the major midget Soo Greyhounds and the minor midget Soo Thunderbirds — and both were in home-ice action last week.
Actually, the Rhodes Centre is taking on the look of a mini Little Caesars Arena this season.
Walk into the Rhodes Centre and the bright orange wall and door signs advertising Little Caesars pizza are professionally prominent. And inside the main rink, the Little Caesars signs are quite dominant and attractive, all in one.
Little Caesars aside — and I do like their pizza — I saw a lot of hockey last week and a lot of it was good.
Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves showed their strength in a one-sided victory over the major midget Greyhounds. The Nickel Capital Wolves are defending champions of the Great North and early season indications are that they will once again be a force to be reckoned with.
The major midget Greyhounds have a good look to them and figure to be more than competitive. Coached by Kevin Panco and Dominic DeLuca, the Greyhounds recovered from their loss to Sudbury with a pair of winning efforts against the Timmins Majors.
With a collection of mostly second-year midgets featuring the likes of forwards Avery Rebek and Owen Shier, the Greyhounds look as though they will more than be able to hold their own. Of note, a rookie forward who stood out was minor midget-aged skater Nick Jameus.
Speaking of Timmins, the Majors got all they could handle from the first-year minor midget Thunderbirds.
As part of their three-game road appearance in the Soo on the weekend, Timmins played the Greyhounds twice and the Thunderbirds once.
Making their Great North regular season debut, the Thunderbirds came very close to defeating the experienced, albeit shorthanded visitors from Timmins. The Soo minor midgets were leading 2-1 late in the third before Timmins tied the game and then won it in the first minute of overtime.
Several members of the Soo minor midgets stood out, including speedy forward Justin Mauro, hustling forward Brock Santa Maria, bantam-aged defenseman Jack Matier and goalie Noah Zeppa. A few words about Zeppa.
He may be on the small side but Zeppa showed superb skills and technical positioning. I watched him over the summer during a number of practice sessions and his ability and work ethic carried over to the Thunderbird season opener with one sparkling save after another.
Zeppa and fellow goalie Tyler Greco give the Thunderbirds what coach Jamie Henderson is projecting as a high-end tandem between the pipes.
As for Henderson, he is a breath of fresh air as a coach. Talk to this guy and it is easily apparent how much he not only likes hockey but how sincere he is about developing young players and trying to do his part to improve the level and caliber of play of his charges.
Actually, when one talks to Henderson, one does not have to say much. I mean, the guy is an interviewer’s dream — ask him one question and a 10-minute response is the return, with enough good quotes to fill a couple of blog or column entries.
Over to the NOJHL, I got to see the Thunderbirds play twice on the weekend and while both were losses, they were spirited performances against the Blind River Beavers and Powassan Voodoos.
The Thunderbirds are a relatively-young team this season with a new coach in John Parco, a passionate, energetic former Ontario Hockey League star and world-class player and coach from many years in Italy. Methinks the Thunderbirds are in very good — and honest — hands with Parco and holdover associate coach Toots Kovacs.
Blind River, by the way, has looked really good in the early going of the season with a perfect 4-0 record under head coach Kyle Brick and his trusted lieutenant, Craig MacDonald.
Brick, MacDonald et al completely changed the culture when they took over the Beavers hockey operation last season, leading them all the way to the NOJHL finals. And as the Beavers build off last season to this one, early signs are good signs that all is still well in small-market, hockey-mad Blind River.
Being at a pair of NOJHL games on the weekend also gave me the opportunity to sit and catch up and have sports bar supper with commissioner Robert Mazzuca.
Blunt, honest and to the point, Mazzuca commands the 12-team NOJHL with precision and professionalism. Some like Mazzuca and some don’t.
But as he noted to me, it’s a simply a case of teams following the rules and him enforcing them. “Follow the rules and you won’t have a problem with me,” Mazzuca is fond of saying.
Back to the NOJHL Thunderbirds, they are under a new operator and have changed their team colours and style to what resembles the National Hockey League’s Edmonton Oilers. I will say that I do like the colour scheme and style of the new Thunderbird uniforms — the minor midget team wears an identical set — though the logo is rather busy and a tad tacky.
I am not sure who is in charge of the management of the Thunderbirds these days — no one seems to know who the general manager is or if he is qualified to be one — but as mentioned in the prior, the team is in good coaching hands with Parco and Kovacs.
Yes, hockey season is here, summer weather and all.
PHOTO: Austin Holmes of the Timmins Majors and Nathan Fortin of the Soo Thunderbirds, in Great North Midget Hockey League action from the weekend. (Photo by Ali Pearson.)
Thanks for my morning read Randy!! See you soon!! Had I been there this weekend I would’ve joined you upstairs with a beverage and cheese pizza 😜
Great job randy.