Stick it! BR sweeps EL
Apropos, Blind River Beavers are moving on to the semi-final playoff round within the West Division of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
The Beavers, who should have finished third in the West Division but were relegated to fourth place because of an innocent mistake, completed a two-game sweep of the nearby rival Elliot Lake Wildcats on the weekend.
3-0 and 5-4 wins by Blind River adds up to a second straight, preliminary round exit by Elliot Lake.
As to why the Beavers were banished to fourth and had to play the prelim round against Elliot Lake instead of having the comfort of third place and opening weekend in the playoffs off, here is the story.
In a late-season game between the two teams, Blind River’s volunteer scorekeeper inadvertently left one of the Beavers players names off the score-sheet. The Blind River coaches did not notice the omission but Elliot coach Corey Bricknell did.
Instead of over-looking the oversight — the gentlemanly thing to do, perhaps — Bricknell made the NOJHL aware of the “infraction.” So, despite the fact that Blind River defeated Elliot Lake in the game in question, the Wildcats were awarded the victory and the Beavers got the loss.
And the loss cost Blind River in the West Division standings.
Minus the two points that were taken from them in a game that they really won, Blind River finished a single point behind third-place Soo Eagles in the West Division standings.
As for the aforementioned Bricknell, this is his third season coaching in the NOJHL — one with the erstwhile Iroquois Falls Eskimos and the last two with Elliot Lake.
In all three seasons that Bricknell has coached in the NOJHL, his teams have finished fifth in a six-team division and lost in the prelim round of the playoffs all three times.
And that, folks, is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Beavers Infraction
Thank you Mr Bricknell for your part in the Beavers forfeit.
You are no gentleman to the sport.
You may have got the two points but you did not earn them.
Volunteers do make mistakes as we all do. EVEN YOU make mistakes.
You just gave the Beaver Team more determination to beat you in the first
playoff round.
Coach Brick had a two game suspension and league fines going into our finals.
Many did not realize this.
Just made the Beavers stronger.
I feel sorry for the Wildcats to have had a coach like you.
It was a sad night for your Team last night. Thank yourself for that.
Time to move on. Play golf!!!!!!!!!!
Very well said Linda
Everywhere bricknel has gone controversy has seemed to follow.
I would just like to comment by saying that my son played in his 1st year of junior hockey for the Elliot Lake Wildcats and enjoyed nothing but a positive experience on and off the ice under the positive mentorship from Coach Bricknell and his staff. As a former referee in the NOJHL , it is the responsibility of the Coaching Staff to verify the roster before commencement of any game. I witnessed this many times with ineligible players on gamesheets. Don’t blame a volunteer Mr. Russon as these coaches are paid and I’m sure the kid that wasn’t on the roster paid to play also.
Paul Allair,
Please re-read my story. I did not blame the volunteer. I did say the BR coaches missed the oversight. Do not twist my words.
Randy,
I read many of your articles as I have a keen interest in hockey in the North. I was not twisting your words. The original comment I made was only to share the positive experience my son had while playing in Elliot Lake this past season under Coach Bricknell. Honest mistakes are made but rules are rules.
Thanks for your time Randy,
Paul Allair