All posts by Randy Russon
Trine’s just fine for Brancato
Workhorse goalie Shane Brancato, a three-year veteran of the Soo Eagles and the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, has opted to play at the National Collegiate Athletic Association level for the Trine University Thunder effective the 2020-2021 season.
…[read more]As hockey is cancelled …
The games will not be played for a while. In fact, while some leagues are simply in a hold pattern, others have downright cancelled the balance of the current season due to the global pandemic.
…[read more]NOJHL season officially over
Via the commissioner’s office, the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League has confirmed the cancellation of the remainder of the 2019-2020 season due to the ongoing COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.
…[read more]Vendramin is ACHA’s best
Local product Ryan Vendramin of the Sault College Cougars is the national player of the year for the Division 2 level of the American Collegiate Hockey Association.
…[read more]SPWHL shuts down
Soo Pee Wee Hockey League has cancelled the remainder of the 2019-2020 season for all teams at all levels due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
…[read more]NOJHL playoffs on hold
Playoff activity in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League is officially on hiatus, Hockey News North has confirmed.
…[read more]NOJHL playoff games PPD
Tonight’s scheduled playoff games in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League have been postponed, Hockey News North has been advised.
…[read more]T.J. Aceti goalie award
Six years after his sudden passing at age 31, Sault Ste. Marie native T.J. Aceti is being honoured and recognized by the Sault Major Hockey Association with an award that will bear his name.
…[read more]Flint extends GM, coach
The dandy duo of general manager Barclay Branch and head coach Eric Wellwood has received contract extensions from the Flint Firebirds through the 2021-2022 Ontario Hockey League season.
…[read more]Rock limits Lumberjacks
The semi-final playoffs are underway in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League. And the Timmins Rock limited the reigning NOJHL champion Hearst Lumberjacks to a mere 14 shots on goal en route to a 5-2 win in the opening game of the best-of-seven, East Division series.
…[read more]RBC has top management
Winning, it has been duly noted, starts at the top. And that notion relates well to the Rayside Balfour Canadians of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Great North playoff slate
The playoff tournament in the Great North Midget Hockey League — which will eventually conclude with the medal games — will begin on Thursday of this week and carry on until Sunday.
…[read more]High school hockey nobelman
Remi Gentes, a true gentleman known for his soft heart and dedication, is ending a 35-year association with high school hockey in Sault Ste. Marie.
…[read more]A ‘what if’ season for Hounds
What if the Soo Greyhounds were in the Eastern Conference instead of the Western Conference? What if Greyhounds coach John Dean hadn’t messed with goal-tending that was already in good hands?
…[read more]Eagles shut down Express
Espanola Express is closed for the season. Visiting Soo Eagles edged the Express 2-1 on Friday to take the best-of-three, preliminary-round, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series in two straight games.
…[read more]Baber has steadfast Spirit
He is a valuable depth player, a third or fourth center on a high-octane Saginaw Spirit squad that is in a furious chase for first place in the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League.
…[read more]Eagles fly high over Express
For more than 28 minutes, the visiting Espanola Express stayed on track with the Soo Eagles in Wednesday’s opening game of the best-of-three, preliminary-round, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series.
…[read more]Soo crew in SE-EE series
Twin Soo players — four of them — dot the rosters of the Soo Eagles and Espanola Express as the two teams face off in a best-of-three, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, preliminary-round playoff series.
…[read more]NOJHL playoffs are here
There is little room for error in a best-of-three series. And in what are seen as closely-matched, preliminary-round playoff sets, it will be the Soo Eagles taking on the Espanola Express in the West Division and the Cochrane Crunch facing off with the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners in the East Division as the post season in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League begins this week.
…[read more]Feeling good on the Express
A grit and grind crew that does not push the stop button, the Espanola Express has made it to the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoffs for the first time since its debut season, which was the 2015-2016 campaign.
…[read more]Express awaits Delarosbil
A reinforcement is poised to rejoin the Espanola Express in time for its Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League preliminary-round playoff series against the Soo Eagles.
…[read more]Zachary ignites Jr. Hounds
Soo Jr. Greyhounds have started a hectic week of play with their arch-rival Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves the right way. Heart-and-soul forward Ty Zachary lit the lamp with a hat trick and added an assist for good measure as the Jr. Greyhounds scored a 4-2 road decision over the Nickel Capital Wolves in Great North Midget Hockey League action from Wednesday.
…[read more]High school award winners
Sault Ste. Marie’s high school hockey league, via retiring convenor Remi Gentes, has revealed its list of award winners for the recently completed 2019-2020 season.
…[read more]Small forward, Major impact
At 5-foot-8, 150 pounds, Landon Deforge is not what one might call a big kid. But the 2003 birth year forward certainly plays a big role for the Timmins Majors of the Great North Midget Hockey League.
…[read more]CCHL sale has NOJHL touch
Commissioner Kevin Abrams of the Central Canada Hockey League has confirmed the sale and transfer of the Kanata Lasers. And Ryan Leonard of the Cochrane Crunch of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League is part of the transaction which will see Kanata relocate to Renfrew effective the 2020-2021 season.
…[read more]Jr. Hounds coach can return
Jamie Henderson, who is the head coach of the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Midget Hockey League, has been handed a conditional five-game suspension by the Sault Major Hockey Association, Hockey News North has confirmed. Henderson had been under indefinite suspension by the SMHA since the middle of last week.
…[read more]Soo Eagles v. Espanola Express
This is the final week of regular season play in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League. But looking ahead to next week, we already know that it will be no. 4 seed Soo Eagles facing off against no. 5 seed Espanola Express in a best-of-three, West Division, preliminary-round playoff series.
…[read more]What is with John Dean?
Soo Greyhounds could quite possibly miss the Ontario Hockey League playoffs this season for the first time since the 2011-2012 campaign. And if that happens, a good chunk of the blame should fall on second-year head coach John Dean.
…[read more]Jr. Greyhounds in turmoil
The first-place team in the Great North Midget Hockey League has big issues. And as it currently stands, the Soo Jr. Greyhounds will not be playing their two scheduled home games against the Sudbury Minor Wolves this weekend.
…[read more]Major strides in Timmins
It has been seven years — the 2012-2013 campaign — since the Timmins Majors of the Great North Midget Hockey League finished the regular season at the .500 mark.
…[read more]Rock solid between the pipes
As the Timmins Rock pursues first place in the overall standings of the 12-team Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, the net worth of coach Corey Beer’s goalie tandem really stands out.
…[read more]Hard work on the Express
Brennen Martel is not known as a lamp lighter. He tallied just five goals in 32 games with the Timmins Majors of the Great North Midget Hockey League in 2018-2019 and has dented the twine three times in 31 outings with the Espanola Express of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League thus far in 2019-2020.
…[read more]Flint Firebirds are on fire
Winners of a franchise-record 13 straight games, the Flint Firebirds have caught up to arch-rival Saginaw Spirit in the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League.
…[read more]61 goals for Ryan Vendramin
Sault College’s scoring machine was firing on all cylinders again on the weekend. Local product Ryan Vendramin netted seven goals — giving him 61 on the season — as the Cougars roared to a pair of American Collegiate Hockey Association victories over the West Virginia University Mountaineers.
…[read more]Star goalie in the making
The best young goalie in the Ontario Hockey League was born in 2003 and is a product of the Great North Midget Hockey League and the Northern Ontario Hockey Association.
…[read more]Sault boy on the Express
Hard-working Cole Delarosbil has been a positive presence as a rookie forward with the Espanola Express of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]So good in the Great North
Albert Corradini has a lengthy association with the Great North Midget Hockey League. Before becoming commissioner of the Great North loop in 2018, Corradini served the league’s Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves well as their general manager for many years.
…[read more]Mauro on the mend
Blind River Beavers are hoping to get speedy, high-scoring forward Justin Mauro back in the lineup before the start of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoffs.
…[read more]Eagles eyes on third goalie
Soo Eagles of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League are giving practice time to goalie Gabe Rosek of the major midget Soo Indians of the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association.
…[read more]RBC: 10-0-0 in 2020
Rayside Balfour Canadians continue to be perfect during the 2020 portion of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League regular-season schedule.
…[read more]Scoring sensation Serre
The best player in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League is a small-town kid who is skating and starring for his home-town team.
…[read more]Express lane to playoffs
For the first time since the 2015-2016 campaign — which was its first season in existence as a franchise — the Espanola Express has qualified for a playoff spot in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Hounds, Malik lose again
Soo Greyhounds remained outside the Ontario Hockey League playoff picture tonight with a 5-1 loss to the visiting Guelph Storm. The defeat was the third straight for the Greyhounds, all with rookie goalie Nick Malik in the net.
…[read more]Hounds goalie controversy
Soo Greyhounds are now on the outside looking in at a playoff spot in the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League. Instead of leaving well enough alone, the Greyhounds have started rookie goalie Nick Malik ahead of proven overage Bailey Brkin in seven of nine games since the Czech Republic import landed in Sault Ste. Marie during the second week of January.
…[read more]Good goalies galore in N.O.
This could well be termed the year of the goalie in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League. To be sure, there is net worth aplenty throughout the 12-team NOJHL.
…[read more]Sault Major elite coaches
Four coaches have thus far been chosen to head up teams within the Sault Major Hockey Association’s elite program for the 2020-2021 season, Hockey News North has confirmed.
…[read more]Win, win at Sault College
Through 24 games thus far this 2019-2020 season, the Sault College Cougars have compiled a rousing record of 19-3-2. Glancing ahead, after an away weekend at Michigan State University on February 7 and 8, the Sault College men will be on the home ice of Rankin Arena for matches against West Virginia University on February 15 and 16.
…[read more]Rayside unbeaten in 2020
Rayside Balfour Canadians have a perfect record of 7-0-0 through the 2020 portion of this Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League regular season.
…[read more]