All posts by Randy Russon
Eyes of Soo-based OHL scouts
Sault Ste. Marie-based scouts Jimmy Mancuso of the Guelph Storm and Mike Oliverio of the Flint Firebirds are no doubt doing their homework — and then some — on the top two prospects from the Great North Midget Hockey League for the 2017 Ontario Hockey League draft. …[read more]
Home side rules border battle
Soo Thunderbirds and Soo Eagles continue to utilize home ice in the ongoing border battle between the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League rivals. …[read more]
Colizza connection to McGill
When Chrissy Colizza heads to McGill University to play women’s hockey in the fall, she will follow a long line of immediate family members who performed athletically at the famed Montreal school of high learning. …[read more]
Hounds deal with Storm
Seeking a veteran defenseman prior to next week’s Ontario Hockey League trade deadline, Soo Greyhounds have done just that by obtaining 19-year old Noah Carroll from the Guelph Storm. …[read more]
Templeton to North Bay
The grandson of legendary Ontario Hockey League coach Bert Templeton is headed to the town where the late bench boss enhanced his storied reputation. …[read more]
Battalion to Firebirds
Flint Firebirds have obtained seasoned skater Maurizio Colella in an Ontario Hockey League exchange with the North Bay Battalion. …[read more]
U.S. EH!
It can be argued that winning a goal medal should not be gained by virtue of a shootout. It can be argued that the format of deciding victory by shootout should be abolished. But there is no doubt that the 2017 World Junior Hockey Championship gold medal game between Canada and the U.S.A. was one for the ages. …[read more]
Birds, Eagles home & home
Intense and indelible, the Twin Soo hockey rivalry will be revisited when the Soo Thunderbirds and Soo Eagles meet in a home-and-home set on Friday and Saturday. …[read more]
Can NB Trappers be beat?
North Bay Trappers have a four-point lead on the Soo Greyhounds as the top two teams in the Great North Midget Hockey League head into the final quarter of the 2016-2017 regular season. …[read more]
Flint has missed star scorer
Flint Firebirds have managed to retain their hold on the eighth-and-final playoff spot in the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League minus injured scoring star Luke Kirwan. …[read more]
Steal of a deal
Soo Greyhounds left winger Bobby MacIntyre represents the return on one of the more one-sided trades made in the Ontario Hockey League in quite some time. …[read more]
Hounds of the road
They are building on a good road record from 2015-2016 into an even-better showing away from home thus far this 2016-2017 Ontario Hockey League season. …[read more]
Wolves have overage strength
Dipping into a stock of reserve draft picks, general manager Barclay Branch has again increased the volume strength of the Sudbury Wolves. …[read more]
Second season scene in NOJHL
Some of what is seen, scene and heard as play sets to resume in the second half of the 2016-2017 Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League season: …[read more]
Top prospect from Great North
Hard-shooting, hard-skating, hard-nosed forward Camaryn Baber of the Soo Greyhounds is believed to be the top prospect from the Great North Midget Hockey League for the 2017 Ontario Hockey League draft. …[read more]
Flashback: Dukes of Hamilton
An oddly-named Ontario Hockey League team, the Dukes of Hamilton would prove to be an ill-fated successor to the storied Toronto Marlies franchise over a two-year operating period from 1989 to 1991. …[read more]
Hockey, Canada and Christmas
As an average Canadian who grew up in a hockey town, the game has been a part of me since childhood recollections of road shinny and black-and-white television on Saturday night. …[read more]
Team Canada’s six OHLers
No goalies and no defensemen. But six forwards from the Ontario Hockey League are among the 22 players who will represent Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships that are slated to begin on Boxing Day with games in Toronto and Montreal. …[read more]
Scouting the NB Trappers
A consensus is that as many as seven players from the first-place North Bay Trappers of the Great North Midget Hockey League could become selections at the 2017 Ontario Hockey League draft. …[read more]
Fine first half for Flint Firebirds
They routinely out-shoot the opposition. Ergo, it might be argued that the Flint Firebirds could have a few more wins on a respectable record that stands at 16-15-2 heading into the second half of the 2016-2017 Ontario Hockey League season. …[read more]
Powassan power at full steam
Ho, ho, ho. Times 23. Powassan Voodoos of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League are headed into the Christmas break on a remarkable 23-game winning streak. …[read more]
Trappers a step above Hounds
Showing overall structure and discipline, North Bay Trappers have seized first place from the Soo Greyhounds following a three-game, Great North Midget Hockey League weekend showdown. …[read more]
20 wins for the BR Beavers
When he took the job as the new head coach of the Blind River Beavers prior to the start of the 2016-2017 Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League season, Kyle Brick told HockeyNewsNorth.com that his first priority would be “to change the culture within the team.” …[read more]
Hounds take it to Trappers
Rookie sensation Camaryn Baber scored his 22nd and 23rd goals of the season and Soo Greyhounds chased North Bay Trappers starting goalie Joel Rainville en route to a 5-1 triumph over the visitors in Great North Midget Hockey League action from Friday. …[read more]
Lake State up to date
As the Lake Superior State Lakers are on a break from the ice until after Christmas, we peruse the Division 1, Western Collegiate Hockey Association team from the outside looking in. …[read more]
Hounds, Trappers hit the Rhodes
Soo Greyhounds will have the advantage of home ice this weekend as they face off against the North Bay Trappers in a three-game set with first place at stake in the Great North Midget Hockey League. …[read more]
Showdown in mid Michigan
Holders of the eighth-and-final playoff spot in the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League, Flint Firebirds will try to hold off the ninth-seeded Saginaw Spirit when the mid Michigan rivals meet tonight. …[read more]
Five OHL hot spots
As only three points stand between the top four teams in the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League, the surging Saginaw Spirit has moved to within three points of the eighth-and-final playoff spot. …[read more]
Voodoos, T-Birds keep winning
Masked by the fact that the Powassan Voodoos have won 20 straight games is that the two-time reigning champion Soo Thunderbirds have reeled off eight successive victories. …[read more]
Trappers take gold puck silver
North Bay Trappers of the Great North Midget Hockey League snagged silver from the Gold Puck tournament held over four days in Waterloo. …[read more]
Bannister being Bannister
He is neither colourful or excitable. He is neither fiery or emotional. But he is who he is and he is getting the job done. …[read more]
Great North showdown looms
The top two teams in the Great North Midget Hockey League will face off in a crucial three-game showdown slated for John Rhodes Community Centre in Sault Ste. Marie next weekend. …[read more]
A book about the Greyhounds
If you are a passionate fan or follower of the Soo Greyhounds then there is a recently-published book that you just might want to read. …[read more]
Lamour shows Spirit in Rayside
A third-round pick of the Saginaw Spirit at the 2016 Ontario Hockey League draft, 16-year old goalie Cameron Lamour is spending a critical development season with the Rayside-Balfour Canadians of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League. …[read more]
Connor Hicks is back in the mix
As a center piece in an early-season trade with the Hamilton Bulldogs involving holdout forward Will Bitten, Connor Hicks was acquired by the Flint Firebirds to bring experience and stability to the goalie position. …[read more]
Surging Soo Eagles reach .500
It was towards the end of the third week of October and the Soo Eagles were floundering near the bottom of the 12-team, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League with an unsightly record of 4-11-2. …[read more]
Flashback: Brantford Alexanders
Their history is one of modest length yet the Brantford Alexanders remain an iconic Ontario Hockey League franchise mainly because of the number of well-known players who wore their red-white-and-black jersey from 1978 to 1984. …[read more]
NOJHL is rapid on advancement
Given its recent track record of advancing talent to the Division 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association and Ontario Hockey League levels, one has to wonder why any player from the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League would want to leave it for a lateral move within the Canadian Jr. Hockey League. …[read more]
Best defense in the Great North
If defense ultimately wins championships then the North Bay Trappers of the Great North Midget Hockey League are on the right course. …[read more]
There’s more to the Voodoos
Powassan Voodoos — already in first place in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League — have added on to a team that has won 17 straight games. …[read more]
Western omelette
There’s a scramble for position within the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League where eight of the 10 teams have records well above the .500 mark. …[read more]
Great North scouring, scouting
As they take a break from Great North Midget Hockey League play until December 16, just two points stand between the Soo Greyhounds and North Bay Trappers atop the standings of the seven-team loop. …[read more]
Good news from the NOJHL
Following are just a few samplings from the many good news stories that are out there in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League. …[read more]
Ex-OHL star now practises law
It was a chance meeting in a Detroit hotel bar where I happened to be sitting at a table adjacent to where a former Peterborough Petes scoring star from more than 30 years ago was seated. …[read more]
T-Birds could use some love
Soo Thunderbirds have won back-to-back championships in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League and are contenders again this season. …[read more]
Three good NOJHL stories
This tour of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League takes us from Powassan to Blind River across the International Bridge to the Michigan Soo. …[read more]
Brown takes coaching break
Jeff Brown has confirmed that he is “taking a break” from his coaching duties with the Ottawa 67’s but will continue to work as general manager of the Ontario Hockey League team. …[read more]
CCHL a nice fit in Cornwall
Gone are the days of the erstwhile Cornwall Royals of the Quebec Major Jr. Hockey League and the Ontario Hockey League. …[read more]