All posts by Randy Russon
T-Birds up two on Eagles
Soo Thunderbirds have taken a commanding two games to none lead on the Soo Eagles in what so far has been a one-sided Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League West Division semi-final playoff series. …[read more]
67’s seek return to playoff glory
Ottawa 67’s will be out to win an Ontario Hockey League playoff series for the first time since the first round of the 2011-2012 campaign when they take on the Niagara Ice Dogs in an Eastern Conference set that begins this week. …[read more]
OHL playoff matchups are set
Playoffs in the Ontario Hockey League get underway this week with 16 teams beginning a quest that will lead one of them to the May 19-29 Memorial Cup tournament in Red Deer, Alberta. …[read more]
Sidebars to Kingston-Oshawa series
It will be no ordinary playoff series when the Kingston Frontenacs take on the Oshawa Generals in a first-round, best-of-seven, Ontario Hockey League Eastern Conference set. …[read more]
Old Hound back in town
The erstwhile overage goalie who backstopped the Soo Greyhounds to their first-ever Ontario Hockey League playoff berth was back in town this weekend. …[read more]
T-Birds take it to Eagles
Soo Thunderbirds made it look quick and easy with a resounding 9-3 win over the visiting Soo Eagles in the opener of their Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff set on Saturday night. …[read more]
OHL playoffs: Soo versus Sarnia
Soo Greyhounds will be the decided underdog in their first-round, best-of-seven, Ontario Hockey League playoff series versus the Sarnia Sting. …[read more]
Eagles “looking forward” to series
Soo Eagles finished 49 points behind the Soo Thunderbirds and lost 10 of 12 games to the regular-season champs but the two teams start even as their best-of-seven Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series begins tonight at 7:30 at the Essar Centre. …[read more]
Ottawa 67’s have a high-low profile
It is a time-honoured Ontario Hockey League franchise with an iconic logo that is highly visible yet the Ottawa 67’s remain somewhat concealed in the nation’s capital. …[read more]
NOJHL playoff perspectives
Eight teams — seven of which finished the regular season with winning records well above the .500 mark — are in position to win the 2015-2016 Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff championship. …[read more]
Soo PW minors on verge of title
Soo Jr. Greyhounds pee wee minors are one victory away from winning the Northern Ontario AAA Hockey League championship. …[read more]
Lakers eye smooth sailing ahead
Their season ended with a first-round playoff loss to the second-seeded Minnesota State Mavericks but the future outlook contains considerable promise for the Lake Superior State Lakers of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. …[read more]
Back on the hockey beat
After spending parts of five days in Ottawa at the Tim Hortons Brier, Canadian men’s curling championships, I am back home on the hockey beat. …[read more]
Famed trio: Lambert, Simon, Turco
Denny Lambert was never drafted into the Ontario Hockey League or the National Hockey League but he made it to both levels and played with distinction. …[read more]
Youth hockey: expensive, priceless
Times have certainly changed from the days of playing competitive hockey on outdoor rinks and in local arenas within a youth house-league system. …[read more]
Eagles should upend Express but…
Soo Eagles have a distinct advantage on the Espanola Express ahead of the best-of-three, preliminary-round, West Division playoff series between the two Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League teams. …[read more]
Can the Eskis knock off the Rock?
This one has the makings of a nasty, intense playoff series — the small-town Iroquois Falls Eskis up against their neighbours, the bigger-market Timmins Rock. …[read more]
Tough playoff road for Lake State
They have a goalie with one of the best save percentages in the 10-team Western Collegiate Hockey Association but the seventh-place Lake Superior State Lakers have drawn a very-tough opponent in the second-place Minnesota State Mavericks for the first round of the playoffs. …[read more]
Coach decides to Chill out
A.J. Degenhardt is leaving his position as coach-general manager of the Coulee Region Chill of the North American Hockey League effective the end of the 2015-2016 campaign. …[read more]
NOHL pee wee major series tied
Sudbury Wolves have forced a fifth-and-deciding game in their best-of-five, Northern Ontario AAA Hockey League pee wee major division playoff series with the Soo Greyhounds. …[read more]
Voodoos boast home-grown flavour
A second-year franchise, the Powassan Voodoos fashioned an impressive 84-point regular season to finish third overall in the 12-team, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League standings. …[read more]
Eagles have defensive Powers
He may not be the Soo Eagles best defenseman but Roger Powers is one of the most-improved players on the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League team. …[read more]
Thunderbirds score by committee
Soo Thunderbirds may be the top team in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League but they are far from an offensive powerhouse. …[read more]
Soo pee wee majors have series lead
Soo Greyhounds pee wee majors can complete a first-round playoff upset on Saturday when they play host to the Sudbury Wolves in a 1 p.m. match at John Rhodes Community Centre. …[read more]
Parrott flies like an Eagle
He can skate, he can shoot, he can play a rough-and-tumble style and he is a favourite of his coach because of the way he plays the game. …[read more]
Pee wee minor d-men can score too
Not only did the first-place Soo Greyhounds feature eight of the top 10 scorers during the Northern Ontario AAA Hockey League pee wee minor division regular season but their defensemen produced top point totals as well. …[read more]
Pee wee minors home to Green Bay
Soo Greyhounds pee wee minors will prepare for the forthcoming championship series in the Northern Ontario AAA Hockey League with a three-game tuneup this weekend against the visiting Green Bay Jr. Gamblers. …[read more]
Jr. Greyhound tryouts loom
This is a message for all players who aspire to play within the Soo Jr. Greyhounds rep program for the 2016-2017 season. …[read more]
Watch the Soo T-Birds for free
All minor hockey players 14 years of age and younger will be admitted free to Wednesday’s Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League game between the Soo Thunderbirds and Rayside-Balfour Canadians — on one condition. …[read more]
Eskis forward gets NCAA deal
Castleton Spartans, a Division 3, National Collegiate Athletic Association program that plays out of the New England Hockey Conference, has a commitment from a high-scoring forward with the Iroquois Falls Eskis of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League. …[read more]
March 1 musings
The first of March takes us one day closer to spring and another day closer to playoffs.. …[read more]
Laker underclassmen lead the way
They have two games to play in the 2015-2016 regular season — both on the road this weekend — and the youthful Lake Superior State Lakers have secured a playoff spot and assured themselves of at least seventh place in the 10-team Western Collegiate Hockey Association. …[read more]
Massey still seeking junior team
As HockeyNewsNorth.com first reported in a November, 2015 article, the town of Massey is interested in bringing a junior hockey team to the area. …[read more]
Culina paying off for Spitfires
Free-agent goalie Mario Culina has been money in the bank for the Windsor Spitfires as a 1997 birth-year rookie. …[read more]
5-game ban for Cody Caron
Hard-nosed Kingston Frontenacs forward Cody Caron has been issued a five-game suspension by the Ontario Hockey League. …[read more]
Jake Palmerio has a school offer
Lawrence University Vikings of the Division 3, Northern Collegiate Hockey Association have offered a future roster spot to Soo Eagles forward Jake Palmerio, HockeyNewsNorth.com has learned. …[read more]
Lakers clinch WCHA playoff spot
A three-point weekend has secured a playoff spot for the Lake Superior State Lakers and assured them of at least seventh place in the 10-team Western Collegiate Hockey Association. …[read more]
Pee wee major scoring champion
Soo Greyhounds finished in third place during the Northern Ontario AAA Hockey League regular season and the pee wee major team featured the top scorer in the division. …[read more]
Brad Baber’s boy a scoring leader
Camaryn Baber, a 2001 birth-year forward with the Soo Greyhounds of the Northern Ontario AAA Hockey League’s major bantam division, is showing some of his father’s ability as a player. …[read more]
Pee wee minor scoring champ
Not only did the Soo Greyhounds finish atop the regular-season standings of the Northern Ontario AAA Hockey League’s pee wee minor division with a dominant record of 19-0-1 but they featured the top scorer in the loop. …[read more]
Ex-Red Wings coach to show Spirit
Former Detroit Red Wings coach Dave Lewis is joining the Saginaw Spirit as a defensive consultant for the remainder of the 2015-2016 Ontario Hockey League season. …[read more]
Playoff-implications pair at Pullar
Soo Eagles will play host to the Blind River Beavers tonight and the Espanola Express on Saturday in a crucial two-game home-stand at Pullar Stadium. …[read more]
Hounds pee wee minors dominate
Soo Greyhounds pee wee minors have a first-round playoff bye due to a dominant regular season within the Northern Ontario AAA Hockey League. …[read more]
This is what’s next for Soo Eagles
Soo Eagles have an in-house situation that carries major ramifications for many within the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League. …[read more]
Net worth in Elliot Lake
Rookie goalie Aaron Mackay has not lost a game in regulation time for the Elliot Lake Wildcats covering 16 appearances dating back to October 23. …[read more]
Lakers await Walt & the Wildcats
Winners of five of their last six games, Northern Michigan Wildcats are headed to the Soo for a pair of matches with the Lake Superior State Lakers this weekend. …[read more]
Golden girl
Mai-Ann Dorval of the Kapuskasing Ice Hawks proudly displays a trophy and gold medal that she won at the four-day, Soo Pee Wee Hockey Extravaganza Tournament that was held last week. …[read more]
Kap Ice Hawks strike gold in the Soo
It was worth the 775-mile round-trip to Sault Ste. Marie for the Kapuskasing Ice Hawks, who returned home with gold medals on Sunday. …[read more]