Rock and roll of November
Timmins Rock put together a November to remember. A top Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League contender, the Rock rolled to a record of 9-0-1 during November to end the month with an overall mark of 20-5-4 and a .759 winning percentage atop the East Division.
A veteran laden team that combines a high octane scoring attack with a doomsday defence, the Rock — which outscored the opposition 129 to 60 through 29 games — is not alone in the contender department of the NOJHL however. In fact, in the East Division alone, there is very little space between the big three of Timmins, the Hearst Lumberjacks and the Powassan Voodoos. And in the West Division, the Sudbury Cubs, Blind River Beavers and Soo Thunderbirds are all most definitely in the contender category.
Still, persistent, unrelenting Timmins coach and general manager Brandon Perry has put the Rock in an enviable spot just past the midway point of the 2022-2023 regular season with a roster assembly that is second to none.
In addition to holdover standouts such as league scoring leader Nicolas Pigeon and fellow high scoring forward Nicholas Frederick, the Rock is chock full of impact players that Perry acquired via the trade route for this season. They include 19-year old goalie Patrick Boivin, formerly of the NOJHL’s Blind River Beavers, and five 20-year olds who were part of a Superior International Jr. Hockey League championship team with the Red Lake Miners in 2021-2022 — forwards Brady Harroun, Lucas Piekarczyk and Ethan Pool and defensemen Kenyon Nyman and Brandon Rossetti.
On the forward lines, Harroun leads the NOJHL in goals with 21, Piekarczyk is a point per game player with 14 goals, 14 assists and Pool has 10 points in 22 games as a Rock solid shutdown forward. The towering Nyman, meanwhile, leads all NOJHL defensemen in scoring with nine goals, 26 assists, 35 points. And Rossetti, the most recent acquisition of the Red Lake refugees, has one goal, six assists, seven points in seven games since arriving in Timmins.
A less heralded addition has been 18-year old defenseman Tenzin Nyman, who is Kenyon’s younger brother. Tenzin made the Rock in training camp as a free agent walk-on from Maple Ridge, B.C. and recently scored his first NOJHL goal. And to be sure, the youngster has duly impressed Coach Perry.
“I am super happy for him. He is a kid who shows up every day, keeps his head down, keeps his feet moving, does his work, does his job,” Perry said of the younger Nyman. “It’s always, ‘yes, sir,’ looks you in the eye, takes criticism well, doesn’t complain. He’s just a great kid.”
Avery solid team with good coaching for sure