Rock on an East side roll
Rookie coach Brandon Perry and the Timmins Rock are on a roll through 10 games of the 2021-2022 Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League season.
With a league best and nationally ranked record of 9-0-1, Timmins nonetheless is just mere points ahead of the Hearst Lumberjacks and Powassan Voodoos in a beast of an East Division of the NOJHL.
With homegrown talent aplenty and a proud hometown lad in the 32-year old Perry as both coach and general of the Rock, Timmins has two more tough tests this weekend in traveling to French River to take on the Rapids on Friday before returning home for a Sunday matinee match against Powassan.
The intense, serious Perry, who previously coached the Timmins Majors of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League and helped return that program to respectability, told Hockey News North that while happy with the start of the NOJHL Rock to this season, perspective has to be maintained.
“We are certainly pleased with our start here. It is a pretty impressive run out of our guys but we understand it’s early and championships are won in April and March. Rankings only matter at the end of the year,” Perry began.
“We have a good group here that remains focused on the task at hand and that’s always what’s next, practice or game. All in all, we are just looking to build good habits here every day and keep working. It’s a long season and we’re taking it day by day,” he summed up.
Scoring wise, captain Tyler Schwindt leads the Rock roll call with nine goals, five assists, 14 points.
Up next are Nicolas Pigeon with 2-10-12 totals followed by Riley Brousseau and defensemen Bode Dunford and Cameron Dutkiewicz, all with 3-8-11 numbers. Brousseau and Dutkiewicz are both Timmins products and former teammates with the under-18 Majors where they first played for Perry.
Between the pipes, Gavin McCarthy has a 7-0-1 record with a 2.10 goals against average and .914 save percentage.
The Rock are a very balanced team. All 4 lines contribute offensively.
Looks like a three way race for top spot fans are going to see some good hockey this winter.