By Sam Laskaris /
Another month is in the books. And in early November, here’s a quick look at how Central Canadian Hockey League clubs were shaping up.
EAST DIVISION
AJAX ATTACK
Ajax managed to win half of its first 20 games this season even though it is the league’s most penalized team. The Attack enjoyed some success despite racking up 589 penalty minutes, an average of almost 30 minutes per game.
BOWMANVILLE EAGLES
Eagles’ forward Mitch Moffatt has quickly made an impact since being acquired from the OJAHL’s Aurora Tigers in mid-October. Moffatt had 11 points, including six goals (four of them on the power play), in his first six games with Bowmanville.
COBOURG COUGARS
They’ve been divisional cellar-dwellers for the majority of the season. But the Cougars exploded for a season-high nine goals on Halloween night, crushing the Whitby Fury 9-1. Cobourg’s Stefan Thompson led the assault by scoring a hat trick.
LINDSAY MUSKIES
The host Muskies registered a rare 1-0 victory over the Upper Canada Patriots on Nov. 1. Lindsay defenceman Mike Wills scored the lone goal of the game. Muskies’ netminder Chris Azzano made 18 saves en route to
the shutout.
MARKHAM WAXERS
Markham’s 16-year-old rookie netminder Franky Palazzese has been impressive thus far. Palazzese had a stingy 2.30 GAA and an impressive .923 save percentage after his first eight appearances. He had also registered his first junior shutout.
PETERBOROUGH STARS
Forward Dylan Fitze has been a leader for the Stars various ways since being acquired via a trade with Lindsay in September. Fitze had a team high 12 points after 15 games. He also led the Peterborough club with 44
penalty minutes.
PICKERING PANTHERS
The Panthers are going to need some significant defensive improvements if they wish to move up in the standings. Pickering, which was tied for eighth in the league’s 10-team East Division, yielded a CCHL-high of 94 goals after 16 games.
STOUFFVILLE SPIRIT
Stouffville forward Matt Neal was pointless during his first three games of the regular season. But he’s produced steadily since then. Neal had 20 points in 18 games (10G, 10A) and was tied for the Spirit scoring lead with
Alex Derlis.
WELLINGTON DUKES
Jordan Ruby has provided the Dukes a decent chance to win every time he’s been between the pipes. Ruby, who had a league-leading 1.79 goals-against average, had nine wins, one OT loss and three shootout losses in 13 appearances.
WHITBY FURY
Though he had scored just four goals, Fury forward Behn Robertson was leading the team in scoring in early November. That’s because Robertson also had a club-high 19 assists for a total of 23 points following 17 games.
WEST DIVISION
BURLINGTON COUGARS
Cougars’ forward Greg Carey has not had any problems finding the back of opponents’ nets. Carey had scored a league-high 25 goals in 16 games. His high-scoring ways included a pair of four-goal games and two other
hat tricks.
DIXIE BEEHIVES
The Beehives did manage to earn a single point, losing 5-4 to the visiting Hamilton Red Wings during their final game of the month on Oct. 28. But the point offered little consolation as the loss extended Dixie’s losing streak to five games.
HAMILTON RED WINGS
Though he had scored just one goal, Red Wings’ blueliner Jeremy Goodwin was among the team’s scoring leaders. Goodwin, who will attend Princeton University, was third in the Hamilton scoring race as he also had
12 assists.
NEWMARKET HURRICANES
The Hurricanes kicked off October with a 3-1 loss against Ajax. But the Newmarket squad rebounded from that setback and then reeled off nine straight victories during the rest of the month to prove to all they are contenders for the league crown.
NORTH YORK RANGERS
The Rangers have been getting plenty of leadership from 20-year-old forward Brendan Wise. After 17 games Wise was leading the club with 21 points, including a team high 13 goals. He had also provided a pair of game-
winning goals.
ORANGEVILLE CRUSHERS
Crushers’ forward Nick Marcuz has been producing more than a point per game since being acquired in a trade with the OJAHL’s Aurora Tigers. Marcuz had 12 points (5G, 7A) in his first 11 games in an Orangeville uniform.
ST. MICHAEL’S BUZZERS
After a somewhat slow start, the Buzzers appear to have turned a corner. The St. Michael’s squad ended the month of October by picking up nine out of a possible 10 points (four wins, one shootout loss) in their final five games.
SEGUIN BRUINS
The Bruins exploded for a season-high seven goals on Halloween night, dumping the North York Rangers 7-1 in a penalty-filled contest. Officials were busy calling a total of 44 infractions for a total of 110 penalty minutes.
STREETSVILLE DERBYS
Forward Isaac Kohls, who is from Forest Lake, Minnesota, has been a pleasant addition for the Derbys this season. The 18-year-old had earned 23 points, including 11 goals, in his first 19 games with the Streetsville squad.
TORONTO JUNIOR CANADIENS
The Junior Canadiens pride themselves on being a tough-as-nails team. And this year is no exception as they were faring well in the standings - second in the West Division - despite having incurred a division-high 585 penalty minutes in 21 games.
UPPER CANADA PATRIOTS
Forward Nikita Poliakov has been a bright spot for the Patriots this season. Poliakov was leading the Upper Canada squad in scoring with 22 points (8G, 14A) in 20 games. His efforts included a pair of four-point matches. |