NEWS

The OJHL announced today that Kingston Voyageurs forward Alex Tonge has been named the Gongshow Gear North-East Conference Player-of-the-Month for November after recording 11 goals and 20 points in 8 games played during the month.  

The Vees' veteran recorded at least one goal and two points in all but one of the club's eight games in November to lead the entire OJHL in scoring during the month, while jumping to sixth overall with his 19 goals and tenth in the league scoring race with 37 points in just 20 games played.  Tonge opened the month with a two goal performance in a 4-3 victory over Newmarket and followed that up with an impressive three goal, six point outing in a 7-6 thrilling win over Lindsay.  Perhaps most impressive, however, was a one goal, four point outing as Kingston downed division rival Cobourg 8-2 on November 24, followed by back-to-back two point performances versus the nationally ranked Georgetown Raiders.  Tonge is committed to join the Robert Morris University Colonials beginning next season.

"It's an honour to be selected Player-of-the-Month," said Tonge when informed he had won the award for a second time.  "I couldn't have done it without my teammates."

"Alex great kid," said Vees General Manager and Head Coach Colin Birkas.  "(I) Hope he makes TCE (Team Canada East) .  He's put in the time and developed well and I know RMU (Robert Morris University) is excited for his arrival.  He's a treat to coach and turned into a leader off-ice for us as well."

Brady Wiffen of the Trenton Golden Hawks was runner-up to Tonge as the North-East Conference Player-of-the-Month.  The forward recorded  9 goals and 18 points in 9 games played during November.

Born on June 24, 1995, Alex Tonge was born and raised in Kingston, Ontario, playing his minor hockey through to his minor midget season in 2010-11 as a member of the Greater Kingston Jr. Frontenacs, coincidentally coached by now Voyageurs bench boss Colin Birkas.

Following the season, Tonge would be selected by his hometown Kingston Frontenacs in the 10th round, 190th overall, of the 2011 OHL Priority Selection, but would join the Kingston Voyageurs as a 16-year old rookie entering 2011-12.

Playing limited minutes during his first two seasons with the Vees, Tonge would record seven and eight points respectively in 2011-12 and 2012-13, but would begin to show his progression the 2012 post-season run.  He would record three goals and four points in twelve games as Kingston marched to overtime of game seven versus Newmarket in the North-East Conference Championship before falling.

Last season, Tonge lived up to a promise of a more dedicated off-season regiment and was rewarded with more ice time, playing on the club’s top line all season with OJHL 1st Team All-Prospect and 1st Team All-Star Brett Seney.  His remarkable offensive jump saw him record 25 more goals (29), 39 more assists (43) and 64 more points (72) than his previous season to lead the club in scoring and finish sixth in the OJHL scoring race to help the Vees capture the OJHL regular season crown.  The effort saw him finish as the runner-up for the OJHL's Most Improved Player Award, while being named the North-East Conference Player-of-the-Month in February.  If even possible, Tonge continued his progression through the post-season, once again leading the team in scoring with 15 goals and 23 points in 15 games played, although faced disappointment when they fell to Aurora in the Conference Final.

Despite missing a few games this season, Tonge continues to be a top scorer and sits second on the club in scoring with 19 goals and 37 points in just 20 regular season games thus far.  He was also named a member of Team OJHL Coffey that competed at the recent 2014 Central Canada Cup All-Star Challenge that was held in Toronto and was invited to the upcoming Team Canada East Selection Camp for the 2014 World Junior 'A' Challenge.