NEWS

The OJHL announced today that Stouffville Spirit netminder Conor McCollum (photo credit - Shawn Muir/OJHL Images) has been named the Gongshow Gear Goaltender-of-the-Month for December after posting a perfect 4-0-0 record with a 1.50 goals against average.  

The 17-year old rookie was perfect last month, helping lead the Spirit to a 5-2-1 record that saw the club work their way into second place in the North Division standings.  Splitting the netminding duties with teammate Aaron Taylor, McCollum defeated division rivals Lindsay (twice) and Pickering, stopping 30+ shots in each of his four victories, including a 32 save, 4-0 shutout, over the North York Rangers on December 14.  The winning streak now sees McCollum with eight victories in his past 10 starts entering 2015.

"It is a great honour receiving the North-East Conference Goalie-of-the-Month," said the rookie Spirit backstop.  "I cannot thank my teammates enough.  Without their great play in front of me, I never would have received this award."

"Conor has been handled carefully by Coach Jeff Perrin as he gains Junior 'A' experience," said Spirit Director of Player Personnel Frank Robinson.  "It proved to work as Conor had such a good December with four wins.  Conor is a graduate of the 2013-14 OMHA champion Ajax-Pickering Raider Midgets."

"Conor continues to get better every day," added Stouffville Head Coach Jeff Perrin.  "His play in December has proved this. Conor is a great teammate and easy to coach.  Always comes to the rink
with a smile on his face.  Conor will only continue to get better because of his work ethic and positive attitude."

Emanuel Vella of the Toronto Patriots was runner-up to McCollum as the Goaltender-of-the-Month.  The 16-year old played five games in December, posting a 4-1-0 record with one shutout, a 1.96 goals against average and a .933 save percentage, including victories over the nationally ranked Aurora Tigers and Georgetown Raiders.

Born on January 17, 1997, Conor McCollum grew-up playing minor hockey in his hometown of Pickering, Ontario, ultimately finishing out his minor hockey career as a member of the local Ajax-Pickering Raiders 'AAA' organization.

Going undrafted after his minor midget season, McCollum returned and was a key component of the powerhouse Raiders Midget squad that would dominate opposition throughout the 2013-14 season.  The Raiders would go undefeated from January 17, winning 24 consecutive games en route to sweeping the Kingston Jr. Frontenacs and capturing the OMHA Midget 'AAA' title.  McCollum would post a 13-2-0 record with an impressive 1.56 goals against average.  Following a perfect 5-0 record during the round-robin portion of the 2014 Central Canadian Midget 'AAA' Telus Cup Championship held in Markham, Ontario, the Raiders would get upset by Ottawa 1-0 in the semi-final to end their dream season.

Although he would not play a game, McCollum would be affiliated during the 2013-14 season by the Spirit and made the jump to the OJHL fulltime this season.  Thus far, he has impressed many, leading up to the December award.  He currently sits with a 9-5-0 record, including two shutouts, a 3.05 goals against average and .911 save percentage, while looking to help lead the Spirit back to post-season competition.