NEWS

Jack Richard of the Burlington Cougars receives one of his  two OJHL Warrior North-West Conference Player of the Month Award from Chris Vanstone (right) of the Ontario Junior Hockey League and Cougars Head Coach/General Manager Mark Jooris at Central Arena in Burlington Tuesday. Richard scored his 50th goal of the season last night – a game winner in overtime. (Photo by Charles Harrison / OJHL Images)

BY RON VALENTINE

We are into the last two weeks of the regular season in the Ontario Junior Hockey League and there is still lots to be decided. 

The only things known for sure: the Toronto Junior Canadiens will finish first in the South-East Conference and St. MIchael's will finish in seventh position in that conference.

HOT TEAMS

Three games, three wins for the TRENTON GOLDEN HAWKS all on the road, outscoring the opposition 18-4. Four regular season games remain for the club. Forward ADAM O'MARRA noted: "The two games next week, against Cobourg and Wellington, are going to be huge for us but we are feeling confident in ourselves and we are going to continue our momentum to get those four points."

Ditto for three other teams – the GEORGETOWN RAIDERS, ST. MICHAEL'S BUZZERS and BURLINGTON COUGARS – all taking the maximum six points last week. 

The Raiders kept their offensive firepower in overdrive by scoring 21 goals while the Buzzers officially clinched a playoff position in the South-East. Both teams won twice in front of their own fans. The Cougars extended their run of victories to six in their 3-2 OT win in Lindsay last night and moved two points ahead of the third-place Raiders in the North-West with Georgetown having three games in hand.

Two wins in two outings this week for the WELLINGTON DUKES who moved into second place in the South-East conference, one point ahead of Haliburton. Both clubs have four games remaining.

The TORONTO JUNIOR CANADIENS marched on, posting their OJHL-leading 41st and 42nd wins of the season.  

HOT PLAYERS 

TYLER FUKAKUSA's second goal of the game in Caledon Thursday night was the Junior Canadiens' captain's 100th point of the season. Tyler reached the milestone at the 17:10 mark of the third period. "It was nice getting my 100th point on what was our last shift of the game and it was a classic set up from Matthew (Wilde) and Owen (Saye). I got the puck in the slot and I was able to put it in. I was glad I was able to do it in Caledon as I had a lot of friends and family in the crowd. Our chemistry has been great all season and we all bring something different to the line. Owen is a physical presence, a hard worker, a great passer, too. I played on a line last season with Matthew and he has one of the best shots in the league. Our coach, Vince (Bellissimo), rolled the lines against the Admirals but I guess the guys we're looking for me a little more than usual! Now we have four of our last five games at home and we are looking forward to taking that one more step than we were able to last season when the Panthers beat us in Game 7 of the Buckland Cup."

A big week for several Raiders points wise. BRANDON KAKEI led the way with eight; RHYS CHIDDENTON recorded seven to bring his consecutive point scoring streak to 18 games; four players posted six points – blueliner ISA PAREKH, TEDY PUCCINI (including four goals), NATHAN NAVES and ANDREW DELLA ROVERE.

BEN LALKIN had three goals Friday night for the Markham Royals against Oakville. That's 11 points in his last four games. Ben played in the 2021-22 season for the OHL's Sarnia Sting.  COLE COOKSEY, a day before his 18th birthday, had two goals and five points and 11 in his last four. He is scheduled to attend NCAA Division I Merrimack College in 2025. In the same contest, McKAY HAYES extended his point streak to 18 games (40 points) and passed the 70-point mark. McKay would extend that run to 19 on Sunday afternoon in Markham and has now posted multiple-point games in nine of his last 10 appearances.

A large week for the Golden Hawks' MATTHEW CATO with three goals and seven points. Matthew is booked for NCAA DI Vermont for next season.

A six-point week for the Buzzers' JONATHAN MORELLO who ran his point streak to 11 games. The 16-year-old forward is set to attend DI Clarkson in the fall of 2025.

Burlington's JACK RICHARD hit the 50-goal mark scoring the extra time winner with just 12 seconds elapsed on the clock in Lindsay Sunday evening. The last player to reach that mark for the Cougars was Greg Carey in the 2009-10 season. It was a happy bus ride home for Jack and his teammates. "It was great to get that goal. (Jamie) Langill and I had a two-on-one and he fed a perfect pass to me. A wonderful feeling and a great team effort." To find another Burlington 50-goal scorer you have to go back to the 1981-82 season when the club was in the Central Ontario Junior B loop and Marty Prowse reached the mark. The leading point scorer in the league that year was none other than Marty's teammate, Mark Jooris, the same one who is now head coach and general manager of the 2022-23 edition of the Cougars!

RANDOM JOTTINGS

GAVIN SHEEHAN scored his first OJHL goal Tuesday night in the Burlington Cougars 4-3 win against Aurora. The 17-year-old forward from Waterdown, called up from the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs, also played this season for the GOJHL's Jr. B Caledonia Corvairs. The winner, with 24 seconds left, was scored by NIKOLA MURGIC, the rookie blueliner's second of the season. Coach Kirby Tokarski, who keeps close tabs on his 'D' squad noted: "Murgic has been a great addition for us this year. He has been patiently waiting his turn with so many strong defencemen on our team. He's getting better every day and we expect big things from him next season. His goal was a big one for us. All of our eight blueliners can step up when needed."

The Cobourg Cougars 'Pink in the Rink' night on Monday raised more than $4,300 for the Breast Cancer Society of Canada.

CHRISTIAN LYNCH came into the game Wednesday night in Georgetown with just over 12 minutes gone and posted the win over Pickering in his first OJHL game. Teddy Puccini's second goal of the contest was the late game winner just after teammate JONATHAN MEAD  had missed on a penalty shot. On Saturday night in Georgetown, Raider Rhys Chiddenton scored on a penalty shot, the seventh player to do so this season.

On Sunday in Wellington, the Dukes wore orange jerseys in support of the' 'Every Child Matters' residential school survivors movement. More than 750 fans attended the game.

ALEXANDER DIMITRIADIS, 14 points in 10 games since joining Pickering from North York, on the Panthers' fight for fourth in the North-West: "These last six games are going to be very important for us. I feel like a lot of people overlook the importance of home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs but it really does make a difference." Fellow forward NICOLAS ATHANASAKOS, 38 points, including 17 goals, looks ahead: "We seem to have a pretty big rivalry with Milton and each game this season against them has felt like the playoffs. We have really come together as a team as the season has progressed and I'm confident in our ability going into the postseason. We know a bunch of people have been ruling us out by saying we won't do well in the playoffs but we have a lot of fuel to prove them wrong."

The Raiders and Royals tied a single-game high of 16 goals in their Sunday afternoon encounter in Markham with the visitors ending on the right side of the 10-6 score. Coming close a little later, the Dukes edged Caledon 8-7 in double overtime on a goal by captain JACOB VREUGDENHIL, his third of the contest. Seven consecutive home victories now for Wellington.

Though the odds are not in their favour as they look to reach the playoffs, the Oakville Blades' rookie forward JACK CHURCHILL says his team has not given up. "It's not over yet and we are all pumped up to play at home on Family Day. We will have a big crowd behind us." The Blades are home to Burlington this afternoon. Stouffville, the team they are chasing for eighth spot, hosts Pickering.

Scoring his first OJHL goal on Sunday afternoon was Mississauga Chargers' RIAN MEISNER. The Oakville-born forward played last season for the GOJHL's Thorold Blackhawks.

JAMES NORTON came within 35 seconds of his seventh shutout of the season. The Junior Canadiens’ goalkeeper was beaten by the owner of the OJHL's hardest shot, Toronto Patriots' blueliner LUCA FASCIANO.

WHAT'S UP THIS WEEK

The penultimate week of the regular OJHL season. Five Family Day contests, including a local derby at Sixteen Mile with Oakville hosting Burlington. Looking to cement their playoff spot Stouffville have home games, Monday against Pickering, Thursday hosting Milton and then they travel to Markham on Friday. 

Still looking to take part in the postseason, Lindsay are in Haliburton on Monday, have Wellington at home on Friday and are in Georgetown Saturday. North York, also looking for some playoff action, are at St. Mike's on Friday and hosts the Raiders on Sunday. 

The race for home ice advantage continues in the North-West the Panthers and the Menace have three games each scheduled. 

Fourth, and home ice advantage, is up for grabs in the South-East, Trenton has two home games, Cobourg two on the road and the Patriots four, two at home.

Follow Ron Valentine on Twitter @ronandlynda