Good day OHL fans! It's time for more hockey
snippets to chew on. (As always, stats quoted are as of
Northern Life's Thursday morning press deadline).
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Jesse Messier (right), seen here
with Ryan McDonough, suffered a spinal cord injury
during an exhibition game in September. |
Today, I start with bad news as Sudbury
Wolves' rookie Jesse Messier is now officially done for the
season and has gone home to Keswick to heal his wounds.
Messier, 16, suffered a spinal cord injury
during an exhibition game against the Soo back in September
after being checked and going head first into the boards.
The entire Wolves organization is hoping
Messier can return to hockey down the road.
"At this point, he's not ready to return, and
we felt it would be best for him to go home and get back to a
normal life," said Wolves head coach and GM Mike Foligno. "He's
been a great teammate. He worked hard everyday to get better.
We're hoping for the best, and leaving a window open for him if
there's an opportunity for him to play in the future. It's one
of those sad stories in hockey you don't want to address. Jesse
will always have the support of our organization. It's
unfortunate our fans never got to see him play because he's
talented, skilled and hard working."
Let's hope Jesse will make a full recovery
and light it up for the Wolves in the future.
Speaking of Wolves departing the club, Nick
Foligno will miss three games when he plays for Team USA at the
Five Nations Cup Under-18 Tournament in Sweden this
weekend.
Don't look now, but Toronto is shooting up
the Eastern Conference standings. One of the league's doormats
for most of the season, the Majors seemed to have turned things
around, sporting an 8-2 record in their last 10 games. Toronto
is now only a few points out of a playoff spot.
A main reason for the recent surge has been
the play of back-up goalie Wayne Savage, who has won the last
four games for the Majors. In those games, Savage has a 2.24
goals-against-average and a jaw-dropping .943 save
percentage.
Kitchener defenceman Andre Benoit is getting
serious about posting big offensive numbers. Benoit had a
terrific January, in which he recorded five goals and 17 points
in 12 games. This outburst has propelled him to first in
scoring for OHL defenceman with 19 goals and 57 points in 48
games.
London's Danny Syvret is second with 15 goals
and 47 points in 45 games.
Owen Sound rookie Theo Peckham is looking to
establish himself as a future heavyweight champ. Peckham has 18
fighting majors so far this season, and has done quite well for
himself when the fists are flying.
The 6'2", 215-pound Peckham has 134 penalty
minutes in 43 games.
The Brampton Battalion has been the top dog
in the Eastern Conference for almost the entire season.
Brampton has already surpassed last season's total of 61
points. (They have 62 so far.) With 15 games to go, the
Battalion could lay claim to their second Central Division
title with their solid play.
Effort and consistency have been the major
factors in the Battalion's rise.
"Our goaltending has been more consistent
this season, and that's the biggest reason for the rise," said
Battalion head coach Stan Butler. "Our young guys have come in
and contributed right off the bat, which didn't happen last
season. Michael Vernace, Luke Lynes, J.F. Houle and Luch Aquino
have all made good contributions so far, but there's still a
lot of work ahead of us."
Your weekly dose of OHL action is doubled up
again. Tonight, the Wolves host the Barrie Colts. Game time is
7:30 pm.
The two clubs have split the season series so
far, with each winning two games, while tying the other
contest.
Rafal Martynowski (one goal, four assists)
and Ben Pouliot (three goals, two assists) each have five
points against the Colts so far this season.
The Wolves then host Oshawa on Saturday for
the first regular season home game on a Saturday in the club's
history. Game time is 7 pm.
Sudbury has the advantage in the season
series with two wins and one loss.
Martynowski (three goals, one assist),
Pouliot (two goals, two assists) and Marc Staal (four assists)
each have four points against the Generals in the three
previous games.
The Wolves then hit the road for a game
against Toronto on Sunday.
