Oh Captain! My Captain!

As published in The Pioneer on Thursday March, 8. 2012

It took a hat trick and a five-point night from the Belleville Bulls captain Luke Judson to get past the Peterborough Petes in a high scoring affair Wednesday night.

The Bulls captain opened the scoring midway through the first period and carried the Bulls on his shoulders to a 6-5 victory over the Peterborough Petes.

The total shots on goal looked more like an overtime game with the Bulls outshooting the Petes 40-37.

As a result, the Petes fell six points back of the Bulls but remain four points behind the Mississauga St. Michaels Majors for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

With the win, the Bulls leapfrogged the Oshawa Generals for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, bringing them that much closer to securing a playoff berth.

Andrew Yogan scored two goals of his own to give the Petes a 2-1 lead in the first. Then with just 20 seconds remaining in the first period, Judson scored his second of the night to tie the game at two goals apiece heading to the intermission.

From then on it was back and forth as the two teams traded goals on two occasions in the second period. The Bulls Joseph Cramarossa scored early in the second while Judson scored his third goal of the night 13 minutes into the frame. The Petes Nick Ritchie answered the bell on both occasions bringing the game to a 4-4 tie heading into the second intermission.

After Lino Martschini made it 5-4 for the Petes three minutes into the third it was Daniil Zharkov and Jordan Mayer who scored for the Bulls to seal the game and get the win for the Bulls.

Following the game, Assistant Coach Jake Grimes said he was happy with the team’s offensive game but knows the defence could be better.

“Our special teams weren’t outstanding and those are things we need to work on. We held on and enough guys kept us afloat until the rest of them came on board.

“One thing we didn’t do well tonight was we didn’t have a real good close gap on a lot of their skilled players. They took full advantage of that at times and did that with odd-man rushes and quick shots,” said Grimes.

Despite putting up five points and having one of the best offensive games of his young career, Judson echoed his coach’s sentiments.

“Obviously the offence was clicking tonight so if we can keep that working and tighten up on our own end, we’ll be doing ourselves well,” said Judson.

That being said, Grimes said he was happy with the offensive output and proud of how the team handled the back and forth play against the Petes.

“It’s up and down whether we’re happy with our scoring or not and whether we’ve scored enough on any given night. It’s nice to get that amount of goals in one night. We’ll take that,” said Grimes.

“It’s nice to be able to stay in a seesaw battle, back and forth with ups and downs and come up with the win,” said Grimes.

The Bulls have a chance to lock up a playoff spot with a win against the Sudbury Wolves on Friday night in Sudbury. Sudbury currently sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, eight points ahead of the sixth place Bulls. The game starts at 7:35 p.m.

Titans Win Tight Championship

BELLEVILLE, Ont. (5/3/12) - Hannah Bunton plants a kiss on the trophy after the St. Theresa Titans topped the Moira Knights in the COSSA championship game in Belleville Ontario Monday March 5. CJ Tipping took a shot that made it's way to the back of the net with just 12.1 seconds left on the clock in the third period finally solving Knights goaltender Bre Bunnett after peppering her with shots throughout the game. Photo by Andre Lodder.

The St. Theresa Titans win the COSSA Championship for the third straight year.

It took 59 minutes and 48 seconds, but the St. Theresa Titans finally solved goaltender Bre Brunnet of the Moira Knights in the Central Ontario Secondary School Athletics girls hockey championship game.

After consistent pressure by the Titans, it was only a matter of time before they would score a goal.

The Titans CJ Tipping scored the goal that broke the scoreless tie with 12.1 seconds left on the clock in the third period.

Even Titans coach Rob Bunton was getting ready for an overtime that was looking to be a sure thing.

“We were actually prepared to go into overtime. I was trying to figure out what we were going to do,” said Bunton.

Although the Titans have been dominant, winning the last three COSSA titles, Bunton knew the team was in tough against a solid Knights team.

“We knew this team had a strong goaltender. We knew it was possibly going to be a low scoring game. We played them in two other low scoring games this year,” said Bunton.

“It was a tight game and I liked the way we kept attacking. We really didn’t back off even though it was scoreless. We didn’t get to defensive, we didn’t panic, I think the girls believed that if we kept on working, eventually a goal would come, and it did.”

Titans goalkeeper, Amelia Waugh said she was happy with the way the team played in front of her and credits the win to hard work.

“I think we probably played our best. We played hard, we never gave up, and scored with only 12 seconds left. It kind of makes you feel good,” said Waugh.

Despite the Knights loss, coach Todd Robertson said he was happy with the way the girls played in the championship game, especially when it came to the play of netminder Bre Bunnett.

“Our kids played their hearts out, every ounce of their skill and ability is out there all the time. Today was probably the best I’ve every seen our goalie play,” said Robertson.

Bunnett saw over 30 shots and kept her team in it until the dying seconds of the game — something Robertson could only describe as “bittersweet”.

“I just told them in there that they are going to be heroes in the hallways because this is as hard as this team — and this is a very strong team, we’ve been to COSSA two years in a row — has ever been pushed locally and I would suggest probably as hard as they’ve been pushed anywhere. We were taken to the limit basically, one unlucky bounce away from going to overtime,” said Robertson.

While the team played well all season long, Robertson wasn’t sure the team actually saw themselves come this close to winning the championships.

“I think the girls have built themselves up as the season went along. They’ve got a lot more confidence. This was their goal but I don’t know that they would’ve seen themselves here,” said Robertson.

With the COSSA championships out of the way, both teams now turn their focus to the OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) championships, which take place in Belleville March 21-24.

Bulls, Focused on Playoffs

Wednesday night’s game against the Peterborough Petes is quite possibly the most important game of the season for the Belleville Bulls.

The implications from Wednesday night’s game are going to be huge for both teams. A Bulls loss means the Petes will pull to within two points of the Bulls and the Mississauga St. Michael Majors who hold the final two spots for the Ontario Hockey Leagues Eastern Conference playoffs.

A Bulls win moves them six points ahead of the Petes and that much closer to the playoffs.

The Bulls are currently tied for seventh place with the Mississauga St. Michael Majors with a total of 63 points. Meanwhile, the Petes are on the outside looking in but sit only four points behind both the Bulls and the Majors.

Bulls Assistant Coach Jake Grimes believes the added pressure in the standings will inspire a strong outing from the Bulls.

“It should pump us up. You have to respect how hard they work. They’re down a couple of key players too, but that should really get us fired up. If anything will, that should,” said Grimes.

The Petes have won four out of the five times the two teams have met so far this season, including the last game which saw the Bulls downed 4-3 in Peterborough.

“We really thought we outplayed them last game in Peterborough, but they were able to get the win. It hurt us, and helped them immensely. We want to get back at them for that reason and also to put some room between us and make sure we get in the playoffs and that’s a big step,” said Grimes.

The team has been working hard with high-paced practices to keep the team in shape and ready for the onslaught of games that is the OHL playoffs. The Bulls have also been trying to fix a power play that has struggled all year and currently ranks third last in the OHL.

According to Grimes, it’s not whether the glass is half empty, but rather half full.

“We can’t look at it as though it’s been a huge problem. I think that we have to look at it that there’s still yet opportunity to be earned and to be gained on it,” said Grimes

With only six games left in the regular season, the Bulls are looking to secure a playoff spot after a rollercoaster season, which included a solid first half, a sub-par January and injuries to top players including their number one goaltender Malcolm Subban.

It’s a season that Grimes hopes will be a stepping stone heading into the playoffs.

“We’ll know we’ve learned in this stretch drive. Has it got us to a point where it hurts our confidence to a level where we just don’t come around and we play average hockey? Or has it been a situation where we’ve learned certain things from it?

“We never want it to happen again and we want to show what we really have, and I think we’re leaning toward the second answer,” said Grimes.

Frontenacs Pre-Game

KINGSTON, Ont. (10/2/12) - Owen Fletcher winner of the Canadian Tire "Win-a-spot-in-the-starting-line-up" contest, looks up at Darcy Greenaway of the Kingston Frontenacs, prior to the game against the Belleville Bulls Friday Feb. 10. Photo by Andre Lodder

De Ja Su

Published in The Pioneer on Feb. 14, 2012

Goaltender Malcolm Subban is back and so are the wins for the Belleville Bulls.

With the return of the top-ranked draft-eligible goaltender in North America, the Bulls have managed to get back in the win column after winning just one game in all of January.

Subban has been nursing a groin injury that he suffered on Dec. 29 and didn’t play a single game in January.

Since his return, Subban has gone 3-1 with a 2.85 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.

Subban made his first start on home ice since Dec. 17 in a 3-1 routing of the Guelph Storm on Saturday Feb. 10.

KINGSTON, Ont. (10/2/12) - Bull's goaltender Malcolm Subban makes a save in a 2-1 overtime thriller against the Kingston Frontenacs Friday Feb. 10. Subban has three wins and one loss since he returned from a groin injury suffered on December 29th. Photo by Andre Lodder

Following the game Subban said how happy he is to be back in the lineup and helping the team get into the playoffs.

“It feels really good to be honest, just being back here and supporting the team,” said Subban. “We’re all clicking right now, and we just need to keep it up for the playoffs.”

The only blemish on Subban’s record since his return came in a 9-0 loss to the Eastern Conference-leading Ottawa 67’s on Sunday night. Subban let in three goals on 10 shots before being replaced in the first period by Charlie Graham.

Assistant coach Jake Grimes said he is confident Subban will get only better the more he plays.

“He’s still going to get a lot better than what you’ve seen in the last couple games. He’s still sort of on his way back to getting sharp,” said Grimes.

The Bulls have rallied behind Subban’s return, going 4-2 in the last six games.

While four wins and two losses isn’t anything to write home about, it’s certainly a step in the right direction for a Bulls team that has struggled in the new year.

“I think we should be winning again. We should expect to. We’ve had some tough times with injuries almost all year,” said Grimes.

“Maybe we won a little more than we should have at the start of the year but that‘s the way it goes. We may have lost a little more than we should have recently, but it should even out. I think we’re on our way up now and we need to be.”

With only 16 games left in the season the Bulls currently sit ninth in the Ontario Hockey League’s Eastern Conference but are only one point out of a playoff spot, and only two points behind the sixth seeded Oshawa Generals.

With the regular season nearing its end, Subban’s return is a big boost for a Bulls team eager to make the playoffs.

“He’s one of the best goalies in the country, one of the best in the world for his age,” said Grimes.

“What can I say? He’s one of the most important guys on the team.”

The Bulls will try to redeem themselves Wednesday evening as they play host to the Ottawa 67’s after losing 9-0 in Ottawa on Sunday. The game starts at 7:05 p.m. at Yardmen Arena in Belleville.

All-Star Game? All-Star Lame.

Published in The Pioneer on Feb. 2, 2012 during my one-week tenure as editor.

What is an NHL All-Star?

In the world of sports, an all-star is someone who exemplifies the attitude and the skill level to perform at the top of his or her sport.

What’s an all-star game?

According to the NHL, it’s getting a bunch of guys who are paid enormous amounts of money to play a non-competitive game of shinny hockey.

Year after year, the all-star games become less and less interesting for fans. It might be because we’re getting older, but it’s probably because the non-competitive game itself is getting old.

The NHL does deserve some credit. They’ve been trying to improve the game for years. Most changes have been unsuccessful minor tweaks, but it’s the major changes that have hit the nail on the head.

For instance, back in 1990 they introduced the SuperSkills Competition. Today, the competition proves to be far more fascinating than the game it precedes. 

More recently, the NHL has changed the format on how the two teams are formed. Teams are no longer formed by the conference they represent, but rather chosen by a fantasy draft involving two captains, much like a game of shinny hockey on the pond.

The only downfall to the draft is that for a lot of fans, waiting to see who was picked last has probably become the most nail-biting part of the entire weekend.

It’s no secret something needs to change. It’s no wonder the Winter Classic, a regular-season game played outdoors, has surpassed the all-star game in popularity and it’s only been around for five years.

In fact, according to an ESPN article, ticket sales for the recent all-star game are about 50 percent cheaper than tickets to the Winter Classic, which was held on Jan. 2.

There have been a few suggestions surrounding the all-star game. Don Cherry gave his two cents during Coach’s Corner on CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada, suggesting the game be played outdoors and teams be chosen by the classic “stick toss.”

It’s true, combining the two events could prove interesting, but it won’t change the tempo of the game, and it won’t be long before the novelty runs out.

The bottom line is that the NHL needs to make the game more competitive. Sure, it’s nice to watch a player deke his way through a defenceman who’s not really trying and score a highlight-reel goal on a goalie who’s not really trying. But fans want to see competition.

The NHL should take a page from Major League Baseball. The MLB All-Star Game pits the American League against the National League with the winner getting home field advantage for the World Series.

The format gives players something to play for and makes the game competitive, which is exactly what fans want to see.

If these players are considered all-stars, then the league should let them play the game like all-stars. There’s enough shinny hockey being played at any local arena.

From East To East

Published in The Pioneer Jan. 19, 2011

Ever heard of the East Coast bias? Sport leagues and media outlets are often accused of it, and often that’s because it exists.

It’s no secret, really. The concept involves organizations such as the National Hockey League and its media outlets having biased viewpoints in favour of eastern teams.

In a world where the dollar reigns supreme, the bias is almost justifiable.

There are a few variables that lead to this inequality, one of them being that the NHL is simply trying to make as much money as possible.

From the NHL’s standpoint, directing most of the attention to the eastern teams makes sense. More teams mean more fans, and more fans means more money.

Only eight of the 30 teams in the NHL lie in the west. With Winnipeg and Dallas being right in the middle, that leaves 20 teams in the east.

What the league’s commissioner, Gary Bettman, seemingly fails to recognize is that the western teams, specifically Canadian teams — the Oilers, Flames and Canucks — are like lotto tickets that always have the right numbers, a cash guarantee.

Bettman isn’t the only one who’s guilty of the bias — some western fans are also upset with how their teams have been represented in the media.

Media outlets such as NHL.com, the league’s official website, direct most of their attention towards eastern teams for the same reasons the NHL does — the fans.

For example, if it were up to the NHL.com analysts, the All-Star Game would be heavy with eastern players. One day prior to the actual selection for the All-Star Game, the analysts released their version of the roster and 61 per cent of it consisted of players representing eastern teams, including nine of their 12 selected defencemen.

It doesn’t stop with giving eastern teams more attention. Catering to the fans is understandable, but questions have been raised as to whether the NHL is swinging games to make them more entertaining.

John Tortorella, the coach of the New York Rangers was recently fined for accusations made toward the NHL and its referee’s for trying to extend the Winter Classic into overtime for entertainment purposes.

Tortorella later apologized and retracted those accusations but was still given a fine worth $30,000.

Despite what Bettman seems to think, the NHL’s focus should be on building the presence and appreciation for hockey in North America, not sacrificing the integrity of the NHL to make a good buck.

With the integrity of a national sports league in question, it might be time for the NHL to step back and evaluate its priorities.

Changing of the Guard

Published in The Pioneer Jan. 19, 2011.

With Malcom Subban still out with a groin injury and John Chartrand not at 100%, the Bulls have looked to goalie Charlie Graham to carry the load.

After being selected in the 7^th round, 125^th overall in the OHL priority draft, Graham was called up after posting a record of 9-4-0-1 with a 2.35 GAA and .923 save percentage with the Wellington Dukes.

BELLEVILLE, Ont. (14/1/12) - 16-year-old Charlie Graham makes a save against the Sudbury Wolves on Saturday January 15th 2012. Graham came into the game to relieve John Chartrand after he allowed 3 goals on 15 shots. The Bulls lost the game 5-3 and remain winless at home for the new year. Photo by Andre Lodder.

The 16-year old got his first OHL win on January 12 against Brampton, but has now gone 1-4-1-0 with a 3.48 GAA and .887 save percentage in five games with the Bulls.

Graham remains optimistic despite not putting up impressive numbers with the Bulls.

“I’m just looking to come to the rink every day, work as much as I can, and get in as many games as I can. I’m still the youngest goalie here so I still have a lot to prove, but just learning stuff with the goalie coach and improving my game is the biggest thing,” said Graham.

Although the goal was to make the Bulls all along, not many would have predicted Graham to take such a substantial role so soon.

“It was my goal to be on this team, but you can’t predict everything. With Malcolm going down recently it gave me the opportunity and that was unexpected. I was preparing to be up here but you never know what’s going to happen.”

The unexpected continues, as Graham has recently taken over the starting after it was reported on the Bulls website that Chartrand is also out with injury.

As a result the Bulls have called up another 16-year-old, Braydon Banitsiotis from the Hamilton Bulldog Midgets.

However, Banitsiotis might not be with the big club for long as it’s been reported that Subban could possibly make a return as soon as the weekend.

Subban’s return would be welcome. Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Mississauga St. Michaels Majors, was the Bulls eighth loss in the nine games since Subban went down.

Long-time Bulls fan John Wilson, also known as the man with the cymbals, hopes Malcolm can return soon but is excited to see Graham in goal.

“Subban’s our main goalie and we hope he gets back soon, but having a guy like Charlie in goal is a plus. If he keeps playing the way he is, I expect we’ll see a lot more of him, and I hope we do,” said Wilson.

With Subban possibly making his return soon, Graham is taking every opportunity to prove he can be the team’s number one goaltender in the future.