Russell Minor Hockey Association: News

After a few weeks away from games due to rescheduling for other teams tournaments, the Pronto sponsored Pee Wee A Warriors headed off to the Bell Senplex for the West End Hockey League tournament on Dec 4, 5 & 6.

After a tight 3 – 2 win over one of the host WEHL teams the Pee Wee A’s went to work, fashioning a 6 – 2 win over the Pierrefonds Marquis and a 2 – 0 win over the Lasalle Cougars.  This won the group for the Warriors and also had them ranked #1 for the tournament after the round robin games.  The #1 ranking got the Warriors a free pass right to the semi-finals where the encountered a very tough Nepean Thrashers.

The Thrashers would not go without a fight.  A fast paced, back and forth game resulted in a 0 – 0 finish in regulation time.  Two periods of sudden death overtime could not solve the stalemate so it was off to a shoot-out.  Russell took the option to shoot first and Liam Tuck made no mistake sliding the puck past the Thrasher’s goalie.  Cullen Gillis then took over and stopped the Nepean shooter.  Next up for Russell was Luke James who also slid the puck into the Nepean net and that was all it took.  None of the Thrasher’s shooters could solve the Cullenator and Russell went to the final with the shoot-out win.

The final saw the Warriors facing the defending champion Ottawa East team (they won last year’s tournament as St. Laurent – this year they combined with Sandy Hill to make the new Ottawa East Hockey Association).  Ottawa East had yet to lose as well and they came out flying.  The Warriors held them off, and behind the strong play of Cullen Gillis and the defence, and a single goal by Luke James, the Warriors took home the silverware with a 1 – 0 win.

The coaching staff and parents are all proud of the team work and effort put forth by the players in this tournament.  It certainly gives the team a renewed optimistic view of our upcoming league games.  GO WARRIORS GO!!

The Breakfast Club

We are trying something different!!!  The RMHA, under the leadership of Shannon Donovan, ODHA Coach, Facilitator and Trainer - is going to offer training and skills sessions at the rink starting November 25, 2009.  The Breakfast Club is open to RMHA players 6-10 years old.  We will offer ice time from 6:30-7:20 AM - and then a continental self serve breakfast - and the players will be at school for the 8:00 school bell!! 

The on ice skills, led by Shannon Donovan, will also be supported by RMHA coaches, namely Ian Sturgeon, Novice Coach.  We are registering up to a maximum of 40 players - and because this is just a pilot initiative - we are being flexible with all aspects of this program.

The cost is only $20.00 for all 4 sessions (Nov. 25, Dec 2, 9, 16) - We also have the ice booked for Dec. 23 for a hot pancake breakfast and a later 7:00am start as the players are not in school that week. 

We are currently taking registrations, so if you think your son/daughter will be interested - we invite you to register now!  We will personally send an invite and flyer to all Initiation, Novice and Atom players, and post flyers at the arena. 

We are also making arrangements with Arena staff to "hold" hockey bags and equipment in the event the kids are walking right to school after breakfast  - parents can pick up equipment at the end of the day. 

The Breakfast Club is a very success program out west and in Montreal and we hope to offer a great program here in Russell!!!!!
 
Please contact Shannon Donovan (496-0002) or Ian Sturgeon (445-6493) if you have any questions or if you can help on ice - shannon.donovan@hotmail.com and Elizabeth Ferguson to register -  613-445-0248.

MIDGET LEVEL 
Thu Oct 1                       7:00pm – 9:00pm

Note:  Please ensure that you show up 35 minutes before your scheduled ice time each evening. Mouth guards are mandatory and trainers will be checking to ensure that all players have mouth guards. Any unsportsmanlike behaviour will result in the player forfeiting the balance of their conditioning camp. A refund will not be offered. The on-ice Head Coach has sole discretion for disciplinary matters.

For more information please contact Carole Black, Conditioning Camp Coordinator at chris_carole.black@sympatico.ca or call 613-445-1078

Mel Sapp
Director, Marketing & PR
ODHA
(613-592-4001)
sappfamily@rogers.com

The Russell IDA Warriors juvenile team opened their round robin playoff series on Sunday, March22nd at the Ray Friel Centre against Cumberland 4. After a scoreless first period in which the Warriors outshot the home team 6-1, Chris Winter put the visitors on the board.  Tom Gouin carried the puck down centre ice and over the Cumberland blue line. Just after entering the zone, Gouin passed off to Winter who took the puck to the net and slid a backhander through the 5-hole with just 10 seconds left in the period. It was the Warriors' first shot on goal in the period after Paul Johnson in the Warriors' net stopped all 11 directed his way. Cumberland scored on the power play at 11:08 of the third period to tie the game and the battle continued. The home team was assessed a penalty at 5:31 giving the visitors a power play opportunity. With play in the Cumberand end,  Shane O'Byrne passed the puck from the left side to Gouin in the right circle. Gouin's wrist shot was partially stopped by the goaltender but the puck has enough momentum to cross the goal line for a 2-1 Russell lead at 4:46. The Cumberland team was presented with the chance they needed when the Warriors picked up two minor penalties that overlapped. Presented with a 5 on 3 advantage of almost a minute, the home team was unable to take advantage. Play continued and although Cumberland pulled their goalie in favour of an extra skater, the Warriors hung on to earn the 2 points for the victory. Johnson turned in a solid performance in the Warriors' net as his team was outshot 17-9 in the contest. 

Future Faceoffs:  
Tuesday, March 24th vs Cumberland 3 at 6:30 PM in Russell.                               
Thursday, March 26th vs Cumberland 1 at 7 PM in Russell.
 

 The Ottawa Senators Alumni came to Russell on Sunday, February 22nd as part of a fundraising event for the Justin McKenna Rehabilitation Fund. The proposed format would have members of the Alumni play a 20 minute stop time game against each of the two Russell juvenile teams. The opening ceremonies saw Justin escorted onto the ice by the captains of both teams, Joel Paquette from the Russell House sponsored B1 team and Charles Robert from the Russell IDA Pharmacy B2 team. After the singing of the national anthem, Justin conducted the opening face-off and shook hands with the Alumni players. First up was the B1 team. The two teams remained scoreless until the Alumni's Mike Foley scored at the 14 minute mark. Sean Rivers and Rolly Hedges drew the assists. At 10:42 the Warriors tied it up on Joel Paquette's goal, assisted by Blaze Buckley. The visitors jumped back into the lead with two quick goals when Moe Robinson and Ted Bulley scored goals 8 seconds apart at 10:29 and 10:21. Shaun Van Allen and Hedges assisted on both markers. Paquette then pulled the home team within a goal at 9:02 when he scored after being set up by Emily Staal and Ryan Williams. Doug Smith restored the Alumni's two goal lead when he scored ar 3:31 with assists going to Robinson and goalie Gerry Armstrong. The Warriors came back again on Joel Paquette's third goal of the contest, again being assisted by Staal and Williams. The Alumni then turned up the heat scoring three unanswered goals at 2:06, 1:54 and 1:08. Those finding the back of the net were, John Barrett from Brad Marsh, Kevin Kemp and Bulley on assists from Van Allen and Robinson. The Alumni headed for the dressing room with a 7-3 victory in their pocket and a 25 minute break while the ice was resurfaced. Russell's Timbit players then came out to play a game with a few of the Senators Alumni players mixed in.

The second game, with the IDA Warriors taking on the Alumni began on an upbeat tempo and the visitors were heard to comment that they were going to have to turn up their game a notch or two. Rivers opened the scoring with a blistering slapshot from the bottom of the right circle at 16:19 with Foley getting the assist. At 10:53, Smith who was left alone in the high slot, blasted one by Paul Johnson inside the left post after taking a cross ice pass from Robinson. Shortly after, Johnson made an outstanding save when one of the Alumni players skated in and fired a wrist shot toward the upper right corner of the net. What looked like a sure goal turned into daylight robbery when Johnson's glove came from nowhere to snag the puck out of the air. The IDA Warriors kept up the pressure and it paid off when Chris Winter's tenacious work along the boards behind the net paid off. Winter beat his coverage and worked his way to the right side of the net before beating the Alumni goalie with a hard wrist shot with 3:55 left in the game. Olivier Sabourin was given the assist on the play. The home team continued to press and almost tied it up but w lost out to the buzzer. The Warriors, although having lost the game 2-1, did manage to outshot their opponents 15-14 and put on a very entertaining contest for the sold out crowd.

The two teams would like to thank the fans who came out to support of this event and Ottawa Senators Alumni members for two entertaining and memorable games.

They came, they played, they entertained. Members of the Ottawa Senators Alumni paid a visit to Russell on Sunday, February 22nd to play both Russell Juvenile teams (sponsored by Russell House and Russell IDA). The event held at the Dr. Frank Kinnard Arena drew a sell out crowd, showing once again, what a caring community we live in. Local and area supporters helped to raise $5,500 for the Justin McKenna Rehabilitation Fund. Justin, a local minor hockey player, was critically injured in an accident in June 2007 and faces a long and extensive rehabilitation period. Businesses from Russell, Embrun and Ottawa donated supplies, prizes and cash to the event which was organized by a committee spearheaded by Cindy and Gilles Paquette. Russell Minor Hockey President, Mike Ennis, one of the individuals who originally proposed the idea for the event, was on hand to thank the crowd, the organizers and the participants for coming out to support such a worthy cause.

The committee would like to thank and acknowledge the support of the sponsors who helped to make this such a success. Angles Hair Salon, CGI, Cochrane's Dairy, Direct Energy Business Services, Embrun Giant Tiger, Embrun Independent Grocers, Embrun Tim Horton's, Frecon Construction, On-Your-Marks Printing, Ottawa Senators Alumni, Replay Sports, Russell Foodland, Russell IDA Pharmacy, Russell Legion Ladies Auxiliary, Russell Scotiabank, Graydex Construction and Independent Candy Distributors.

As with any big event, there are many groups and individuals to thank for its success. A big "Thank You" goes out to all of the Juvenile B1 and B2 families who helped by making spaghetti sauce and baking some treats ­ the amount of contributions was overwhelming and dinner was excellent.  Thank you to the RMHA families that supported the event.  Thank you to the volunteers who created the tickets and posters, worked the door, sold tickets, took photos, officiated, ran the clock, served the meals, and MC¹d the events.  Special thanks to Amanda Lapensee for singing the national anthem at opening ceremonies; to David Laramee for the great sound equipment and to Russell¹s Timbits who showed the crowd their stuff at intermission.

Winners of major prize draws:

Senators Tickets (Frecon) - Dominic from Replay Sports
Team Canada  Jersey - Kathleen Mitchell from Raffle,
Senators Signed Jersey - Karen White (donated to Justin McKenna)
Senators Tickets for Feb. 26th (donated by Direct Energy) - Justin Paquette
Senators Tickets for Feb 24th  (donated by Graydex Construction) - Vivian Carter
Gumball Machine - Ryan Williams (donated to Justin McKenna)

As the head of the organizing committe, Cindy expressed the following feelings, shared by all. "As part of an organizing team that put together yesterday¹s Alumni game, you realize why we love to live in Russell ­ it is because Russell families are very generous and they always come through for events such as these.  We had sold over 270 tickets for the event and, with the players, there were approx. 335 people who attended. The Alumni team thanked Gilles and I for the event.  They said that they thoroughly enjoyed the day; felt very welcomed by the Russell families and would respond favourably to another invitation to come back next year. "

Here’s how we did:
Door/ticket sales = $2,890
Raffles/Draws = $1,267
50/50 Draw= $421
Donation = $922
Total= $5,500

The Russell IDA Warriors Juvenile B2 team (4-1-2) travelled to the Potvin arena to play Orleans 2 (2-4-1). The Warriors came out quickly and forechecked the Orleans constantly. Despite outshooting the home team 10-4, the first period ended in a 1-1 draw. Anthony Parravano opened the scoring at 5:59 when he tipped in Mackenzie McDonald's shot. Defenceman, Olivier Sabourin also was awarded an assist on the play. Just over 30 seconds later, at 5:22, Orleans tied it up. The visitors jumped back into the lead in the second period when Dylan Bradley scored at 5:09. Dave Oldford began the play with a pass to Justin Chartrand. Chartrand took the puck in behind the Orleans net and as he came out from the left side, he fed a perfect pass to Bradley in the slot. Bradley's one-timer beat the goaltender cleanly. In the third, Orleans scored two power play goals. The first at 10:43 and the second at 7:40 to take a 3-2 lead. With curfew about to come into play and with Russell about to pull their goalie, McDonald scored from a goal mouth scramble to tie the contest 3-3 with the 6:39 showing on the game clock. The game was then called at the 6:21 mark due to the curfew rule. It should be noted that at the start, roughly 2 minutes of the game was played without the clock working and that time was not accounted for when the clock did start. The Warriors tested the Orleans goalie 22 times while Paul Johnson faced 14 shots with many of those coming in the second period when he helped the Warriors preserve their 1 goal margin.

On Sunday, November 23rd, the Warriors were hosts to the Cumberland 2 team. The home team jumped out in front at 7:52 when Chartrand pounced on a rebound of a Tom Gouin shot on goal and fired it into the net. Chris Winter also picked up an assist on the goal. At 7:08, Ben Butler made it 2-0 on a power play goal when he redirected Xavier Plaus' slapshot from the right point between the goalie's pads. Less than a minute later, defenceman Charles Robert rushed the puck from his own end, down the left boards and into the Cumberland zone. As he reached the top of the circle, he fired a slap shot that the goalie was unable to handle and the puck dropped into the net. Butler picked up the only assist on the play. In the second period and with Cumberland on the power play, the puck was shot into the Cumberland end. The goalie came out to play it and ended up passing it onto the stick for a forechecking Bradley who then quickly put it into the back of the net at 9:39. The Warriors kept up the pressure and at 8:42 Parravano scored a power play goal with a slap shot from the top of the left circle. The play was started when Robert made a pass out from his own end to McDoanld who in turn fed the puck to Parravano. At 4:46 of the period, Butler, who had just been stopped on two previous breaks, finally scored when he picked up a loose puck in the Cumberland slot and beat the goalie with a wrist shot. The visitors finally put one behind Warriors' goalie Kyle Fernie with 58 seconds remaining in the period to trail 6-1 going into the third period. At 11:16 of the period a scuffle broke out between two players but the linesman jumped in before it turned into a full fledge fight. With 3 players from each team standing around watching the scuffle instead of going to their respective player's benches, they were all assessed Misconduct penalties. The Cumberland team did not have enough players left on the bench to continue and the game was called. The win brought the Warriors' point total to 13, enough to keep them near the top of the division.

The Atom C Warriors have just come off another successful game with a hard fought victory over the Gloucester Cougars, but that is getting ahead of things. Let’s go back to early October when Coach Parsons was practicing his young crew in preparation for their first games. The team is a mix of “veterans” and first time players, and the coaching staff has been busy working the teams skating skills. With several practices under their belt, the team was looking forward to their first game against Cumberland #2 and a chance to show the coaches what they could do. The team showed they had done their homework, and the home crowd in Russell witnessed a 6-1 season opening win, with Samuel Scott, Ian Campbell, Ray Meadus and Cameron Daley sharing the scoring. The visitors were held to the single goal courtesy of a stingy performance in goal by Scott Benson. The team’s next game was again played at home as the Warriors hosted Cumberland #3. The Warriors were slower starting then their first game, but began to turn the flow their way, grabbing the first goal and never looking back enroute to a 3-0 win. Ray Meadus, Cameron Daley and Cameron Potter all found the back of the net, and goalie Benson recorded his first shutout! From the viewpoint in the stands the parents were beginning to see that Coach Bruce might have the team on a roll. Any doubt that the Atom C crew will be a force to be reckoned with this season was erased the next game when the team took to the road to meet the Leitrim Hawks. In similar fashion to the second game the team took some time to find their legs before Samuel Scott netted the first goal in the second period. It’s uncertain what Coach Bruce could have spoken of to his team after the second period, but what are certain were the results when they popped off four unanswered 3rd period goals on the way to a 5-0 win! “Stingy” Benson was at it again, recording his second shutout in as many games. 

So now we return to where the story began, with the Warriors game # 4 against Gloucester. The Cougars were at home, and their fans had their noise makers out in force. After a few shifts it was clear this game would not be a push over as the Cougars battled the Warriors to a scoreless first period. Early in the second frame a long shot eluded the Gloucester goalie to put the Warriors ahead. The teams exchanged goals with the Cougars marker drawing them again within a goal. The game might have been tighter still however goalie Benson came up big whenever tested, and the Warrior offence chipped in a 3rd period goal to seal a well deserved 3-1 win, with Cameron Daley, Wesley Moss and Cameron Potter all finding the twine.The team is really beginning to gel under the coaching staff, and the dressing room has a happy, low key atmosphere.  One more road game and then the Warriors will see their first tournament action at home when the RMHA hosts the annual Novice and Atom tournament. The team is looking forward to their first tournament, so if you have time to spare the weekend of November29-30th drop by the rink and cheer on the home teams!

On Wednesday, November 5th, the Russell IDA Warriors Juvenile B2 team (1-1-2) travelled to Leitrim's Barrett West Arena to play the host Metcalfe Jets (2-1-0). The Jets took an early lead at 9:22 on a power play goal after the Warriors were assessed an interference penalty 10 seconds into the game. The visitors tied it up at 8:33 when Chris Winter deflected Xavier Plaus' shot from the right point, into the net. The Jets jumped back out in front at 5:45 on their second power play goal. The Warriors again wasted little time in tying the score when Mackenzie McDonald put a loose puck into the net after Charles Robert did all the work in carrying the puck into the zone and getting a shot on net to set up the power play goal. Tied at 2 starting the second period, the Warriors took the lead at 8:56 on another power play goal when Anthony Parravano tipped Plaus' point shot between the goalie's pads. With 1:24 left in the period, the visitors went ahead 4-2. The Warriors were killing off a penalty and had the puck in their end when Shane O'Byrne spotted Parravano coming out of the penalty box and fed him a perfect pass. Parravano deked the goaltender and slid the puck into the lower left corner of the net. Ben Butler also drew an assist on the play. In the third, O'Byrne scored at 8:31on a deke after Tom Gouin slid the puck to him on a back hand pass at the Jets' blue line. The Warriors scored again at 7:57 on a picture perfect tic-tac-toe play in the Jets' end. McDonald carried the puck into the zone on the left side, passed it off to Parravano in the center, who in turn who passed it to Butler who was  just off the right side of the crease and one timed the puck into the net. The entire play took less than 5 seconds once the puck entered the zone. The final goal of the game came at 4:31when Olivier Sabourin shot from the point was deflected by Parravano past the Jets' goaltender. The visitors skated off with a 7-2 victory, outshooting their opponents 26-11 in the process. Kyle Fernie recorded the win in nets for the Warriors."The victory by the team allowed me to record my 650th win since coming over from the Metcalfe organization in 1984 to coach in the RMHA. With any luck, I'll reach my 1400th game coached for Russell before season's end."               

On Sunday, the Warriors were hosts to the SouthEnd 1 team (2-0-0). The visitors opened the scoring with a power play goal at 6:35 but Russell tied it up at 2:51 when Butler's shot from the right circle deflected off a defending player and into the net. Sabourin and Dylan Bradley were given assists on the goal. With 54 seconds left in the period, the Warriors took a 2-1 lead on a quick 3 way passing play. Butler who was below the SouthEnd goal line passed the puck behind the net to Parravano on the far side who in turn passed it out to McDonald in the slot who then one timed it past the goalie. In the second period, Chris Winter with a power play goal from the edge of the crease, put the Warriors ahead 3-1 at 8:04. O'Byrne and Justin Chartrand picked up the assists. At 6:04, the home team scored again when McDonald carried the puck into the SouthEnd zone and passed it out into the slot to Parravano who redirected it into the net. SouthEnd cut into the deficit with a goal at 4:27 to trail 4-2 going into the final period. The SouthEnd team kept the pressure on and it paid off with a power play goal at 3:46. Trailing 4-3 and with the curfew coming into play, SouthEnd pulled their goalie for an wextra skater but before the goalie could reach the bench, Robert shot the puck down the ice from his own zone and it just caught the inside of the left post of an empty net to give his team a well earned 5-3 victory. The Warriors outshot the visitors 19-15. Paul Johnson in the Warriors' net came up with a solid effort to allow his team to record the win. 

Future face-offs;
Sunday, November 16th vs Cumberland 3 at 5 PM in Russell
Tuesday, November 18th vs Orleans 2 at 9 PM at Potvin.

The amazing thing is how this group of 1st and 2nd year Atom players have come together as a team in a short amount of time. Watching them on the ice shows how much these players are committed to playing and are ready for a WARRIORS hockey season.

by Carole Black

With minor hockey in Russell set to begin its 36th season under the Russell Minor Hockey Association (RMHA) banner, the hunt is on for a few missing trophies.  The trophies were donated to the RMHA to be awarded annually to the individual on each team that was selected as the top player in different categories.

The Bill Linegar Memorial Trophy was created in 1975 and was awarded to the Most Valuable Player. The Jack Twiname Memorial Trophy also created in 1975 was awarded to the player judged to show the Most Desire and Effort. The Russell Lions Club Trophy, created in 1976, was awarded to the Most Sportsmanlike Player and the Bank of Nova Scotia Trophy, also created in 1976 was awarded annually to the Most Improved Player. The Lorne Wade Trophy for Best Goaltender is also being sought.

These trophies were part of the RMHA year end festivities for many years, and at one point, which I believe was during the 1990's, it was decided to forego the recognition of individual team players and to present every player in the Association with their own small trophy. It was my understanding that the donated trophies were to be returned to their donors. It now appears that this may not have happened.

Parents and Players,

Here is a great link for those parents and players just getting into hockey and looking for information about how to select proper hockey equipment for your son or daugther.  It includes information about Gloves, Helmets, Garter Belt & Cups, Jersey, Hockey Bags, Mouth guards, Neck Guards, Pants, Shin Pads, Shoulder Pades, Skates, Sticks and Tape.

Check out this link to the GCMHA website with great information to get you started! http://www.gcmha.com/registration/equipment-checklist.aspx

Here is an important notice for goalie parents to know about goal tender hockey equipment prior to purchasing.

Recall Notice: 
RBK and CCM Hockey Helmets

For details see Health Canada Product Safety Site:  http://209.217.71.106/PR/recall-retrait-e.jsp?re_id=423

Hazard Identified
The chin strap of the recalled helmets may disengage while being used by consumers. If the chin strap disengages, the helmet can fall off, posing a potential safety risk to neck and head injuries.  Although the recalled helmets carry HECC and CSA certification stickers, the product affected by this recall no longer meet these certification standards.  Health Canada has not received reports of incidents or incidents to Canadians related to the use of these helmets.

Corrective Action
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled helmets.
Consumers may return the helmets to the store of purchase for a replacement.

For additional information, consumers may contact the firm's Customer Service Department at 1-800-636-5895 if they are located in Canada, or 1-800-451-4600 if they are located in the U.S.A.

Number Sold
Approximately 4, 200 of the recalled helmets were sold in North America.

Time Period Sold
The recalled helmets were sold from May 2008 to July 2008.  The helmets were sold nationwide; especially in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario where almost half of the sales occurred. Manufactured in Canada by Sport Maska Inc., of Montreal, Quebec.

The Breakfast Club

We are trying something different!!!  The RMHA, under the leadership of Shannon Donovan, ODHA Coach, Facilitator and Trainer - is going to offer training and skills sessions at the rink starting November 25, 2009.  The Breakfast Club is open to RMHA players 6-10 years old.  We will offer ice time from 6:30-7:20 AM - and then a continental self serve breakfast - and the players will be at school for the 8:00 school bell!! 

The on ice skills, led by Shannon Donovan, will also be supported by RMHA coaches, namely Ian Sturgeon, Novice Coach.  We are registering up to a maximum of 40 players - and because this is just a pilot initiative - we are being flexible with all aspects of this program.

The cost is only $20.00 for all 4 sessions (Nov. 25, Dec 2, 9, 16) - We also have the ice booked for Dec. 23 for a hot pancake breakfast and a later 7:00am start as the players are not in school that week. 

We are currently taking registrations, so if you think your son/daughter will be interested - we invite you to register now!  We will personally send an invite and flyer to all Initiation, Novice and Atom players, and post flyers at the arena. 

We are also making arrangements with Arena staff to "hold" hockey bags and equipment in the event the kids are walking right to school after breakfast  - parents can pick up equipment at the end of the day. 

The Breakfast Club is a very success program out west and in Montreal and we hope to offer a great program here in Russell!!!!!
 
Please contact Shannon Donovan (496-0002) or Ian Sturgeon (445-6493) if you have any questions or if you can help on ice - shannon.donovan@hotmail.com and Elizabeth Ferguson to register -  613-445-0248.