The Diemo Minor Atoms continued their undefeated season this week with two big games on the schedule.  On Friday night, the Cougars faced the undefeated Belleville Jr. Bulls.  We came out hard in the first period, with 3 quick goals by Chalmers McKeen, Greg Thomas and Brody Waller.  However, the Bulls rallied, scoring near the end of the first period and twice more in the second to tie the game up 3-3.  Wyley Veinot scored a big goal in the third period, but again the Bulls answered and regulation time ended with a 4-4 tie.  A big save near the end of the game by Sheldon Calbury preserved the tie for Cobourg.

On Sunday the Cougars faced the much improved Ajax Knights in a road game.  The Knights played well in the first period but could not stop John Campbell from scoring the first goal of the game.  2 more in the second by Brody Waller and Noah Hlapcic made the score 3-0.  Ajax answered to make it a tense game.  However, in the third, Matthew Cavanaugh scored with 2 Cobourg players in the box to end hopes of an Ajax comeback. Brody Waller and Wyley Veinot also netted singles and the Cougars came away with a resounding 6-1 victory.  The Cougar defencemen played a very strong game against a physical Ajax squad.

Tournament hockey is always exciting and this past weekend was no exception for the Lakeland Multi Trade Minor Bantams.  Playing on Friday in the first game of the Belleville Bull’s fall tournament against the home team was exciting for the them, but the size of the ice surface at Yardman rink seemed massive and it proved to be challenging for the Jr. Cougars.  Although they played a couple of strong periods Belleville came out on top posting a 5-0 score. 

The team continued to try and keep positive with the coaching tandem of Sean Acheson and Kalvin Shorten doing some line juggling in order to get the team fired up.  It worked and Cobourg was able to beat their next opponent, the Markham Waxers.   

Markham opened the scoring late in the first period but Cobourg fought back.  The second period was end to end all period but no goals were scored by either team.   

The third period started off well for the Jr. Cougars when Devon Hartmann scored Cobourg’s first goal, with assists from James Groves and Tyler Knox.  Markham continued to press but goalie Brody George shut them down to keep his team in the game.  It wasn’t until late in the third period that Colin Cirne netted the game winning goal, with help from Brent Acheson and Mitch Dayman. 

The third game of the tournament was a bit lop sided on the score sheet but Cobourg put up a good fight but was unable to contain a very skilled Toronto Ice Dog team who eventually won 7-2.  Scoring for Cobourg in the third game was Maverick Wood assisted by Jesse Miedema and Colin Cirne with assists from Knox and Hartmann. 

With new sponsorship in place and the memory of an early season collapse, the Polymer Extrusions Minor Peewees took to the ice Thursday against the Pickering Panthers.  The Cougars were fresh off a heartbreak loss to the Whitby Wildcats and were not prepared to let a consecutive loss be a part of their world.  The Cougars had played Pickering early in the season where they saw a 3-1 lead evaporate late in the game only to settle for a 3-3 tie. 

Wasting very little time, the Cougars jumped on the Panthers for an early three goal lead.  Leading the attack was Josh Maguire as he pulled the trigger on the first two goals sinking the hopes of the Panther faithful.  Maguire the anchor of the infamous 3M line scored just 49 seconds in with help from line mates Cameron Murphy and Bryan McCormick.  Maguire's second goal of the game came just one minute later when Trevor McNeely intercepted a Panther pass and relayed it to Maguire for the score.  Capping off the first period was Jack DiMarco who scored unassisted to give the Cougars the early three goal lead that they would never relinquish.  DiMarco stole the puck at mid ice and took it to the house while fending  off two Pickering attackers on route to shooting it past the quick glove of the Pickering goalie.

With time winding down in the first period the Panthers scored on rookie goaltender Michael Rolph  to deny Rolph his second shutout of the season.  The goal didn't faze the Jr. Cougars as they continued to press and hit and hard work paid off with two more goals in the second period. Early in the second period Anthony Melchionna secured the puck in the Panther zone and found Jack DiMarco wide open in the corner. Deadly behind the net, DiMarco headed there with the puck where he found Wyatt Pattison in front for the fourth Cobourg goal. Pattison was denied on the first attempt but patience with the puck and the fact that he is hard to move from the post made it easy for Pattison to score on the rebound. 

Cameron Murphy scored the fifth goal of the game and the second of the period with help from Josh Maguire. Maguire collected his third point of the game when he took a pass from Carter Stevenson and found Murphy in the open for the score.  Murphy continues to show the Murhpy Magic with soft hands and quickly found the back of the net to continue the Cougar momentum into the third period.

The third period started slow for scoring but end to action continued much of the way with each goal tender providing the excitement. The Panthers found pay dirt to cut the Cougar lead to three but thats as far as they could get. The Cougar offensive machine opened up again and managed to score a pair of goals to end the game in a Cougar victory.  Anthony Melchionna took it to the bank with a nice tip in goal with help from Jack DiMarco and Carter Stevenson.  Stevenson with two points on the night secured the puck inside the blue line where he found DiMarco in the open.  DiMarco took the shot and Melchionna buried the rebound for his second point of the game and DiMarco's third.

Heading into this week the Minor Peewees were still riding the feeling of being undefeated in league play.  An action packed three game schedule made this week a grueling test of their fortitude.  Starting the week the Cougars continued to impress as they defeated Oshawa 3-1.  The Cougars have always had success against the "Blue Collared" Generals but they were always tough fought battles with no clear domination.  In this case the Cougars jumped to an early two goal lead with goals coming from Mariah Wilson and Bryan McCormick.  Wilson slammed in a rebound from a Jack DiMarco shot to give the Cougars an early first period lead.  Early in the second period Josh Maguire  began things rolling for the young Cougars when he took a point blank shot which the General goalie stopped but could not contain.  The rebound found its way to the stick of Bryan McCormick who wasted very little time burying the rebound for a two goal lead.

The Cougars and Generals continued to battle back and forth in traditional historic fashion with very little scoring.  Branson Schell continued to play well in the Cobourg net holding Oshawa scoreless for most of the game.  Oshawa finally scored late in the third period cutting the Cougar lead to one giving hope to the General faithful.  However with time running out and the net empty, Josh Maguire showed his billiard skills with a perfectly banked shot off the boards that found the vacated Oshawa net for the third and decisive goal for Cobourg.

Thursday night Cobourg was at home against their Eastern foes from Belleville.  Belleville historically was a team that would give the Cougars fits but as of late were falling to the upstart Cougars.  With Michael Rolph in net for the Cougars, the Minor Peewees jumped on Belleville for an early four goal lead on route to a 5-3 victory. 

Cameron Murphy started things for the Cougars with help from Jack DiMarco and Bryan McCormick.  McCormick found DiMarco behind the net who directed it to Murphy for the score.  Early in the second period Jack DiMarco would score his first of two goals on an unassisted break away.  DiMarco intercepted a Bull pass at center ice and took it all the way beating the Belleville goalie for a two goal lead. 

Owen Whately widened the gap for the Cougars just a few minutes later with a wrist shot to the top corner of the Belleville goal.  Josh Maguire hit Whately with a perfect pass in the deep slot where Whately took a fierce wrist shot which found the back of the goal in impressive fashion. 

Jack DiMarco gave Cobourg a comfortable four goal lead late in the second period.  A clearing attempt by DiMarco made its way towards the Belleville goal where the puck founds its way past the dumfounded Belleville goal tender for the score. 

Now with a four goal lead, the Cougars looked primed for an easy victory but Belleville would not have any part of that plan.  The Bulls battled back in traditional fashion scoring early in the third period cutting the Cougar lead to three.  The Cougars would answer back a couple of minutes later on Owen Whately's second goal of the game giving Cobourg a four goal advantage once again.  Assisting on the Whately goal was Blake Robillard and rookie Brian McCormick. The Cougars staved off the Bulls the rest of the way to finish the game victorious.  Belleville managed to score two more to make it close but Cobourg continued their undefeated season into the weekend game against the Whitby Wildcats.

The Cougars took their unbeaten streak into Whitby on Saturday where they met up with an unwilling Wildcat squad.  Just off their game in Peterborough during the Thanksgiving Day Tournament, the Wildcats and the Cougars were ready for the much anticipated rematch.

After a scoreless first period, the Wildcats struck late in the second period to take the game's first lead and then struck again less than one minute later.  Down by two goals now, the Cougars fought back immediately when Wyatt Pattison scored to break the Whitby shutout.  Pattison forced the Whitby turnover behind the Whitby goal and completed his maneuver with a wrap around play tucking the puck inside the post.  The Wildcats fired back just two minutes later with 45 seconds left in the second period regaining the momentum heading into the intermission.

Both teams came out firing in the third period but goal tending was the key.  Branson Schell continued to play well for the Cougars holding the Wildcats scoreless.  While on the power play, the Cougars cut the Whitby lead to one by scoring midway through the third period.  Josh Maguire completed a three way passing play with Anthony Melchionna and defenseman Carter Stevenson.  After Stevenson and Melchionna set up the play, Maguire took a blistering wrist shot from the top of the slot to beat the Whitby net minder for Cobourg's second goal of the game.

As time was running down, the Cougars tied the game with just four minutes remaining to set the stage for an unbelievable finish. With the Wildcats in penalty trouble and two players in the box, rookie Anthony Melchionna sent the Cougar nation  wild with a point blank wrist shot to the goalie glove side.  Melchionna was set up for the equalizer by Wyatt Pattison and Josh Maguire.

Thanksgiving is a time of thanks and the parents & coaching staff of the Cobourg Major Bantams would like to thank our kids for a great weekend of hockey at our Whitby Wildcats Thanksgiving Weekend Tournament, though we lost in the final 5-2 against Trenton, we had a weekend of exciting hockey.

We started the weekend with a win against Vaughan Panthers 2-1, with scoring by Garrett Wilson and Evan Little & assists by Jamie Quigley & Todd O'Rourke. We had some solid defence from Steven Buttery, O'Rourke, Cameron Thompson and Connor Turland (this game and throughout the tournament) and some solid goaltending from Jake Wakely (MVP of tournament).

The second game, we came upon Amherst NY team, winning 6-1. Scoring opened up in the 1st by Tyler Davey and Cameron Pollard, O'Rourke & Evan Little answered the call in the 2nd, while Pearson Piechocki and Buttery finished off scoring in the 3rd. Goals were set up by Little (with 2), Jared Nicholls and Davey.

The third game was an early morning win (8:00 a.m.) against the host team Whitby, winning 2-0. Scoring didn't happen until the 2nd when Cameron Pollard put one between the pipes with assistance by Mike Rutherford and Nicholls and Little ending any doubts of a tie with the 2nd goal assisted by Davey.

The fourth game that afternoon was not quite the nail biter of the earlier game with Cobourg offensively beating Clarington 12-0. Piechocki opened the flood gates in the 1st with his 1st goal of the game (2 overall), assisted by O'Rourke and Little. The scoring continued by Turland (2), Quigley (2), Little, Rutherford, Wilson, O'Rourke, Pollard and Davey. The helpers went to Wilson, Turland, Davey (2), Nicholls, Pollard (2), Quigley, Baxter, Thompson, Little (4), Buttery and Rutherford. You could say that this win was definitely a team effort with everyone getting a piece of the action including a shut out for Wakely.

The semi final game was another shut out for Wakely, with a 5-0 win against Ajax. The game was a tough battle with a number of penalties for both teams, so the defense stepped up keeping the shots against Wakely to a minimum while the offence put it in the net. Nicholls started the scoring in the 1st by a pass from Pollard, which turned out to be the game winner. The scoring continued though by Little (2), Rutherford and Buttery assists by Davey & Thompson.

The final game was against our nemesis team, Quinte West, where the goals by Quigley (asst by Pollard & Thompson) and Davey (asst by Little and Nicholls) was not enough to get past them.

VS Kingston

Our second season game was another success with a 6-0 win against the newest Lakeshore League team, Kingston Township. After the long weekend of hockey our boys were a little slow out of the gates, but we finally scored with 2 min. left in the 2nd period with a goal by Pollard, assisted by Wilson. Baxter answered right after with his contribution of the game with assists by Davey & Nicholls. Once again our offence came alive in the 3rd with a smoker goal from the point from Thompson set up by Little & Pollard. Davey, Nichols and Wilson finished the night with the other goals with assists by Little, Pollard (2 total), Baxter and Davey.

Our next regular season games are on the road in Peterborough, Kingston and Ajax. Our next home games with be Oct. 25 (Belleville), Oct 26 (Oshawa).  (story and photo submitted by Angie Turland)

The Major Atoms skated their way to a 6-2 win over Quinte West at the Memorial Centre last week.  Strong offense in the third period led to the win. Goals by Avery Slack, Josh Jeschke, Jeff Christensen, Conner Stover, and two from Forrest Chalovich helped the team keep the lead throughout the game, holding their opponent scoreless through the first two periods.  The Atoms now have a 5-1-1 record, after splitting games last weekend on the road, beating Clarington on Saturday and taking their first loss in Kingston Sunday morning.  The Atoms next test will be Tuesday Oct 16^th at home against Clarington. “We started slow against Quinte West”, said Coach Mark Diminie,  “But after a rough weekend in a defensive collapse in the third against Clarington on Saturday and being dominated by Kingston on Sunday in our first loss of the year, I thought we showed a lot of character and came on strong in the second and third. We could have let those two weekend game bring us down but the guys focused on our game and came away with a convincing win”. Cheer on the Major Atoms as they play Clarington at home Tuesday October 16^th, at 6:30 p.m. (story submitted by Barb Weightman and photo submitted by Dave Ito)

Fresh off their impressive Championship Weekend in Peterborough, the undefeated Dairy Queen Minor Peewees continued to shine this week in regular season action.   This year's Cougar squad is balanced offensively as all three Cobourg forward lines delivered real results against the Peterborough Nationals.  So balanced that eight players from the squad picked up at least one point in Cobourg's dominant 5-2 victory.

The Cougars jumped to a 2-0 lead before Peterborough could find the net and then coasted easily for the win.   Jack DiMarco scored his first of two goals of the night with a nifty passing play by Josh Maguire and Wyatt Pattison.  DiMarco took the pass and  a wrist shot beating the National goalie to the top corner.  Pattison and DiMarco hooked up again for the second goal of the game coming early in the second period.  Pattison relayed a pass from behind the Peterborough goal where DiMarco redirected it past the goaltender.

Peterborough finally broke the Cougar shut out at the 10:44 mark of the second period.  Cougar goalie Michael Rolph was unfazed as he continued to play well shutting down the Peterborough offense.  The Jr. Cougar  "3M" line came through when rookie Brian McCormick scored from passes from Josh Maguire and Cameron Murphy.  Murphy created a  turnover and quickly transformed  it into a quick pass to Maguire who found McCormick for the wrist shot.

To complete the teams balanced attack, Trevor McNeely scored just over a minute later to give the Cougars an impressive three goal lead.  Anthony Melchionna found Owen Whately wide open on a long pass which turned into a hard shot on goal.  The Peterborough goalie saved the initial shot but Trevor McNeely was there for the rebound and the score.

Undefeated through the first four games, the novice Cougars advanced to the final but were defeated 5-1 by Oakridge.

Cobourg had pulled out a 3-2 overtime victory in the semi-final over St. Thomas. They earned victories over Clarington, Quinte West and Oakridge in round-robin.

Coach Rick Ainsworth credited that first game against Oakridge as his club's best performance of the season so far.

Five Cobourg OMHA teams headed north this past weekend in the quest of winning an early season tournament title.  Cobourg sent a clear message to Ontario that Cobourg is "Hockey Town"  as four of five  teams managed to make it to their respective finals. 

Behind the stellar net minding of Branson Schell and rookie Michael Rolph, the Minor Peewees efficiently and succinctly dismantled their opposition on route to an undefeated Championship Finish.

The Dairy Queen Minor Peewees opened their tournament against their Western nemesis Whitby Wildcats.  For the past three seasons Cobourg had never managed to defeat the Wildcats in league or tournament play so this match up would set the stage for the weekend outcome.  Confident in their progression, the new look  Cougars came out strong early and often and stunned  last years Lakeshore Champs 3 to 1.  Cameron Murphy opened the scoring for the Cougars  while Josh Maguire added two more for the win. 

The rest of the round robin tournament was somewhat anti-climatic as Cobourg was still charged with their impressive victory over Whitby.  The Cougars then went on to beat St Thomas 3 to 1 with goals coming from Josh Maguire and rookies Anthony Melchionna and Brian McCormick.  Game three of the round robin for the Cougars was against the Stoney Creek Warriors.  Known for their rough and aggressive play the Warriors were primed to take on the up and coming Cougars by intimidation and hard hits. This game ultimately was the confidence boost the Peewees needed as they were hit often  but not fazed.  Matching the Warriors aggression and throwing in a lot of fore-checking and defense, the Cougars dominated the game from start to finish.  Cobourg outgunned Stoney Creek in every aspect out-shooting the Warriors 18 to 14 on route to an impressive 5-0 victory. Highlighting the scoring for Cobourg was a pair of goals by Jack DiMarco and singles coming from Wyatt Pattison, Cameron Murphy and Josh Maguire.   Branson Schell played between the pipes for the shut out.

The Semi's were next and their next opponent was the Orleans Blues.  The Cougars were not looking past the Blues but they knew if they would win they would face another arch nemesis that has haunted them historically.  Playing in the other Semi final game was the Oakville Rangers which have always seemed to beat the Cougars at tournament play.  In any case they needed to get by the Blues first to consider the strategy for the finals.  With rookie goaltender Michael Rolph in the net, the Cougars notched another victory with a 5-0 blow out early Sunday morning.  Scoring sensation and rookie forward Anthony Melchionna set the pace by firing 2 early goals giving the Cougars an early lead that they would never relinquish.  Not to be outdone by the rookies, the Cougar veteran's open fired with three more goals to propel the Jr. Cougars past the Orleans Blues.  Captain Josh Maguire launched two goals and Jack DiMarco added the fifth and final score to send the Blues packing and the Cougars into the tournament final.

The final was set and anticipation was in the air.  The Cougars knew they had never beaten the Rangers before and the Rangers knew that every battle so far wasn't easy.  In the past eight days the Cougars had beaten the Belleville Bulls, the Whitby Wildcats and now had the chance to cap the trio of victories with the Oakville Rangers.  Branson Schell got the call in net for the Cougars and he knew his opponent well.  Schell has played a critical role in keeping the games close historically but he knew he would have to play the game of his life to shut down the Rangers.

Early game "jitters" took hold and the Cougars defense quickly collapsed as the Rangers scored early in the game to take the lead in the Minor Peewee final.  Coach Stevenson rallied his troops as this team had been in this situation before and they just had to forge ahead with their style of play.  As the nerves faded and the play enhanced, the Cougars tied the game with a blast from Josh Maguire that left the Ranger goalie on his knees.  Defensive stalwart Carter Stevenson kept the puck in the Ranger zone and found Maguire open for the quick pass.  Maguire wasted no time sending the puck to the top corner evening the score  at 1-1.

Rookie forward Anthony Melchionna joined the team this year coming from Peterborough and has been an effective marksman for the Jr. Cougars.  Melchionna sent the Cougar nation into a frenzy when he took the puck from behind the Ranger net and deposited it behind the sprawling Oakville net minder. Line mates Owen Whately and Trevor McNeely did the spade work keeping the puck inside the offensive zone and finally around the back of the goal.  Melchionna without hesitation took it and hit pay dirt to give the Cougars their first lead of the game.

Time was now a major factor in the game as the Cougars had the lead and wanted to protect it yet they had seen the Oakville team score late in the game many times before. History would not repeat itself if the  defense had anything to do with it.  The Cougar defense was solidified by Blake Robillard, Shayne Ruddy, Carter Stevenson and Ali Razaiy.  Robillard took on the biggest players and punished them with bone shattering hits that quieted the Ranger attack and invigorated the Cobourg fan base.

The Cougars play was gritty and determined as all of the offensive lines produced real chances and wore down the Ranger defense.  Jack DiMarco provided the back checking and corner work that drove the Oakville players crazy.  Wyatt Pattison and Mariah Wilson continuously engaged in the offensive zone turning every series into anticipated frenzy.  Owen Whately coupled with Trevor McNeely and Anthony Melchionna were relentless hitters and they kept the Oakville defense busy.

The CCHL and the Cobourg Cougars have signed an affiliation agreement that will see them working side-by-side on and off the ice for the next two seasons in Cobourg.  A unanimous vote at the CCHL Executive meeting last week was the final stamp of approval confirming the agreement.

The Cougars have been an integral part of the hockey fibre in Cobourg for over 40 years and being able to firm up an accord between the two sides was something they truly felt was important.  “We are thrilled to get this agreement drawn up,” Cougars part-owner Marc Mercier said on behalf of the ownership group. “The Cougars organization is looking forward to working closely with the CCHL to help this relationship grow & evolve for years to come.”

For CCHL President Jim Nairn, being able to put pen to paper and make everything official was a pleasure.  He knows what the Cougars mean to the young hockey players in the community.

“The kids in minor hockey here look up to the Cougars,” explains Nairn. “Being able to make the team an even bigger part of their hockey lives over the course of a season is great. Signing this agreement is a win-win for everybody involved.”

Many special events integrating the Cougars into the community even more will take place over the regular season. Plans include a family skate, Cougars taking part in minor hockey practices, minor hockey coaches attending Cougars practices for tips, plus CCHL player recognition at Cougars Home Games just to mention a few of the initiatives.

Greg Stevenson will serve as the liason between the CCHL and the Cougars.  Greg is the middle member of three generations of Cougar followers. He and his brother Jay both played for the team when they were teenagers - Jay during the eighties and Greg as a call up during the 90’s. Their father Gord has been involved with the team since their inception - he played on the very first Cougar team in 1965!  He is now a life member of the organization. 

Gord, Greg and Greg’s six-year-old son Nolan can be spotted at every Cougars home game.

“The Cougars have been a part of our family my whole life,” says Greg Stevenson. “Being able to lay the ground work for that to continue for my son and other kids in Cobourg is something I am proud to be a part of.”