Four different leagues cover the nine junior teams that call the region home.
The Niagara Falls Canucks of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) were the first to drop the puck on their regular season, and currently sport a (2-2) record entering action Friday night at home against the Georgetown Raiders. Game time is 7 pm from the Gale Centre.
Twenty-four teams make up the OJHL and Niagara Falls plays out of the West Conference.
Former NHL Stanley Cup Champion Frank Pietrangelo continues to lead the Canucks.
For more information on the Niagara Falls Canucks visit niagarafallscanucks.com
The GOHL (Greater Ontario Hockey League) began its regular season Thursday night including the Pelham Panthers who deflated the Ayr Centennials 6-2.
Friday night sees the St. Catharines Falcons welcome the Welland Jr. Canadians, Saturday the Fort Erie Meteors play host to the Port Colborne Sailors and Sunday St. Catharines visits Hamilton, Pelham hosts Brantford, Port Colborne entertains Cambridge, while Welland welcomes Ayr.
Former Niagara IceDog Mason Howard has taken over behind the bench in St. Catharines, while former IceDogs assistant coach Luke Israel is the new bench boss in Pelham. Matt Carey takes over in Port Colborne, and Derek Morrison in Welland.
The only local holdover is Nik Passero in Fort Erie as the Meteors are celebrating their 70th season of hockey in the border city.
The five Niagara based teams play out of the Eastern Conference in the 24-team Greater Ontario Hockey League.
Check out gohl.ca for more information.
The puck drops on the Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) season Friday night including an all Niagara matchup when the Grimsby Peach Kings host the Niagara Riverhawks – the only two Niagara based teams in the eight-division, 63-team league.
The longest tenured junior hockey coach in Niagara, since 1999, Dave Brownridge continues to run the bench in Grimsby, Frank Girhiny with the Riverhawks.
For more information, visit: thepjhl.ca
The preseason continues for the Niagara IceDogs this weekend with their regular season beginning next Friday night in Brantford, and their home opener Saturday September 19 against the Brampton Steelheads.
Dale DeGray is the new general manager, and Jake Grimes the new head coach of the IceDogs.
For more information on the Niagara IceDogs visit niagaraicedogs.net
Rod Mawhood is a lifelong Niagara native who has had the pleasure of working in all three mediums – Radio, Print and TV – for over 20 years. His first announcing gig was with the then St. Catharines Stompers. Since then he’s worked in radio and TV in Toronto, and currently is the announcer for the Niagara IceDogs and Niagara River Lions.
Rod also covers the Buffalo Bills for FOX Sports and the Buffalo Sabres for NBC Sports.
