Orillia Packet & Times, Canada
Sept 12 2008
77’s back on the ice
Oro-Medonte team a member of the Greater Metro Hockey League
Posted By MATT FLEMMING, THE PACKET AND TIMES
After a 16-year absence, the Oro-Medonte 77’s junior hockey club is
back.
The 77’s were granted an expansion franchise in the Greater Metro
Junior "A" Hockey League last April and with the team’s roster now
set, the 77’s will play their first regular-season game against the
Ontario Lightning Rams in Richmond Hill next Tuesday.
The team won’t play its first home game until Oct. 4, when they host
Espanola at the Oro Township Community Arena.
The team was the creation of Oro native Mark Cardiff and former South
Muskoka Shield head coach and Barrie resident Jeffery Stack.
The 77’s were a junior "C" team in Oro-Medonte from 1977-92 before
moving to Wasaga Beach and folding shortly afterward.
Cardiff wanted to see junior hockey back in his hometown and he and
Stack applied for the franchise back in March.
Since then, Stack said the response from the community has been great,
with plenty of sponsors jumping on board and more on the way.
"It’s been awesome. We’ve had lots of sponsors coming in. We recently
joined the chamber of commerce and the support from the community has
been great right from Day 1."
The team will play in the league’s North Division, along with the
South Muskoka Shield of Gravenhurst, the Brock Bucks of Beaverton, the
Elliot Lake Bobcats, the Espanola Kings, the Minden Riverkings, the
Ville-Marie Dragons and the Nipissing Alouettes.
The GMHL has been a controversial league since starting up in
2006. The league is not sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association
or Hockey Canada because it allows an unlimited number of 16-
year-olds and allows unlimited international players.
The Ontario Provincial Junior "A" Hockey League allows only two
16-year-olds per team.
"We like the philosophy of the GMHL because it doesn’t restrict kids,"
said Stack, who added that he also likes that international players
are welcome.
As a result of the controversy, the league has been called "an outlaw
league," a "renegade league," and one junior hockey executive even
called it a "glorified juvenile league."
"I don’t know what to say to that, but by no means am I an outlaw,"
joked Stack. "You know, kids call kids names when they’re
threatened. So maybe they’re a little scared of what we’re doing."
Concerns have also been raised by some in minor hockey about whether
so many 16- year-olds should be playing with bigger, stronger
20-yearolds.
"You try to make sure that you only choose the ones who are ready to
play," said Stack. "In our league, all the 16-yearolds must dress
every night. In the (OPJHL) you have two 16-year-olds who may do
nothing but practise. With us, they have to play."
The 77’s will have both a strong local and international flavour. The
team will have at least 10 players from Oro- Medonte or Orillia, many
of whom played for the Orillia Terriers or the North Central Predators
last year.
Left-winger Ryan Brain, who scored 91 goals for the Orillia minor
midget Terriers last season, will join the team this season as one of
five 16- year-olds currently on the roster.
"He’s got a really good shot. I see him as a rookie-of-the-year
candidate for sure. He’s got the talent to put the puck in the net,"
said Stack.
Stack is also excited about 16-year-old Orillia native Zach Loader.
"He’s a very physical defenceman. He moves the puck well and he throws
big body-checks for a small defenceman."
Reid Goobie, Evan Cumming, Scot Pybus, Jackson Cain, Josh Sinotte,
Kyle Harvey, Jeff Gillespie and Zack Hele round out the list of local
players.
The team will also have four American players, three of whom were born
in Armenia and have been part of the Armenian national hockey program.
David Tagrooyan, Harout Keshishian and Arthur Ketchedjian will hit the
ice for the 77’s this season.
Stack said Cardiff was introduced to the players through contacts he
made while playing professional hockey in Germany.
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
