The Cougars Den

Coats for Kids & Fire Prevention Night

2010-10-02T15:42:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

This coming Monday night is Fire Prevention Night, brought to you by the Cougars and the Cobourg Fire Department. At 6pm there will be two fire trucks outside of the arena for kids to take a look at and explore with the firefighters so definitely show up early to check it out!

Kids in attendance will also receive 2 Cougars player cards from the full set of 24 that will be released this season. So if you're looking to get a full set of hockey cards this Monday is a great time to start.

Also, any child or student under 18 who brings a winter coat, boots, or snow suit to the game for the Coats for Kids campaign will receive free admission to the game! Local businessman Rod Baker has been heavily involved in the campaign for 16 years and he will help Sparky the Dog from the fire department and 'Coug' (everybody's favourite mascot!) drop the puck for the game.

Coats for Kids is a truly wonderful effort that seeks to ensure that local children have proper winter clothing for the cold months of the year. The Cougars are ecstatic to be involved in the campaign this year and we know how generous Cobourgites can be so we can't wait to see the flood of coats, jackets and boots on Monday!

See you at 6 and Go Cougars!!

Fantastic Start!

2010-09-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

Hey Cougar Fans!

As the year goes on and this blogger finds some more time in his schedule you can expect more frequent updates here. (Which will always be announced on the Twitter feed - which you should follow! Right now!!)

The Cougars beat the Peterborough Liftlock Stars by a score of 5-3 last night but I can't get at the stats so I will post about that game next time. (Sorry!) But I can talk about the first 5 games of the season...

The first three home dates of the season have been tremendous for the Cougars with wins in every contest and great attendance from their local supporters. The importance of having fans in the building simply cannot be exaggerated - the players love playing in front of passionate local fans!

The three wins are easily explained by the 20-3 margin by which the Cougars outscored their opponents - a solid display that they hope will continue when they go on the road next as they dropped their first two contests on unfriendly ice to open the season.

This hot start is vaguely reminiscent of last season when the Cougars opened up with three straight wins to open the season only to find themselves in an 11 game tailspin soon thereafter. However, the atmosphere around the team and the way that they're winning the games gives some indication that we can expect much better things from this group.

Five games is a relatively small sample size but we've already seen that the goals against are down from last season and Cadieux has looked solid in every contest. Goaltending was frequently the Cougars' Achilles Heel last season so it will be nice if Cadieux can establish some consistency and net and give the revamped defense corps some confidence.

Overall, I think it's safe to say that this team is much improved from last season and we can look forward to a very successful year - sadly our last in the Cobourg Memorial Arena.

Keep an eye on this blog, the twitter feed, the facebook page, and the electronic newsletter, which you can sign up for on the website for al the Cougars info you can handle. Bookmark everything! You won't regret it!

Home Opener!!

2010-09-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

Hey Cougar Fans!!
The boys are back in town and you can catch them at their home opener on September 13th and the Cobourg Memorial Arena!
Doors open at 6:30, game starts at 7pm, and you can also catch the Brighton Legion Highlanders, the Cobourg Legion Pipe Band and the Port Hope Legion Pipe Band during the game - that's right, three pipe bands at one game!
Come out and watch the first game of the Cougars' last season in the venerable old barn.
Don't forget to check out the website, this blog, the new Facebook page, and the Twitter account for all of the Cougars info you can stand!

Last Home Game - Lindsay Muskies

2010-02-01T07:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday,
   Tonight is the very last home game for the Cobourg Cougars. The Lindsay Muskies will bring their playoff aspirations into the Cobourg Memorial Arena along with Brandon Couto and Matt Diminie.

   Since the big trade Couto has 7 points and a +4 rating in 8 games but Diminie has struggled, by his standards, with only 3 points and a -4 rating over the same stretch. Unlike Adam Place I think their elbows remain unbruised so we should be able to watch them play in the barn one last time.

   Behling, Sandercock and Thompson have been red hot lately so they'll be looking to get the Cougars their 11th home win of the season to finish up with a respectable 11-1-4-9 home record. If you want to know why they're going to miss the playoffs look no further than their ghastly 5-1-2-16 road record. Even if they win their final game of the season on the road it will still only be good for 15 of a possible 48 points in road games. Simply not good enough.

   Come on out and watch the last game in what just might be the Cougars' last full season in the old Memorial Arena. If all goes according to plan the Cougars will be playing their last games of the 2010-11 season in the brand new rink on D'arcy street. See you there!

No Place At Home (Bowmanville 4, Cobourg 2)

2010-01-26T09:04:00.000-08:00

Sorry, that's the best I could do.

Former Cougar, Adam Place did not suit up for the Eagles last night so he missed his opportunity to play in front of the home crowd he started the year with. Reportedly, he missed the game with a bruised elbow. Poor devil.

Scott Sandercock, a player who came back in the Place deal, did manage to have a good night against his former club, earning a goal and an assist in the game. Sandercock just towers above everybody on the ice with an imposing 6'5" 235 pound frame - and he's only 18 years old!

When a team scores the first and last goal of a game there's usually a good chance that they'll get the win but that just wasn't the case for the Cougars last night. Bowmanville would score four unanswered goals after Cobourg's opening tally and they just couldn't climb out of that hole.

The Cougars failed to get a win but they did get their money's worth for the officials last night. All told, last night's officiating crew called a total of 36 infractions, resulting in 20 individual penalties served and a whopping 69 minutes in penalties. Perhaps they purchased new whistles for the playoffs and wanted to break them in. Needless to say, coaches on both sides of the ice were beside themselves.

Despite this onslaught of officiating there were only two powerplay goals scored during the entire game. Weird stuff!

Cobourg was officially elminated from playoff contention with the loss and their next game will be at home to the Lindsay Muskies, who just might bring Matt Diminie and Brandon Couto along for the trip. Come on out for the last home game of the year!

Bowmanville Pre-game

2010-01-25T12:16:00.000-08:00

Hey folks! I've been away for a few weeks due to being busy and a wonky Cougars home schedule but I'm back for the home stretch.

The Cougars welcome the Bowmanville Eagles to town tonight and will face Adam Place for the first time since he was traded away a few weeks ago. Bowmanville is having a very strong finish to the season and have won five straight heading into tonight's contest - Adam place has 6 points, including two shorthanded goals, during the winning streak.

Cobourg has also played some good hockey lately, picking up 7 points of a possible 10 in their past five games. The new top line of Stefan Thompson, Brooks Behling and James Diminie has been lighting it up with 10 goals over that stretch. Even the energetic Brad Down has been putting points on the board with 4 points in the past five games.

Now that the 16 and 17 year olds are getting some more ice time, this is a good chance to come out and have a look at the young core that should help the Cougars to climb the standings in the coming seasons.

Big Changes!

2010-01-14T08:53:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the leave of absence - I've had some important educational matters to contend with...

Plenty has changed in the past week in the Cougars dressing room! Gone are the team's top three scorers, Matt Diminie, Brandon Couto and Adam Place in exchange for younger players and cash considerations.

The window of opportunity to make the playoffs had closed itself by the new year and it made sense for the team to maximize the value of their assets. All three departing players are twenty years old and will have their Junior A eligibility expire before next season begins so anything the Cougars received out of these deals that they can use going forward is a definite step in the right direction for this club.

There is still a young core in place on this club and goal scoring was not the issue this season. Goaltending and special teams, or more specifically Special Teams +/- ([PPG For + SHG For] - [PPG Against + SHG Against]), were the biggest hurdles for this year's Cougars. If they can bring in a top-flight goaltender and a stud defenseman or two to go along with McCracken and Morris (He's back by the way! Thanks Kitchener!) they will be in pretty good shape for the 2010-2011 season - one that they could potentially finish out in the town's brand new rink!!

The team still maintains control of Stefan Thompson, Dylan McMahon and James Diminie who can all light the lamp and will need to do so with a little more regularity in the absence of the team's core offensive players for the season.

They began their post-deadline stretch with a bang on Monday, beating the Markham Waxers (still probably my favourite team name in the CCHL) by a score of 6 - 5 in a typical Cobourg Cougars barn-burning home game.

Scott Sandercock, one of the team's newest players acquired in the deal with Bowmanville for Adam Place, registered a goal and three points on the night. He could be a very valuable part of this team's power play moving forward with his mammoth 6'5" - 235 pound frame. Good luck to all of the 17 year old defensemen trying to push him out of the crease!

The last stretch of home games should be a fun watch as plenty of young players will get a chance to prove their mettle and they will definitely be playing a rather energetic brand of hockey.

Solid Win

2010-01-04T22:32:00.000-08:00

The Cougars played a very pleasing brand of hockey tonight, beating the Eastern Division leading Bowmanville Eagles by a score of 3-2. The Cougars had plenty of opportunities to pack it in and resign themselves to losing to a team that would be considered the superior team on most nights by most people. However, they scoffed at these opportunities, forechecked like animals and buried their chances when they presented themselves.

Bowmanville opened the scoring on their first shot of the game, usually a harbinger of a rough game. But Matt Kaludis steadied his nerves and played what was perhaps one of his best games of the entire season en route to a 29 save performance, making sixteen of them in the third frame. In fact, the Eagles scored their 2nd goal on what was probably (don't quote me) their final shot of the game as they potted one with their goalie pulled in the final minute of the game.

Fun Fact: Bierworth, Bowmanville's goalie tonight, is a Cobourg boy AND Assistant Coach Brad Whelan's cousin. Small world!

The plucky Cougars increased their point total by 10% tonight (from 20 to 22) but their playoff hopes are on life support. I'll do the math in another post but I can tell you it's not impossible, just nearing the realm of improbable. The key is to beat good teams (like Wellington, Burlington and Bowmanville) while beating teams that are near you in the standings. Sigh....

Even if the Cougars miss the playoffs (italics still necessary) there are a whole pile of good things to take out of this season, the foremost being scholarship and advancement opportunities for the players. That's another thing to be covered in a future post but it's something that the team takes very seriously.

Hope you were lucky enough to enjoy the game live tonight! Seeya next time.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

Hey folks, hope everybody had a safe and happy holiday season. I've taken a little holiday from the Blog but there will be regular updates from now until the end of the season. I've also noticed that some of you have been leaving comments, which is great! Rest assured that all of the feedback we receive will find its way up to the highest echelons of the Cougars' management.

Since the big 5-2 home win over the Dukes on December 21st it's been fairly quiet but the team has played two games since. Both were uncharacteristically low-scoring games and both were tough losses as the goalies they faced combined to stop 54 of the 56 shots launched at them by the Cougars, good for a .964 SV%. (Or a .036 shooting percentage for the Cougars if you're a glass-half-empty kind of person.) It's far too late in the season to play your best hockey against the best teams only to take your foot off the gas against opponents playing .500 hockey

A very tough opponent comes to town tonight in the Bowmanville Eagles. The Eagles' record of 21-3-3-9 is nearly a mirror image of the Cougars' 11-2-4-23 mark. Like most of the other top teams in the CCHL Bowmanville has amassed their wins through solid goaltending and special teams (9th ranked PP at 19.4%, 2nd ranked PK at 87.3%), things the Cougars have struggled to maintain consistency with this season.

Statistically the Cougars have been a decent team this season. Not a great team, but certainly not as bad as their record might indicate. They're 6th in goals for (156) and right around the middle of the pack in PP% (16.1, 14th) and PK% (80.7, 15th). Goals against (166) have been an issue but there are still six other teams worse than them in that category. In fact, their team +/- of -10 is much better than Ajax (-27), St. Mikes (-23) and North York (-24) who are all ahead of Cobourg in the standings. It boils down to the fact that the Cougars lose too many close games and win their share of laughers. It also doesn't help that they're 0-5 against those three teams...

See you at the game tonight!

(Quick) Dukes Pre-Gamer

2009-12-21T08:45:00.000-08:00

The Wellington Dukes roll into town tonight for the last time this season. Well, regular season anyways. The way the standings are shaping up it's looking like the Cougars will face the Dukes if they can grab that last playoff spot. More on that later...

The Dukes are playing a solid season, sitting atop the Eastern Division for almost the entire season. They've done this on the strength of consistent special teams (7th ranked PK and PP) and rock solid defensive play.

Dukes Fun Facts: (Well, fun if you're a fan of the Dukes)
- Only one (1) Duke has a minus rating on the season
- Jordan Ruby might as well be a brick wall (1.99 GAA, .940 SV%)
- They have earned 19 of a possible 32 points on the road (Compared to Cobourg's 7 of a possible 38...)

A frustrating string of close losses on the road has put a severe damper on the Cougars' playoff hopes and each addition to the L column is only making life more difficult for the Cougars down the stretch. Winning home games is a virtual necessity for the Cougars if they want to stay in the race, particularly against Divisional opponents.

And finally, don't forget to scroll down and post some ideas for the Cougars! I have received some great ideas already that I will post in a few days. Go ahead!

Cougars' Christmas Fan Forum

2009-12-17T10:39:00.000-08:00

Eight more sleeps people - Better get on that shopping!

In the spirit of Christmas, and specifically giving, I thought it would be a good idea to give the fans an opportunity to give us their ideas. So I strongly encourage anybody reading this who has ever said "The Cougars need to *fill in the blank*" or "I'd go to a Cougars game if *fill in the blank*" or "I've always wondered if the Cougars *fill in the blank*" to scroll down and *fill in the blank* in the comments section. All comments can be posted anonymously so there's no need to fear any retribution. I only ask that everybody keeps the discussion rational, reasonable and constructive. I will delete comments that don't make a meaningful contribution to the discussion to make sure that this is a welcoming and positive experience for everybody involved. That doesn't mean you can't be critical - The Cougars are having a pretty rough season after all - just keep things in the Christmas Spirit.

The Cougars are in a transitional period right now. New ownership with local connections has taken over the team, there is a new rink on the way, and the team is looking for ways to get the fans really involved in the team and to make the Cougars "Cobourg's Team". And what better way to reach the fans than to ask for their own opinions? Team management is very eager to give the community what they want to see and I guarantee that your comments will be seen by the coaches, management and ownership. So please, if you have any ideas, comments or questions post them below!

Don't be shy!!

Right Place, Right Time

2009-12-15T16:32:00.000-08:00

Remember my idea to have the Cougars play a low scoring game against Dixie last night? Yeah, not so much. The Cougars would overcome some sieve-like goaltending in the first and second periods to overcome a 6-3 deficit to start the third period and win 7-6.

Adam Place scored a hat trick, the third being the eventual game winner, to power the Cougars to a dramatic come from behind victory. After giving up a 3-2 lead early in the second by allowing four straight goals (on eight shots...) the Cougars potted four straight even strength goals in the third. As usual, the players did their best to give everybody in the stands a serious case of heart failure throughout the contest. Thoroughly exciting as always!

It should also be noted that Matt Diminie has been recognized by the CCHL as the East Division Player of the Month for November! His nine goals and eleven assists in 12 games were tops in the division and good enough to earn him the distinction. It's nice to have a hometown boy, on a hometown team earn such a noteworthy honour. Congrats Matt! (Story here.)

Pssst, if you want some free tickets to a Cougars home game click "comment" below and leave a message about the Cougars with your e-mail address so I can contact you. I will remove the e-mail address from the message if you wish. I'm trying to stimulate some discussion here! Let me know what you think about the Cougars, the new rink, music between whistles etc. Anything! The team wants to know what you think!!

Whistlin' Dixie

2009-12-14T09:53:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not talking about this guy. I'm talking about tonight's game against the Dixie Beehives from the Western division. The Beehives come into Cobourg for the only time this season sporting a 5-3-1-24 record, good for 20th in the league of 21 teams.

That said, the Cougars should not be taking this game lightly. They have allowed an average of just under 5 goals per game over their last 6 so instead of playing their usually variety of barnstorming home games, they should take this opportunity against a seemingly beatable opponent to really clamp down and keep things relaxed in their own end. Heck, I think they should try to win their first 2-goal game of the year! (Still 10-0 in those.)

Loparco, Demetrius and Gialedakis are the forwards to watch out for tonight but the Cougars really should be able to shut this team down and earn a low-scoring win tonight.

Then again, if I were a betting man (which I'm not) I would definitely take the over on tonight's score.

And now for a quasi-political rant:

FREE BRANDEN MORRIS!!!

Remember him? He was an integral part of this Cobourg team back in early November when the offense was really hitting its stride. He has missed the last 12 games or so as a member of the Kitchener Rangers, which is fantastic. The goal of this league is to provide young players with the experience and skills necessary to climb the hockey ranks. However, Mr. Morris has been stuck at 9 GP for a while now. Is he hurt? Nope. Suspended? No again. Missing?? Still no.

I'm no expert on the intricacies of inter-league player exchanges but I would hazard a guess that a 10th game would require some sort of financial arrangement between the Cougars and Rangers. The Cougars would be sad to see Branden go, but happy to see him playing in the OHL, and I'm sure Branden would be thrilled to be given that opportunity. Wasting away in the press box deprives Branden of valuable development and the Cougars of a valuable defenceman. The Rangers need to make a decision.

Hopefully this is resolved soon, to the satisfaction of all parties involved.

Quick Stouffville Pre-Game

2009-12-10T11:07:00.000-08:00

The Cougars are off to the friendly confines of the "Stouffville Arena" tonight. Their road record (3-1-0-11) has been disastrous this season and it is high time they started to win games away from home ice.

There's no better team to face in that regard than Stouffville as Cobourg is a perfect 3 for 3 against them this season. Hopefully they can keep this trend going tonight!

One more thing. This blog is currently 2 hits away from 1000 total hits! So, if you are reading this there's a chance that you are that hit. To celebrate I am going to give two tickets free tickets to the first person to make a comment in the space below. Just include your e-mail or phone number so I can contact you. The tickets can be used at any home game from now until the end of the regular season.

**Important** All comments are moderated so your comment will not show up right away. Even if there are no comments at the bottom, somebody might have posted already. I will remove your contact information before I post the comment if you request it.

A Rollercoaster Affair

2009-12-08T14:08:00.000-08:00

Well last night's game was entertaining. In typical Cougars home game fashion the score was altogether too high on both sides. Through 17 home games this year in the Cobourg Memorial Arena the opposing teams combined for nine or more goals on a ridiculous 13 occasions. In fact, the lowest totals were in 3-2 losses to Seguin and Durham. Maybe the nets are a little bigger in Cobourg? In any case, you're virtually guaranteed to see a nail-biting affair at a Cougar's home game.

Despite taking a 5-2 lead early in the second period the Cougars let the lead slip away in the third and eventually lost 6-5 in a shootout to the Liflock Stars. Through the three games these teams have played against each other thus far both have earned 4 points each and the games are usually pretty close. They face each other one last time in Peterborough on Friday, January 22nd in a game that will hopefully have some playoff implications. Road trip anybody?

Early in the second period it looked like the game was as good as over. Brooks Behling scored a beauty from his knees in the faceoff circle and Place snuck one through the Cormier's 5-hole to score Cobourg's 3rd and 4th goals respectively. When Couto scored on the PP to make it 5-2 it seemed like we had a rout on our hands but Peterborough buckled down and steadily chipped away at the lead. Considering the Stars have a very limited supply of firepower the collapse was particularly vexing.

The Cougars have a busy week ahead, playing on Thursday in Stouffville and Friday in Lindsay. Hopefully they can get some much needed points in those contests. They face Dixie next Monday, the worst team in the entire CCHL so come prepared for another overwhelming onslaught of offense.

Peterborough Pre-Gamer

2009-12-07T10:06:00.000-08:00

Hey Sports Fans!

After a flat 4-0 loss in Bowmanville yesterday, the Cougars have a chance for quick redemption at home against the Liftlock Stars. The season series between Cobourg and Peterborough has been competitive, and rightly so as they are next to each other in the standings. Look for both teams to play an energetic game as each side needs to gain some points now before they lose too much ground in the standings.

A quick look at the stats will bear out the fact that the Liftlock stars are absolutely bereft of a go-to guy up front. Their leading scorer is Jeff Swift with 12 goals and 21 points. In contrast, the Cougars have 7 players with 20 points or more, one being stalwart defenseman Lawton McCracken, and 4 players with at least 13 goals on the season. There is no question that Cobourg holds the edge in goal-scoring ability.

This begs the question: How are the Stars 3 points ahead of the Cougars with 3 games in hand?

The Answer(s): Special teams, and two-goal games.

Peterborough's PK operates at an efficient 86%, good for 5th in the league. Cobourg's PK is a mediocre 79.6% although it has improved from a few weeks ago when they were hovering around 75%.

And yes, two-goal games have been Cobourg's Achilles' Heel all year long. Weird, right? Well, the Cougars sport a fantastically awful 0-10 record in games decided by 2 goals. (Poinstreak posts the record as "0-0-0-10" despire the fact that it is impossible to get an extra point in a 2-goal game...) Meanwhile Peterborough is a respectable 4-3 in similarly tallied tilts. Is there any significance to this stat? Not really. But it sure is odd.

Anyways, come on out to arena tonight! Same cat-time, same cat-channel! (With apologies to Adam West.)

Go Cougars!

Pre-game & New Rink!

2009-11-30T08:51:00.000-08:00

OK, new rink first.

As of March 2011 the Cougars will have a brand new ice surface to play on and you can help to determine how the facility will end up.

Go here to take a look at the 5 proposed designs. There are concept images and layout designs accompanied by a 2-page press release for each of the 5 companies bidding on the project.

I like the look of the Peak design and it has a nice plan for an upstairs atrium with a view of both pads. However, the Bird design has by far the best seating arrangement as it is the only plan that has seating going all the way around the ice surface. The other 4 designs propose a style similar to the Belleville Bulls' arena, which is a fine facility, but I like to have seats behind the nets and in the corners.

All 5 companies are going to make a 10 minute presentation about their design proposal tonight at 6pm at the council meeting.

You also have until this Thursday (December 3rd) to fill out the "Design Response Form" found on that page so fill one out and make sure your voice is heard.

Oh right, the pre-game.

The Stouffville Spirit are in town tonight. You know, that team with the great penalty killing and awful power play? They're also one of 5 teams within the 27-31 points range in the standings that the Cougars (23 points) need to make up some ground on, so there are two important points on the line. Come on out and watch!

Tough Loss in OT

2009-11-25T13:18:00.000-08:00

The Cougars salvaged a point in yet another high-scoring affair but they really should have come away with two points against a team below them in the standings.

The most exciting minute of the game came at the halfway point. At 10:02 Pickering's Tyler von Engelbrechten scored to put the Panther's up 3-1, which at the time felt like that "next goal" that usually puts a game away. But Cobourg quickly responded with two goals in the next 55 seconds from Thompson and Couto. The teams exchanged goals until the end of regulation and both came out flying in the extra period.

There was a controversial moment less than a minute into the OT period when Ramsay and Herrington got tangled up with one another on the way out of Cobourg's zone and Herrington was assessed an interference minor after the Pickering player fell to the ice with a flourish. The crowd was none too pleased with the call and became even more incensed when Ramsay himself scored the winning goal on a nice cross-crease feed from Jesse Hebscher just before the penalty was due to expire.

Next on the docket is a game in Ajax where the Cougars will attempt to get two very important points and their 4th road win of the season from an Attack team that is certainly beatable, tied for 3rd worst in the goals allowed category.

Pickering Panthers Pre-game Primer

2009-11-23T14:39:00.000-08:00

Pardon the alliteration.

For the first time in a very long time the Cougars are going to play a team that is actually behind them in the standings. Small victories people!

The Panthers have struggled mightily over the past few weeks winning only two of their past nine games and are an abysmal 2-0-10 on the road this season. The two teams have played each other twice this year, earning one win apiece, making this Cobourg's golden opportunity to take the lead in the season series.

There are only 10 home games left in the season so the Cougars need to start posting some W's on home ice if they want to play some meaningful hockey in January. Come on out and watch them go for it.

Branden Morris update:
7 GP, 0G, 2A, +3, 7 PIM

November 18th Pre-Game

2009-11-18T14:12:00.000-08:00

Hey there sports fans! I covered tonight's matchup in my blog the other day but I'll try to give you a bit of a primer here.

Firstly, you should all visit the CCHL website and check out the stats they have there. Pointstreak does a phenomenal job of compiling statistics and on the day of or day before a matchup you can find a detailed team comparison up in the Scoreboard area. It's seriously like 37 pages of information - no typo.

If you peruse that particular document you'll discover that the Junior Canadiens really know how to score - or at least two of them do. If the Cougars can shut down the line with Jackson and McDonough they might escape with two points. If not it could be a long night for Mr. Behling.

In contrast, the Cougars have developed some scoring depth with Matt Diminie, Adam Place, Brandon Couto, James Diminie and, recently, Dylan McMahon all lighting the lamp. James Diminie has been particularly resurgent of late and you can find a great article about him in today's edition of Northumberland Today.

For those of you who have Twitter but aren't following the Cougars, shame on you. For those of you who don't have Twitter, go get it! It's just a simple way to keep track of the things and people you're interested in. Go here to sign up and HERE to follow the Cougars!

For those of you who do have Twitter and do follow the Cougars, congratulations! You were fortunate enough to have seen the following stat:

The Cougars have a team +/- of -1, not counting special teams, meaning that the opposition has outscored Cobourg by a total of one goal all year (100 GF, 101 GA).

The Ajax Attack has been outscored 124 - 105 on the year (-19).

Despite this, the Attack sit at 10th overall in CCHL standings while the Cougars sit at 17th. Frustrated yet?

Come out tonight to watch the Cougars get back to a positive team +/- for the first time since October 5th! For those of you scoring at home that means they will outscore the Junior Canadiens, thus winning the game and establishing their longest winning streak of the year at four games.

Go Cougars!

Strong Outing by the Cougars

2009-11-17T14:56:00.000-08:00

For the first time since that laugher on Hallowe'en the Cougars put on a dominating performance at home, trouncing the visiting Peterborough Liftlock Stars 7-2.

The Stars came in with one of the lowest GAA's in the league but the Cougars unleashed a steady barrage of shots on Zac Fryia, chasing him from the net at the end of the 2nd period. The backup, Real Cormier, fared no better as he allowed 3 goals on 14 shots in the third. The Stars lack of scoring punch was evident all night and particularly while their forwards whiffed on a few one-timer opportunities when the game was still somewhat close late in the second. Behling had to make a few good stops while the Stars had the man advantage but the Cougars gave him a relatively easy night between the pipes.

Cobourg has established two very effective scoring lines up front and have been giving opposing defenses fits when they gain possession down low in the offensive zone. The line of Couto and the Diminies was prolific, combining for 5 goals and 9 points, which took some pressure of of the Place-Thompson-Foote line, which had been very productive for the past few games.

Things got a little out of hand at the end as Cobourg continued to dent the twine. Emotions boiled over when Troy Barss dealt a vicious two-hander to Brendan Sims after the whistle had gone. Sims was the bigger man, skating away and refusing to get involved in the Stars' childish antics.

The Toronto Junior Canadiens come in tomorrow with 15 wins under their belt so they'll present a tough challenge to the Cougars who will need all of the momentum from last night's game to get a win. On a positive note, Toronto is 5-8 on the road so hopefully Cobourg can capitalize on the Junior Canadiens' struggles away from home ice. Kelly Jackson and Jason McDonough have been a dynamic duo combining for 30 goals and 77 points so far so it will be important for the Cougar's D-men to shut them down.

Come on out and support the team. 7pm puck drop at the old Barn!

Developing Talent + Peterborough Pre-Game

2009-11-16T10:25:00.000-08:00

Hey there sports fans,
There are currently two Cougars who started the 09/10 season on the Cougars' roster who are now plying their trade in the OHL. Defenseman Anton Zupancic was drafted by the Kitchener Rangers and then traded to the Sarnia Sting before the season even began. Branden Morris played 21 games for the Cougars scoring 4 goals and 14 points before also being snatched up by the Kitchener Rangers.
Anton, who turned 17 this month, played two games with the Sting before getting hurt and has since played 10 games with the Sarnia Legionnaires. He is an aggressive player who doesn't score much but definitely seeks to intimidate the other team.
Branden, who turned 17 in March, is a much more offensive-minded player. In 6 games with the Rangers he has notched 2 assists and has a +2 rating. Solid numbers for a young player in a brand new league.
Defense has been the Cougars' Achilles Heel all season so losing these two players has been a huge blow to the Cougars' back-end. The Cougars lack a consistent goal-scoring presence from the blue line and a tough bruising player who can dish out punishment to the other team's forward and Morris as well as Zupancic would fit the bill perfectly. However, losing your best players to the next level is business as usual in a league focused on development. Situations like these are certainly a double-edged sword and they provide a very good reason to come out and watch these guys play hockey.

Gone are the days of icing squads that simply have the best chance to win. Teams in the newly formed CCHL share a commitment to developing young players to go on to the next level, whether that level is College, University, the OHL or some other upper echelon league. The promotions of Morris and Zupancic are proof of this new reality. The downside is that rosters are composed of younger players who tend to be inconsistent but it also showcases some young players who possess the innate hockey skills to some day become great hockey players and human beings later in life.
You might point out that every team in the CCHL is in the same boat, so citing the goal of development as the reason for a poor record is inaccurate. And if you did you'd be right. The entire management team, from ownership to management to coaches to players, are dissatisfied with the team's slow start and changes are pending or have already been made.

The Peterborough Liftlock Stars come into town tonight as the least active (19 GP) and 3rd lowest scoring team in the entire CCHL. None of their forwards have scored more than 7 goals or 13 points - in comparison the Cougars' top scorers are Adam Place (36 points), Matt Diminie (30 points) and Stefan Thompson (29 points). Clearly, the Cougars hold the edge in just about every offensive category and with three wins in their last five games, one of them against a very good Markham team, the team is showing some signs of life as they look to claw their way out of the basement in the Eastern Division. Peterborough's strength is in net as Zac Fryia has posted solid stats with a .912 save percentage and a 2.99 GAA. The Cougars' scorers will have their work cut out for them if the Stars put him between the pipes tonight.

Puck drops at 7 PM. See you there.

5-4 Cougars. Awesome.

2009-11-10T14:09:00.000-08:00

Well, it wasn't the low-scoring affair I predicted, but the Cougars did indeed manage to beat the 2nd place Markham Waxers 5-4 in overtime last night. The offense was impressive, as scoring 5 goals against a team that came in ranked 5th in total goals allowed on the season is no mean feat.

The teams traded goals, in typical high-scoring Cougar fashion, making for a scintillating hockey game. The 250+ fans certainly got their money's worth last night - and a great Remembrance Day ceremony to boot! Hats off to the Cobourg Pipe and the Veterans who helped to give the ceremony a sense of sincerity and authenticity.

Adam Place continues to be a monster for the team, scoring two goals and assisting on the game winner with 0:44 left in OT. Foote had a great night for his fantasy owners (kidding..) with the game winning goal, two assists, four penalty minutes and a +1 rating. Finally, I need to mention Lawton McCracken's incredible work in overtime. While the Cougars were shorthanded he blocked three shots, one of which was a certain goal with Behling way out of position, and cleared the zone at least twice. If the Cougars continue to get big games like this from their big players they could start to make a serious push up the standings.

Recently, the club lost Branden Morris to the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL. Branden was easily one of their best players on the Cougars during their recent run of high-octane hockey. It's a big loss on the fragile back end but it's a fantastic sign for the CCHL as it is working to become a legitimate developmental league for players to go on to the OHL, College and maybe even the NHL. Stay tuned for a blog on this in a few days.

Markham Pre-Game

2009-11-09T13:49:00.000-08:00

The Markham Waxers come into town tonight to face a gradually improving Cobourg squad. The Cougars have 4 wins in their last 9 games; not too bad considering their record of 3 and 11 to begin the season.

This improvement can be attributed to a maturing offense that has begun to spread some scoring throughout the roster. Matt Diminie and Adam Place are tied for 8th in the league in the category of goals scored and Stefan Thompson is a respectable seventh in the assists category.

The stats start to get ugly when you scroll down the list of +/- leaders and notice that there isn't a Cougar until the mid 40's. This team has to improve it's defensive play if it really wants to start converting the fruits of its emerging offense into victories.

Aside from having one of the greatest team names in the league, the Waxers come in with a very impressive 10-2-3-4 record and some solid players on their roster. David Titanic (yet another righteous name) leads their team with 15 goals and 25 points while their crease is patrolled by the effective tandem of Dylan Ellis and Franky Palazzese who have both posted impressive numbers to this point. They have lost 2 of their last 3 games (one to former Cougar Chris Azzano in an impressive 33 save, 1 goal performance!) so this is a Markham team that has looked beatable over the past week or so.

If the Cougars can play a defensive game and find some of the magic in a bottle that they unleashed against Lindsay the other night they should be able to come out of this game with at least one point. The Waxers are a solid defensive team so goals will be hard to come by. The key will be for the defense to contain the Titanic, who is the lynchpin in Markham's mediocre offense. If they can do that the Cougars might actually play in a low-scoring game, certainly a rarity for them.

See you at the game!

Big Win!

2009-11-02T12:11:00.000-08:00

It was a romp on All Hallow's Eve in the Jack Heenan Arena on Saturday night. The Cougars blew out every bulb on the scoreboard en route to a 9-1 thrashing of the Whitby Fury. The win merely illustrated one of the more frustrating aspects of the Cougars' season so far.

With a team +/- of only -5 through 20 games it seems like the Cougars should deserve a better spot in the standings than last in the East. Ajax (who plays in Cobourg tonight by the way... get to the arena and watch!) has a team +/- of -7 and yet they sit a full 7 points ahead of Cobourg in the standings! This curious statistic is a product of two things: close losses and blow-out victories. Hopefully the Cougars can maintain this scoring touch and get on a winning streak because they need to put up some serious points to get back into the middle of the pack.

See you tonight at the game! And hey, if you go to a bunch of games do yourself a favour and by a 10-game flex pack for $75. You'll save 2.50 per game and they can be used at any home game for the rest of the season!