NEWS ************************************************************************************************* (LAST SITE UPDATE:   JULY 21, 2010) JULY 21, 2010 MOOSE ADD TO COACHING STAFF - NCAA GRADUATE HIRED AS ASSISTANT COACH! After recently moving forward with the signing of new Head Coach, Mike Pain, the Toronto Canada Moose are pleased to announce the newest member of the coaching staff, former NCAA Division 1 Goaltender Kain Tisi. Kain is 25 years old, is originally from Mississauga, ON., and just graduated with a four year degree from St. Lawrence University, playing four years of Varsity hockey with the 'Saints', the last year as the starter.  Prior to St. Lawrence was a stellar 5 year career in the OPJHL, the last 3 with St. Michaels, leading the Buzzers to first a League Final appearance in '03-'04, followed by 2 successive League Championships the next 2 seasons! Kain currently owns 5 Buzzers records, all stemming from the first Championship win in '04-'05, including regular season save percentage, and playoff marks with 31 GP, 22 Wins, 3 Shutouts, 1929 Minutes Played! Though Kain is also relatively new to the coaching ranks, he brings a wealth of experience playing at the Tier II level, but a wealth of knowledge in how to succeed, both on the ice and off!  He also brings plenty of teaching experience, working with young goalies for many years through various goaltender training programs. Welcome aboard, Kain.  Another nice fitting piece to the Moose puzzle for '10-'11! NEW TRYOUTS ADDED, STARTING TUESDAY, JULY 13 FROM 6-7PM. CLICK ON THE TRYOUT LINK FOR FURTER INFORMATION AND COMPLETE TRYOUT SCHEDULE! (July 21:  New sessions added - Wednesday, August 4 and Monday, August 9.  See Tryout Schedule for details) ****************************************************************************************** Wednesday, June 30, 2010 MOOSE HIRE NEW HEAD COACH!  The Toronto Canada Moose are pleased to announce the team has come to terms with 26 year old Mike Pain to assume the position of Head Coach, effective immediately. Pain is a resident of Thornhill, and just completed his degree at York University while playing Varsity hockey for the York Lions,  Mike played 2 seasons at the Major Junior level with the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL, as well as 2 seasons in Provincial Jr A. Despite being fairly new to the coaching ranks, what he lacks in experience is more than made up for with his playing experience, his level of fitness expertise, his knowledge of the game, and his philosophy on developing athletes both on and off the ice. More news to come but for now, welcome aboard Mike. MORE SIGNINGS AND MORE INTERNATIONAL CONTENT! The Moose are pleased to announce our latest signings for 2010-11, and the lineup will have a more international flavour than any of our first four seasons. The Moose are pleased to welcome back Ivo Michel, our 20 year old forward from Switzerland, and Ivo is bringing with him former Swiss teammate Juri Egger, a 6', 187 pound Forward from the Wallisellen Club in Zurich.  The Moose continue with more European content, signing 2 players from England.  Louis Lockwood, an 18 year old Forward who had an outstanding season in the UK, playing on the first line with the Streatham Redskins and leading the team in goals, and Daniel Allen, a 19 year old Forward, who divided his time between a senior men's semi-pro club and the Basingstoke Jr. Bisons. Also signing this past week is 18 year forward, William Phippen, a native of Napanee, Ontario, who was a late cut of the GMHL Champion Deseronto Storm last season, and who impressed us with his energy at work ethic at recent tryouts. More news to come shortly.  Stay tuned! TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2010 UPDATED NEWS FROM THE MOOSE AND AROUND THE GMHL! This past weekend saw the GMHL conduct it's AGM and Draft, and make some great announcements as preparations continue towards our Fifth Anniversary season.  For a complete rundown of the draft and more, use the link:    http://gmhl.net/article.php?article_id=54345 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The GMHL announced recently the addition of two new teams, the Shelburne Russian Red Wings and the return of Sturgeon Falls, only as a new club to be known as the Lumberjacks and under new management. The league just announced as well, that the King Wild will be undergoing a major transformation.  First, they will be moving from Nobleton to Vaughan, playing out of the Vaughan Iceplex, formerly known as Doublerink Arenas.  The team is also in the process of changing their identity, complete with a change in uniforms and their nickname! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Moose continue to develop our roster for next season, starting with players who have committed to returning next season.  The Moose are pleased to confirm the return of Forwards Steve Rigutto, Andrei Leheniuk, and Captain Gianmarco Aiello, an original member of the Moose, who be completing an outstanding junior career with Moose, along with Goaltender Frank Crupi, and Ivo Michel, who will be returning from Switzerland, along with a Swiss teammate to be named shortly. We're communicating with others that we hope to have back, but some have chosen to consider their options for next season and we should have a better idea shortly. We're waiting on players like Joe Monticchio, who transitioned from forward to defense, and in my mind, showed himself as one of the top 3 or 4 defensemen in the league; Alex Nilsson, who played with more heart than anyone on the club, but whose season was cut short by an injury late in the year; Brandon Booth, whose style I have compared to Bobby Clarke, former heart and soul of the Philadelphia Flyers, and whose tenacity and work ethic put him on a path to success at the college level; Jared Walker, whose dedication to improving his game every time he stepped on the ice will pay off as he matures; Rupert Quiney, the big English Defenseman who got better with each passing game as he adapted to our league's level of play; among others. The Moose were also busy at the Draft, drafting one talented young goaltender, 1995 Pickering native Holden MacDonald, while trading for a proven commodity, Pat Cormack, trading a draft pick to Powassan to obtain his playing rights.  Cormack was instrumental in keeping Powassan close in a number of games last season, but lives in the Toronto area, and we're hoping he will make his home with the Moose this season. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LASTLY, NEW TRYOUT DATES & PARENTS MEETING SET! PARENTS MEETING WEDNESDAY, MAY 12 6:30PM - Thornhill Community Centre This meeting is for all parents who intend to sign with the club for this upcoming season, or are still considering committing to the club, whether a returning player or new player!  March 23, 2010 2010 - 2011 SEASON! In the game of hockey, when one season ends, preparations begin the very next day for the following season. Due to some unforseen circumstances - some of a personal nature, and some concerning the need to fill a vacant coaching position, due to the removal of our head coach - some plans have been delayed, but we're now moving forward to ready our team for next season. Our first skate is tentatively set for the week of April 5, and specifics will be confirmed early next week.  In the meantime, we are in the process of contacting all of our players and parents, in some cases to finalize commitments for next season, but in some cases, unfortunately, inform some players they are not included in the club's future plans. Please be reminded, at this time of the year, in the off-season, when teams like ourselves are making plans, and players and parents are considering their options for the following year, GMHL rules state that a player's rights belong to the team to which they've signed for their entire junior age eligibility, unless those rights are traded or released. Any contact by players or parents with other teams in the GMHL without permission is not permitted.  In addition, and even more noteworthy, is any GMHL team representative - scout, administrator or coach, etc. - making contact with protected players from another organization is considered tampering, and will be dealt with severely. Stay tuned for further details! THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010 Season Ending Message from the President I would like to first take this opportunity to personally thank everyone in our organization, from the coaches and training staff, to our athletes and their families, for all your time and effort this past season. The season certainly had its ups and downs, to say the least! After suffering through a tough start and a frustrating 3 & 13 record, things took a significant turn for the better.  There was a great deal of optimism that followed as we ran up a 12-5-4 record after the Showcase Tournament in Elliot Lake in late November, arguably becoming one of the top teams in the league and climbing all the way up towards 6th or 7th place from the bottom of the ladder.  Then finally, we experienced the exasperation and disappointment of being struck down by numerous injuries just prior to playoffs, seriously reducing our roster and our realistic chances to take a run at a title!  Such is the game, and in the end, despite the disappointment, it's that 'roller-coaster' of emotions that make sports such an exhilarating experience to begin with. That all being said, as the remaining teams compete in the GMHL playoffs to declare a champion for 2009-2010, we will put our recent playoff disappointment behind us and turn our thoughts toward building our club for next season. To that end, there are a number of substantial changes on the way. First, the team announces that we have parted ways with Head Coach Josh Boni as of last week.  The decision was made after Josh missed practice and two vital games the last week of the season, including our playoff win in Algoma.  We wish Josh the best of luck in the future. There are other staffing issues to be addressed as well, and announcements will be made in the coming days and weeks. As for our roster for next season, it is obvious there are some members of our team who did not develop as we'd hoped, while others blossomed into solid Jr. A players.  In order to compete at the top of the table in the ever-improving GMHL, we need to improve at every position, and eliminate the weak links on our team who cannot compete at this level. We will be making decisions shortly as to whom we'd like to have back on our team, and whom we'll be releasing from our program.  Meetings will take place in the next two to three weeks, with corresponding announcements on our website. In the meantime, we'll be announcing spring tryout dates very shortly as well, and interested players should use the faceless Moose player on the left of our home page to link to tryout information and schedules. Hockey is a wonderful game, and it's been my pleasure to work with young athletes for many years.  Our program is never perfect, but we strive to improve it every year, and next year will be no exception. I'd like to wish everyone a fantastic spring and summer, and look forward to getting started all over again next September.  Again, stay tuned for further news and information! Sincerely, Marshall Uretsky President Toronto Canada Moose Jr. A Hockey Club ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   FRIDAY, FEB. 26 Moose season comes to an end, without even lacing up the skates! In a decision reached by club owners earlier today, in consideration of the Moose team's failure to make tonight's Qualifying Round Game 3 in Thessalong to play Algoma, the Avalanche will win by default, thereby claiming the series 2 games to 1, and moving on the Quarter Final Round and a date with Elliot Lake. The Moose came to the difficult decision to cancel their travel plans due to the storm system thoughout Ontario, and a makeup game could not be arranged tomorrow evening, the only night possible in order for the winner to be available to start the next series Sunday against the Bobcats. The Moose chose to put safety first, and though the weather did not turn out to be as severe as forecasted, we did our due diligence in order to make as informed decision as possible.  We regret that the season will come to an end in this manner, but team management along with players' parents were not comfortable having our team make the journey! Stay tuned for further news as the team winds down the year! UPDATED: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28 As originally decided, the Algoma Avalanche will move on the QF against Elliot Lake.  Despite the understanding of many, the logistics have become too difficult to overcome at this point, and so, the season has come to a disappointing conclusion. Stay tuned for details by Monday for information on team photos, returning equipment, cleaning out our dressing room, individual meetings and a season ending gathering to close out our time together this season. Thank you to all for another great season of Moose hockey! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FRIDAY, FEB. 26 Moose season comes to an end, without even lacing up the skates! In a decision reached by club owners earlier today, in consideration of the Moose team's failure to make tonight's Qualifying Round Game 3 in Thessalong to play Algoma, the Avalanche will win by default, thereby claiming the series 2 games to 1, and moving on the Quarter Final Round and a date with Elliot Lake. The Moose came to the difficult decision to cancel their travel plans due to the storm system thoughout Ontario, and a makeup game could not be arranged tomorrow evening, the only night possible in order for the winner to be available to start the next series Sunday against the Bobcats. The Moose chose to put safety first, and though the weather did not turn out to be as severe as forecasted, we did our due diligence in order to make as informed decision as possible.  We regret that the season will come to an end in this manner, but team management along with players' parents were not comfortable having our team make the journey! Stay tuned for further news as the team winds down the year! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- February 25, 2010 Toronto and Algoma head for the tie-breaker and a spot in the QF on the line! The last 2 days have seen the Moose and Avalanche win in each other's rink, and will now face each other Friday night in Algoma. The Moose have been decimated by injuries in recent weeks, and were forced to travel to Thessalon to play with 11 skaters, down to 10 after a second period game misconduct.  Riding a strong checking system throughout, the boys scored the only goal of the game 3 minutes in, preserving the lead all the way to victory, and a 1-0 series lead. This afternoon in Thornhill, still playing with a relatively small bench of 13 skaters, the Avalanche took it to the Moose, scoring twice in each of the first two periods, and coasting to a 4-0 win, tying the Best of 3 series at 1 each.  Despite a rough night of travel for Algoma, they seemed to have the legs moving faster than ours, taking advantage of our own larger ice surface and their manpower to outdo the Moose for the win. So now, rather than getting some much needed rest and some practice for a date in the QF with Elliot Lake, the Moose will once again head up the highway for the long journey to the North, and the highly charged atmosphere of Thessalon, to take on the Avalanche for the series win. The winner will advance to the Best of 5 QF against the Bobcats, starting Sunday night in Elliot Lake. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- February 23, 2010 Moose advance with win over 77's! The Moose took on Oro-Medonte in a sudden-death, single game elimination playoff to get the 2010 GMHL playoffs underway last night. Playing in the neutral site of Innisfil due to the lack of ice available at the TCC, both teams were trying to advance to a Best of Three qualifier against the Algoma Avalanche, winners against Powassan the night before in the other sudden-death matchup. The Best of 3 will determine the 8th seed in the Quarter-Final round, and a date with Regular Season Champion Elliot Lake Bobcats, to start this weekend. The Moose took a 3-1 lead in the second period, only to watch the 77's tie it before adding 3 in the third, including an empty netter, to seal the game 6-4, and get ready for the long ride up to Thessalon to play the Avalanche tonight at 8:30. Game 2 will take place in Thornhill Thursday afternoon at 1:30pm, with Game 3, if necessary, back up north in Thessalon Friday night. -------------------------------------------------------------------- February 20, 2010 Moose open playoff run Monday against 77's - in Innisfil! After a great run in recent months, the Moose were hit by the injury bug, losing the services of several key players, and are finishing the season with a bit of a bad string. It's now official that the Moose will finish 9th, and as a result, begin the playoffs with sudden-death, single game elimination against #10 place Oro-Medonte. Due to lack of ice time at the TCC, the Moose have made arrangements to use the Innisfil Recreational Complex in Innisfil, normally home to the Lakers.  The Lakers will finish 5th in the standings, and not being their playoffs until the following week, after the qualifying round between teams #8 through #11 are completed. #11 Powassan will play either the King Wild or the Algoma Avalanche in the other single game qualifier, with the winners playing a Best of Three series to determine the 8th seed moving forward to the Quarter Final, Best of Five round. As always, use the links on our site for direct access to gmhl.net pages with scoring and results. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ February 4, 2010 As the GMHL heads into the final weeks of the regular season, teams are battling for position to improve their chances in the playoffs, which are set to begin Sunday, February 21 for some teams. The Moose have drastically improved our situation in the last two with some key additions to the roster, and some much improved play on the part of our younger players. Sitting near the bottom in November with a 4 & 14 record, the Moose used some fine play in the GMHL College Showcase in Elliot Lake to build momentum and turn our fortunes around. The Moose have rebounded with an 11-6-4 record since that time, culminating in 8th place with a win this week over the King Wild.  In fact, that record could even have been 4 wins better, considering an OT losses to Deseronto and Brock, a Shootout loss to defending champion South Muskoka, and a heartbreaker at home, also to Deseronto, allowing a shorthanded penalty shot late in the game that won it for the Storm. At it stands currently, King and the Moose are tied in points, but the Moose have the edge in head to head competition, the first tiebreaker used. In fact, the Moose are only 3 points out of 7th place, a key position considering teams 1 through 7 automatically advance to the Quarter-Finals, while teams 8 through 11 must play an agonizing qualifying round to advance.  The qualifying round consists of single game eliminations, with the winners playing a Best of Three to win the 8th spot for the Quarters.  However, with single game playoffs, and even Best of Three's, anything can happen. Nevertheless, the Moose have come along way in the last couple of months, and there is a lot of optimism that we can compete against anyone in the league, and could do some damage in the playoffs.  Victories over Bradfor and Innisfil, and some close games against Deseronto and South Muskoka recently can attest to that. There is a lot of parody in the GMHL this season, resulting in many close games regardless of standings, and that bodes well for the most exciting and interesting playoffs in league history. ------------------------------------------------------------- The league has confirmed the latest GMHL entry - The Russian Red Wings.  The league has just announced the team will play in Shelburne, ON, out of the Dufferin Recreational Complex, which is currently undergoing a multi-million dollar upgrade.  The team will consist entirely of Russian players, and continues to increase the number of imports in the league, one of the strong suits of the league, and probably the single biggest reason the GMHL has silenced all its critics, and proven successful as we prepare for our fifth season in 2010-11. October 20, 2009 Moose have first pro alumni! The Moose are pleased to announce that former Moose star, 21 year old forward Luc Boissonneault of Scarborough, ON, has been offered a contract with the Lousianna Ice Gators of the Southern Professional Hockey League for the 2009-2010 season. The Gators just concluded their main camp last week, and Boissonneault earned one of the coveted spots on the SPHL club.  Despite the league being an entry level pro level, rosters are limited, teams must adhere to a strict salary cap, and cannot carry several additional players in case of injury of suspension. Many clubs in the league are affiliated with ECHL and other higher level clubs, and hope to develop players themselves that can move up the ladder in the game.  Boissonneault played for the Moose in our inaugural season 3 years ago, before moving on briefly with the Oakville Blades in the OPJHL, seeing limited action, eventually spending the better part of two season with Brantford Jr. B's.  Luc was allowed to train with the Moose these last few weeks to prepare for the Ice Gators camp, and the preparation obviously paid off. Well done, Luc!  Would have been nice to have had you with us these last couple of years, but pleased we could help you along the way up to the pros! ------------------------------------------------------- UPCOMING ACTION! After a tough loss to Powassan this past weekend, extending the losing streak to four, the Moose finally get busy with our game schedule, starting this weekend.  While we've struggled to put teams away early in the season, despite outschooting and outchancing several team, we feel we have enough talent to compete with anyone, and Coach Boni with Ass't Coach Ziel are working hard this week to improve on the details that have given us problems. This Friday, the Moose board the bus for the first time this year for a date with the Storm in Deseronto.  The overall series between these two teams has always been close every season, and while the Storm sit 2 games above .500 at this early stage, we anticipate another tight battle.  The Moose continue the weekend with meeting number 3 of the season with the Lakers from Innisfil, dropping the first two close encounters, and finish the weekend with trip up the 400 to take on the first-place overall Rattlers in Bradford. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- October 9, 2009 The Moose will travel to Innisfil for a rematch with the Lakers this Sunday afternoon at 2:30pm, for our first road game of the season. We're coming off a tough 4-3 loss to the Lakers, with the Moose allowing the winning goal just 3 minutes from time last Saturday night. The Moose, who've played only 4 games so far, the fewest of any team in the league thusfar, will have back Jon Minard, our former leading scorer, who rejoined the club last Christmas, only to suffer a broken collarbone in his 3rd game of the season, then reinjuring it on his 2nd shift in his first game back, finishing him for the season, and really hurting our chances to advance in the playoffs. Jon has spent the first month of the season in Calgary, taking part in a police training program, but is back, and raring to go. On the other hand, the Moose will be without Capain Gianmarco Aiello, who travels to Lousianna for a pro tryout with the Ice Gators in the Southern Pro Hockey League.  Aiello participated in an open camp back in August, run by the World Hockey Centre, and impressed Head Coach Ron Handy, earning a spot in their main camp next week. The Moose are currently 1 & 3 on the season, but we're feeling good about how our team has come together in recent weeks, and feel we could easily be 3 & 1. After an opening night loss to King, giving up a 4-2 lead while trying out a new goaltender in regular season action, making easy work of Oro-Medonte in a 7-2 win, giving the top-rated Rattlers all they could handle in a 9-5 loss, and letting a 3-2 third period lead slip away against the Innisfil Lakers, we're feeling confident we have enough to compete with the best teams in the league. After a month of many practices and only a few games, the schedule begins to get tougher with a total of 8 games in October, 10 in November, 10 in December, and 9 in January. Make sure you stay tuned to our website, and of course the league website, which carries live scoring for most games, up to the minute stats and standings, and more! 2009-10 is going to be a fun year!  Stay tuned and come on out and cheer on the Moose!