LNAH – Page 3

Cornwall River Kings, fans and the Alex Penner debacle

A lot of people have been asking me why I haven’t commented on the Alex Penner fiasco that took place a couple weeks ago at the Ed Lumley Arena and commenting that I should be sticking up for my team, the Cornwall River Kings.

Sticking up for my team is one thing, agreeing with Alex Penner’s actions and not my team’s fans is another.

Look, even though this is the LNAH, a line needs to be drawn. I have no problem with what Alex Penner did. Yeah okay, his past events indicate he’s not one to back down from a fight be it how small but when somebody throws a damn can at your head (and makes you bleed no less), fan or not, you have a right to be pissed and retaliate.

These players are there for you enjoyment. They are there for your entertainment. Hell, some nights they beat each other to a bloody pulp just so you and your buddies can have something fun to do on a Saturday night. I have no problem with chirping and getting involved but when you start to get aggressive, it’s time to cut you off and say goodnight.

I don’t care what Penner did to provoke it, which I don’t even know if he did. If you watch the video (youtube it, I’m too lazy to link it), the fan comes running out of nowhere to launch the can as Penner skates off the ice. Like him or not, he’s a hockey player. He’s on the ice getting paid, you’re not and probably never will be.

Cell Block E can get rowdy and I think that’s fantastic. For the most part and the handful of games I’ve been too, I enjoy their heckling and commentary. I think some of the other teams find it amusing too. I know this guy might not have even been sitting in that section either.

Cornwall, you want to put a stop to this? Get some decent security who doesn’t just stand there. Tell them to not interfere with the chirping, only when things start to escalate. There’s no harm in a little heckling, hell this is hockey and the LNAH. If you do interfere, you’re only going to make it worse for yourselves.

Pack the house tonight. Let’s force a game 7.

This week in hockey: tragedy and death. They’re just like us.

They say bad things come in threes. That sentiment could not have been more true this week in the hockey world. Between the WHL’s Tim Bozon contracting meningitis and put into a coma, Matt Stajan and his wife losing their week old child, Rich Peverley collapsing mid way through the first period of a game and the tragedy of Terry Trafford, it’s times like these where you have to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. That bigger picture being these men that we look up to are just like us.

Behind the fame, notoriety, money and everything else that comes with being a professional hockey player, there’s something that we always fail to see. They are human beings with private lives and deal with problems and issues very similar to ours. We’re not much different when it comes down to the thick of things.

I remember when I was about 7 or 8, my Dad took me to see the Cornwall Aces play. The St. John’s Maple Leafs were in town and Brent Gretzky just happened to be suiting up for them that day. In the second intermission my Dad noticed that Walter Gretzky was sitting a few rows above us. He tried to coax me into going up and getting an autograph. “No, Dad! He’s a celebrity.” I replied. My father laughed and shook his head. “He’s not going to bite you. He’s just like us.”

He’s just like us.

It’s hard to differentiate between hockey player/celebrity and human being at times. My Dad ended up going over and chatting with Walter Gretzky for the whole third period, he seemed happy to oblige; maybe even shocked that somebody actually picked him out of the crowd in little old Cornwall, Ontario.

I’ve read a countless number of hockey player autobiographies over the years and I don’t know how many times I’ve related to certain issues these hard driven characters have went through. They struggle with adversity in the same kind. Some more than others. Just remember to when you’re hearing all of these unfortunate stories that come out in the hockey world that they’re dealing with the same issues we all are. We’re all just trying to be accepted in this crazy society and world. They just happen to have the spotlight shine brighter on them with some not even wanting it.

It’s a thankless job to be a role model in today’s world. The world is flying by too fast and the next person to become said role model is just waiting around the corner. Hold on to these players you idolize as they won’t be around forever.

They’re just like us.

River Kings fall to Braves after much hyped rematch fails to live up to expectations

Well, Homer got his way.

It was a Simpsons themed night at the Civic Complex complete with “D’oh!” and even Homer Simpson himself made an appearance. In case you weren’t up to speed, the Simpsons shtick was due to Laval Braves headman Dannick Lessard calling the Cornwall River Kings a bunch of a “homers” in a recent interview.

Running with it, the fans and even the Kings brass decided to throw it into the much talked about and hyped up re-match between the two teams Saturday night. Two weeks ago, the two teams met for almost 10 fights, an 8-2 Cornwall victory and Lessard himself getting suspended 4 games for trying to start something with Cornwall’s coach.

However, the match failed to deliver to expectations.

Cornwall was terrible in their own end. On powerplays, there was nobody in front of the net more times then I’d like to admit. Loic Lacasse was brilliant as usual as the game probably could’ve ended up in the double digits for Laval. Laval played a speedy, grinding game to come away with their 6-5 victory.

It’s the LNAH so people are in the stands for the fights. After a huge fight filled contest in Laval, the fans were expecting something similar. With only 3 fights on the card, and subdued ones to say the least, it wasn’t worthy of an LNAH caliber game. However, that might not have been the River Kings fault as most of the tough guys on Laval didn’t seem like they were ready to drop the gloves.

Some points I’d like to make. Cornwall was down in the score by 3 and the atmosphere was well, not very electric. Captain Steve Simoes must have realized that the momentum needed to change so he took it upon himself to up the ante. After drilling three guys and dropping the mitts with a damn good tangle, the momentum was finally in Cornwall’s favour. 2 or 3 goals (goals were scored but I’m flaky on how many) were scored while Simoes was in the box and it seemed like Cornwall had a life.

Until knucklehead Francis Lessard takes a double minor.

That my friends was Laval’s turning point. Now don’t me wrong, I like Lessard as much as the next person. AS A FIGHTER. Even though he landed on the scoresheet tonight, a 40 second shift of circling around In the offensive end doesn’t sit as great hockey presence but I digress.

On Laval’s side though and after finally getting to see them in person, it boggles my mind how this team is in last place! Does it have something to do with them having half of our roster now? No, I don’t think so. The goaltending of Stephane Cesar was brilliant to say the least and the hockey presence and mind of Maxime Boisclair was just amazing. Boisclair is a smart, smart hockey player. If Cornwall ever has a chance to trade for him, I’d pull the trigger in a second.

I know this a relatively long post but I had to be critical this time and if you don’t agree with me then so be it. I know it’s hard to gel as a team when you have very little practice time. That being said, the powerplay needs a complete overhaul. In fact, I overheard in the crowd that if Cornwall were to get another powerplay, they should just decline it.

It’s not all doom and gloom. There’s still plenty of hockey left so no need to get on the worry bandwagon right now. Plenty of life to put into this team and keep the Complex rocking. I hope to god that the next home game the same amount of almost 3,000 fans keep coming out. The atmosphere was electric and I’m sure the players love the support.

We’ll get there. It’s still our house.

Cornwall River Kings get ready for intense rematch against Laval Braves

Last weekend the Cornwall River Kings entered the so called “House of Pain” and came out with an 8-1 thumping of the Lavallyfield Braves. (In case you’re not up to speed, the team originally started in Valleyfield but soon moved to Laval due to financial and municipal reasons.) Now Laval has a storied history in the LNAH with the previous squad in the Chiefs and are trying to live up to the reputation.

The “House of Pain” didn’t seem to work in their favour however as Cornwall’s tough guys tossed the Braves around like there’s no tomorrow. Including Braves team coach Dannick Lessard pulling a John Tortorella and making his way over to the Cornwall bench. All in all the game ended in 204 penalty minutes.

Oh LNAH (or Laval for the most part), stay classy.

Anyway, this Saturday is bringing the two teams back against each other but this time down the 401 down in Cornwall’s barn. With the intensity of a fierce home crowd, I would assume the outcome is going to look a lot like last Friday. Cell Block E will be ringing with pandemonium to get a chance to get their chirps in at Dannick Lessard and the Braves. However, Dannick won’t be behind the bench as a 4 game sentence was handed down from the LNAH for his actions.

No matter, the best team on the ice will prevail and River Kings had made some changes and have proved to icing a more then competitive team. Not everybody will agree with some of the decisions they’ve made but this is hockey and stars/players move on. It’s the nature of the sport. Management has done everything in their power to make this a fan’s team and they haven’t let up.

Loic Lacasse will most likely start and will be a gem in net as usual. Look for the last place Braves to try once again to put on a show and throw the River Kings off their game. Obviously Cornwall is much stronger and won’t let anybody push them around in their house.

Who’s House? You know whose it is.

State of the Union address – LNAH style

Sigh.

Where do I even begin with this one.

The Ligue Nord-Americaine de Hockey has been known in the past to be one of, if not THE, toughest league in North America. Hell, for all I know it still could be. However, that credibility is starting to slide.

Before I go any further, I want to state for the record that I am all for keeping fighting in hockey. The LNAH keeps an old school style play of hockey in which if one teams throws a deadly hit to a star player, you better be ready to respond and answer the call to that opposing team’s enforcer. I’m sure everyone would like every league in the world to adopt this mentality again but in this day and age and information we have on injuries and concussions, it’s just not going to happen.

I’m all for it. Staged fights is another article all together but for arguement sake, I can deal with it. What’s happening now though is that the fights in the LNAH are being levitated to a point where brawls are breaking out every game. That’s nonsense. It’s starting to turn into, dare I say it, sports entertainment. Of course fans are going to pay money to see grown men brawl each other on skates for 4 or 5 hours a night but it’s ruining the game. It’s sad to see. The fact that the damn league website has it’s own little tab for “Suspensions” should tell you enough.

Speaking of suspensions…

How does one warrant a two game suspension to a player for self defence after having a urine filled cup thrown at them by an unruly fan? Fan ended up falling into the player’s bench. Well my good friend, fans have no right to end up there, home or visitors. After your actions, you should have come prepared to get the piss taken out of you…no pun intended.

Another explanation please. How does one NOT warrant a suspension for leaving the bench? Players have gotten upwards to 10 games in the NHL leaving and jumping in a melee yet none of Thetford Mines last Sunday received any discipline after the WHOLE team left the bench.

And Angel with the “agressor” suspension? How about retaliation after getting a stick in the mouth.

Am I being biased because I’m from Cornwall? No, I’m not. I’ve been to the games and the referrees of the league seem to turn a blind eye to a lot of calls for both teams or let things get out of control. They have chances to stop it. They don’t. It’s disgraceful. However I can’t help but take notice that the stupid suspensions are towards an Ontario team but I digress.

The Bourret/fan incident got international exposure and not in a good way. I wish the masterminds who run the league will take notice and ownership of the players and the way they’re acting otherwise, this is just going to turn into a league for goons.

Despite the loss, River Kings entertain with home opener

After a few first regular season games on the road, the Cornwall River Kings finally returned to their own barn Saturday night. In front of a crowd 2,453, all the hard work put into the last 6 weeks to keep the team in Cornwall finally started paying off.

Although, not in the way they had hoped.

The Marquis de Jonquiere showed just why they are the defending champions. A tough, fast and physical team, the Marquis came away with a 5-2 win. Francis Charette was the best player on the ice for both teams. His hockey sense is something to be in awe of, scoring 2 of the 5 goals on the night. Former River Kings back up Frederic Piche picked up the win.

Francis Lessard waits for a play in front of Frederic Piche. (Photo: Alison Papineau)

However, the River Kings held their own and showed that they can hang with the big boys.

Remember, the Cornwall River Kings have only been together a few weeks and really need a chance to gel. Which no doubt, will happen with time. After coming off a loss the night before in St. Georges, Alex Bourret played an amazing fast-paced and physical game; notched the first goal for the Kings on a beauty shorthanded breakaway and earned himself second star of the game.

Another show of dedication came from Brennan Barker as he stood up to Gaby Roch who threw an elbow to the head to one of the River Kings. Although Barker seemed to take the punches, there is no denying the strength of sticking up for your teammate.

Heavyweights Francis Lessard and Chris Clouthier also dropped the mitts in a few fisticuffs. With time the River Kings will not be pushed around in their barn. Once the players start to get used of one another on the ice, hell folks, it’s nothing but up from here. Bow down to the Kings.

Next home game is Sunday, October 3rd when big Jon “Nasty”Mirasty and Sorel come to town. Puck drop is 3p.m. You won’t want to miss this one.

Cornwall River Kings ready for home opener; add Brett Angel

Media Release

After opening the LNAH regular season with three consecutive games on the road, the River Kings are finally set to host their home opener on Saturday night.

And a spectacular evening is planned for Cornwall fans.

The River Kings host the defending champion Jonquiere Marquis at the Ed Lumley Arena. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.

There will be plenty of new faces in the lineup for Cornwall, including newly signed towering defenceman Brett Angel. The 6-foot-6, 248 lb. native of Kingston will add plenty of size and toughness to the Cornwall blueline. The River Kings, after a hectic off-season, will also welcome back core veterans such as Loic Lacasse, Pierre-Luc Faubert, Nicolas Corbeil, among many others.

There will also be a special presentation before the game as the River Kings honour local hero Andrew Vink. Last month at training camp, Vink came to the rescue when young fan Clayton Cadieux was choking on loonies. After several frantic seconds, Vink was able to successfully perform the Heimlich manoeuver on Clayton, who began breathing once again.

After a trip to CHEO in Ottawa, Clayton has fully recovered.

Vink and the Cadieux family will be reunited at centre ice on Saturday night to drop the ceremonial puck.

Single-game adult tickets are $14, seniors/students are $10 and children under the age of 12 are $5. Also, children attending Saturday’s game wearing a Halloween costume will receive a free ticket to Cornwall’s next home game.

The River Kings (1-0-1) visit Saint-Georges on Friday night.

LNAH Kicks Off 18th Season; Cornwall wins in shootout, Mirasty fights in Sorel

The Ligue Nord-Americaine de Hockey kicked off its 18th season last night and it started off with a bang. Jonquiere toppled Trois Rivieres 6-5 and Riviere-Du-Loup knocked off Thetford Mines with a 7-4 win but the big stories for the start of the season were shown in the other two games being played on Friday night.

The fans of Sorel-Tracy were in for a huge treat as legendary enforcer Jon Mirasty signed on for the opening game against the newest LNAH addition, the Valleyfield Braves. With just 18 seconds into the first period, Mirasty dropped the mitts with former Cornwall River King, Mario Joly.

Not one of his better fights but Mirasty gave the much larger Joly a run for his money. However, even with all the fisticuffs Sorel was no match for the upstart Braves. Karl Fournier had an impressive 3 points in the first period en route to a 6-5 victory for Valleyfield.

Of course most people were looking to the Cornwall River Kings and their first regular season game. Amidst all the drama that unfolded the River Kings brass have managed to select a tough yet play making team. Yesterday’s lineup was as follows:

Forward
Bourret – Kavanagh – Chiasson
Corbeil – Filion – Faubert
Lessard – Pittarelli – Mazerolle

Defence
Cloutier – Caron
Andress – Reid
Sigouin – Barker
Jasper – Sullivan

Goal
Lacasse – Murphy

Clearly we have seen much better improvement and play since the preseason match-ups now that Cornwall has solidified a core. The River Kings and St. Georges played tight and evenly into the shootout where Cornwall’s Alex Bourret came out on top with the game winner. Chris Clouthier dropped the gloves a few times to keep the crowd on its feet.

Looks like it’ll be a tight race between all 8 teams this year for the LNAH. Which is great for us hockey fans; nothing like the good ol’ hockey game in the dead of winter.

Cornwall River Kings make a splash with Valleyfield Braves trade

Announced today, the Cornwall River Kings shipped centre Olivier Proulx to the new expansion team of the Valleyfield Braves. In return, the Kings received an integral piece of their inaugural season in Steve McJannett. Along with McJannett came scoring machine Dominic Chiasson.

So what does this mean for Cornwall?

Clearly, the River Kings won the trade. Cornwall has everything to gain in this 2 for 1 deal. Chiasson seemed to find his groove in the LNAH after spending 9 years in the United league. A 10 year vet of the LNAH, he has suited up for 411 games and managed to notch 522 points. This will be a welcome addition of fire power to the Cornwall River Kings line up.

McJannett on the other hand, is not quite a scoring machine like Chiasson but one tough man to have on the ice. This will bring more of the grit, toughness and size that is needed for the River Kings. Coach Simoes played with McJannett last season with Cornwall, so he knows exactly what kinda of player McJannett is, on and off the ice.

Things are improving at a steady pace for Cornwall and are easily starting to put the nay sayers to shame. A few more transactions and signings to go before they’re ready to be at the state they were in at the beginning of last year’s debut, but the right people are in place to make this team thrive.

Cornwall’s next home exhibition game is October 5th when “The Battle of the 401” commences in Valleyfield coming to town. Should be a great night of hockey.

River Kings fall flat in first pre-season game against Trois Rivieres

With half of the lineup filled with young players trying to fight for a roster spot, the Cornwall River Kings skated to a slow pace and fell flat as the Trois Rivieres Viking pounced to a 6-4 win.

Can’t hold it against them however. The River Kings are trying to build a solid and gritty team and only have weeks to do it. The willingness of this group of young lads who are coming out on the ice have to be commended, as well as the Cornwall brass for keeping hockey in Cornwall for another season.

All in all, coach Steve Simoes is liking what he see’s on the ice so far. Along with last night’s blue and white game, today’s pre-season match up showcased the younger calibre on the team. While veterans, Corbeil, Lessard, Faubert, Jasper and Lacasse were suited up, it was the 15 young lads trying to put on a show.

Nicholas Corbeil opened up the scoring for Cornwall who also notched the River Kings 3rd goal as well. Chris Ayotte and Anthony Piteralli added one each which gave Cornwall 4 goals on the night. It nothing but a show from Trois Rivieres end as Etienne Archambault lit the lamp 3 times and Benjamin Casavant slid in two. Michael Belanger added one more to end the Vikings night with 6 goals.

Although the players were playing their hearts out, I have to tip my hat to both River Kings goaltenders, Loic Lacasse and Marco Cousineau. Both made some brilliant saves to keep the River Kings in close.

Can’t forget about Jonathan Jasper’s HUGE open ice hit as well. Fans went wild.