NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE (OJHL)
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The Ontario Junior Hockey League today announced details of the alumni game that will be played during the 2023-24 OJHL All-Star Celebration presented by Dairy Farmers of Ontario.
For the second straight year the weekend celebration will be held in historic downtown Collingwood, Ont, on Jan. 12 and 13, 2024. All events will take place at Eddie Bush Memorial Arena.
The alumni game, between Team OJHL and Team Collingwood, will be played Saturday, Jan. 13, at 10:30 a.m. The OJHL alumni won 5-2 last year.
Players confirmed to play for the Collingwood team include Rene Dorval, Warren Sly, Kyle Begle, Jesse Doughty and Scott Nichol.
“It is great to be a part of the OJHL All-Star weekend and the alumni game,” said Nichol, who played for the Blues from 1994-96. “I know a lot of the Blues alumni are still living and raising their families in Collingwood and that speaks volumes of what a great hockey community Collingwood has built.”
An Owen Sound native, Nichol came to Collingwood to play for the Blues. He met his wife in the community, where they raised two daughters, ages 20 and 17. Nichol has worked in sales at Hanna Motor Sales, the Ford dealer in Collingwood, since 1999.
The OJHL Alumni roster will include Blues General Manager Mike Tarantino, Aurora Governor Jim Thomson and his son, James, and Jack Varga, Darcy Roy and Stefano Durante.
Durante, who won the RBC Cup national Junior A championship with the Cobourg Cougars in 2017, is the OJHL’s Director of Player Recruitment.
“Playing in the OJHL Alumni game is not just a reunion on the ice,” said Durante, who played goal for three seasons in Cobourg. “It's a nostalgic journey through the camaraderie, memories and enduring spirit that shaped us as players. It's a celebration of the shared passion that binds OJHL alumni, binds the league and allows for the present and future players to see the players of the past who helped pave the way for them.
“It’s a great celebration of the OJHL and hockey, and all of us alumni are excited about the opportunity to play in it once again and defend the OJHL alumni victory of last year.”
The weekend celebration begins with the second annual OJHL skills competition Friday, Jan. 12, at 7 p.m.
Saturday’s schedule will kick off with the OJHL Alumni Game, followed by the Hudl-Instat OJHL Prospects Game at 1 p.m, which will feature the league’s top players born in 2006 and 2007.
The main attraction, the OJHL All-Star Game, will begin at 5 p.m. and feature the top players from around the 24-team league as selected by the league’s competition committee.
Tickets for All-Star Celebration are available at: https://collingwoodblues.
Advance tickets prices are:
- $25 for a two-day pass
- $10 Friday pass
- $25 Saturday pass.
Tickets at the door will be:
- $35 for the two-day pass
- $15 Friday pass
- $30 Saturday pass
All net proceeds from the weekend events will go to the OJHL Foundation, which focuses on delivering the First Assist Program to aid players with mental health and life skills training.
More information on the event, including rosters and coaches for the games, information on the presenting sponsor and the names of players taking part in the skills competition, will be released in the coming weeks.
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