NEWS

A series of stories on the team captains in the Ontario Junior Hockey League during the 2017-18 season:

By Ron Valentine

The BURLINGTON COUGARS, following the trading of their captain, Zac Elson (Photo by Shawn Muir / OJHL Images), to Georgetown decided to go with four 'A's for the rest of the season: ex-Markham Royal Noah Kalsner-Lowe, Mitchell Morrison, former Toronto Patriot blueliner Wayne Villalta and veteran forward Matthew Galli.

Like Kalsner-Lowe, Matthew is in his final season of eligibility in the OJHL and is pleased to be able to give guidance on and off the ice to the younger players.

The team has been through a lot of changes this season but Matthew feels that they are now pointing in the right direction and are in the thick of the playoff race in the Conference. The Cougars are Matthew's fourth club, having also spent time with Aurora, Mississauga and North York.

He feels he is a good communicator and likes to lead by example on the ice and he is averaging almost a point per game this season. He feels that the new acquisitions have given the team lots of speed and energy and they are now getting more cohesive in their run for the playoffs.

He is very excited about some of the young talent on this team and mentions two forwards, 17-year-old Josh Leblanc and 16-year-old Dennis Golovatchev – who he says has one of the hardest and accurate shots in the OJHL.

He feels that his club is set in the net led by Justin Richer, who he calls one of the hardest working goalkeepers in the league. Matthew, wanting to carry on his hockey and education, is looking for a U Sports spot for next season.