Your U18 team just got benched for a messy dressing room?
Bonjour du Nord – c’est Sudbury, on lâche pas. Let’s go.
Okay, so I’m drilling down on something that just screams "Northern Ontario hockey," eh? You’ve got the U18 AA Soo Jr. Greyhounds, a team from Sault Ste. Marie, coming all the way to Sudbury to play our Copper Cliff Reds in a championship game. Sounds exciting, right? But then, *voyons donc*, the Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA) pulls the plug. Not because of a fight on the ice, or an ineligible player, but because the Soo team apparently left a dressing room in Blind River looking like a slag heap after an earlier game. And because of that? They were *forced* to forfeit the championship.
### The Messy Details
Now, the story’s got more layers than a core sample, because it actually went back and forth. First, the Soo was told they were out. Then, after some appeals and probably a lot of phone calls that melted the lines, the NOHA changed its mind and said *ben là*, they *could* play. So, the game against our Copper Cliff Reds, probably at the McClelland Arena or the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex, is back on. It’s wild, eh? It just shows you that even at the U18 level, the NOHA is serious about respect for facilities. You wouldn’t leave a pit like that at Dynamic Earth, would you?
* The Soo Jr. Greyhounds initially forfeited the U18 AA championship for a messy dressing room. * The game was against our Copper Cliff Reds, a home team here in Sudbury. * The NOHA reversed its decision, and the Greyhounds will now play for the title.
This whole thing has been a real emotional roller coaster for everyone involved, especially the kids. For Sudbury, it means we still get to see some top-tier U18 hockey right here in our backyard, and the Copper Cliff Reds get their shot at a fair game. It’s a good reminder that even in small-town hockey, there are big stakes and even bigger rules about tidiness, I guess. You’ve gotta keep your house in order, eh?
Élodie Bélanger-Mikkonen, Sudbury, signing off.
You know Keith and the crew are gonna have thoughts on this — catch them live at mornings.live.