PUCCIARELLI NAMED PLAYER OF MONTH
The OJHL announced today that Newmarket Hurricanes goaltender Jason Pucciarelli (photo credit - Craig Campbell/HHOF) has been named the Gongshow Gear North-West Conference Player-of-the-Month after posting a 6-1 record throughout the month of January.
Pucciarelli helped the North Division leading Hurricanes to a 9-2 overall record during the month to maintain their overall lead in the North-West Conference. The lanky netminder’s totals included a 1.57 goals against average and a .938 save percentage, while allowing only 11 goals in his seven starts. Four of Pucciarelli’s six wins took place against division rivals, topped by a 34 save, 2-1 victory over the Aurora Tigers. The totals improved his overall record to 15-3-3 with a 2.22 goals against average, fifth best in the league, and a .933 save percentage, eighth among all OJHL netminders.
Pucciarelli was quick to credit his coaches and teammates when informed of the honour, “It’s an honour to be chosen as the North-West Player of the Month for January. There are some great players throughout the league so being recognized is a big accomplishment for me. I feel my season this year has gone well so far. Newmarket has been a great environment for developing my game and defensively we have been excellent which really makes playing my best game that much easier. Our time off over the winter break let us get some rest and come out playing fresh in January which accumulated some big wins for our team. The staff in Newmarket has been excellent with making sure we have everything we need and that we are prepared for every game so we can give our best performance every night.”
Hurricanes General Manager and Head Coach Brian Perrin explained Pucciarelli’s importance to the club, “We are pleased that we have two quality goalies in Jason Pucciarelli and Matt Wintjes. With Matt being injured recently it gave Jason an opportunity to play a majority of the games in January and he played extremely well. Jason has worked hard all season and has played well throughout. With being selected to Team Canada East, Team North for the Central Canada Cup and now the North-West Player of the Month, he has made us proud that he is a member of the Newmarket Hurricanes.”
Stephen Genua of the Georgetown Raiders was runner-up to Pucciarelli as the North-West Conference Player-of-the-Month. The third-year forward recorded 17 points in 7 games played, helping lead the Raiders to first place in the West Division.
________________________________________________________________________________
Jason Pucciarelli was born on June 4, 1993 in Newmarket, Ontario and would play the large majority of his minor hockey career with the regional ‘AAA’ organization, the York-Simcoe Express. Beginning in minor atom, the lanky netminder would spend the next six consecutive seasons racking up an impressive list of accomplishments. The 1993-born Express would win four OMHA championships and one silver medal, while earning the bronze medal for a 3rd place finish at the OHF provincial championship twice. The club would also capture the prestigious Silver Stick tournament in bantam. Along with hockey, Pucciarelli would excel in roller hockey as a member of the York Mission Triumph.
Entering his minor midget season in 2008-09, Pucciarelli would move to the ‘AAA’ South Central Ontario Coyotes club based out of Richmond Hill, and continue his winning ways. Along with capturing the Eastern ‘AAA’ Hockey League title, the club would win three tournaments along the way, including the Gatineau Kiwanis Tournament, the Sudbury Big Nickel Tournament and the Waterloo Gold Puck Tournament. “Pooch” as his teammates refer to him, would excel at all three, capturing the Top Goalie Award with a 0.63 goals against average and a .970 save percentage in Gatineau, as well as backstopping the Coyotes to three shutouts, including a 2-0 victory over London to earn Game MVP honours in Sudbury.
The netminder returned to the Express in 2009-10, playing in 35 games with a 21-7-7 record and an impressive 2.11 goals against average to go along with six shutouts. That summer, he would join the CHE Blue Team in Boston, once again winning Top Goalie honours as the club won the Junior Division of the 2010 Boston Chowders Senior Cup. Pucciarelli earned the praise of numerous scouts for his play and would be picked up by the Orangeville Flyers. In speaking about joining the Flyers at the time, Pucciarelli would discuss the OJHL’s benefits, “Playing in the OJHL, I find are that there are many highly talented players and teams in the league. I find every team is a challenge to play against and there is always stiff competition. Another benefit is that it is a highly scouted league that will get you the exposure that every player needs.”
The 6’, 185 lbs. backstopper would excel early and perked the attention of NHL scouts as the only OJHL goalie place on NHL Central Scouting’s “Players to Watch” list for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. The young netminder posted a 5-6-1 record on the season for the Flyers with a 3.63 goals against average and .890 save percentage, while also being chosen to represent Team East at the 2010 CJHL Prospects Games held in Dauphin, Manitoba.
Following the season, with the Flyers ceasing operations, Pucciarelli was able to return to his hometown and join the perennial powerhouse Hurricanes. Already this season he has racked up a full list of accomplishments, including being a member of Team Canada East that won the silver medal at the 2011 World Junior ‘A’ Challenge in Langley, B.C., as well as a member of the OJHL North Division All-Stars that finished as runner-up at the inaugural Central Canada Cup All-Star Challenge that was held in Smiths Falls, Ontario.
