NEWS

The OJHL announced today that Kingston Voyageurs netminder Charlie Finn (photo credit - Amy Deroche/OJHL Images) has been named the Gongshow Gear Goaltender-of-the-Month for January after finishing with a perfect 5-0-0 record, including a 1.18 goals against average during the month.

A third year veteran, Charlie Finn continues to be one of the OJHL's top goaltenders every month and would stop more than 30 shots in four of his five January starts. His five victories were part of an impressive month as the Voyageurs went 8-1-0 to clinch a playoff berth. After starting the month with a 4-3 shootout victory versus Cobourg, Finn would post two shutouts, including a 38 save performance against the league-leading Trenton Golden Hawks. The member of Team Canada East at the 2012 World Junior 'A' Challenge that was held in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, currently leads all OJHL netminders with a .938 save percentage and sits third overall with a 2.25 goals against average, while posting a 22-10-4 record for the Vees, including a league-high seven shutouts. Earlier in the season, he was also named the October Goaltender-of-the-Month runner-up and confirmed his commitment to join the Colgate University Raiders beginning next season.

Charlie Finn was very appreciative upon hearing of the honour, "I would like to thank the league (OJHL) for recognizing my efforts and full credit to my teammates for making it as easy as possible. This accolade is really nice to receive, but our focus has shifted to getting ready for the playoffs."

Voyageurs General Manager Denis Duchesne congratulated his netminder, "We are very proud of Charlie in being recognized as Goalie-of-the-Month. He has worked hard the past three years and has excelled into one of the best in Junior 'A' hockey in Canada.

"Nice to see Charlie recognized," said Voyageurs' Head Coach Colin Birkas. "We play in a really tough league and conference, so he really has to be sharp every night. He has been instrumental in our streak that has seen us lose just once since December 10. The team has played well, but as any coach will tell you, it's a lot easier to play your game when you can assume saves will be made at your end of the rink. Charlie, in my opinion, is one of the premier goalies in the country and is very deserving of this award. Colgate keeps a close eye on Charlie and is really happy with his progress and is thrilled to have him next season."

Matt Larose of the Wellington Dukes was runner-up to Finn as the OJHL Goaltender-of-the-Month. Larose posted a 7-1-0 record with a 1.61 goals against average and a .953 save percentage to help solidify the club's playoff positioning.
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Born on January 16, 1993 and growing up in North Vancouver, B.C., Charlie Finn joined the Kingston Voyageurs in 2010 after playing his major midget season with the Vancouver NW Giants ‘AAA’ organization. Finn helped lead the Giants to the Mac’s Midget championship, earning 1st Team All-Star and Top Goaltender honours, as well as the BC Major Midget League title before falling to Red Deer two games to one in the Pacific Regional Championship. With his father’s family native to the Kingston-area (Napanee) and his brother’s attending Queen’s University, Finn moved-in with his aunt when he got the call from the Vees and after appealing to Hockey Canada to play out of province (due to his being under the age of 18), quickly proved his worth to the club and has been nothing short of sensational ever since.

During his rookie OJHL season in 2010-11, Finn would lead all netminder with a 1.92 goals against average, also the sixth best average in league history (dating back to 1992-93), to cop Top Goaltenders honour in the league and be named a South-East Conference 1st Team All-Prospect. Finn finished with a 23-4-3 record, 4 shutouts and a scintillating .937 save percentage. After facing injury disappointment early in 2011-12, he returned and would lead the sixth place Vees on a remarkable playoff run that saw them knock off both the heavily favoured Wellington Dukes and Trenton Golden Hawks before finally running out of steam in the East Division Final versus Whitby.

This season has seen nothing but the same from the netminder. Finn, who was also named the runner-up for Goaltender-of-the-Month in October, currently sits with a 22-10-4 record, the fourth highest win total in the OJHL, while his 2.25 goals against average is third best and he is tied with Buffalo's Parker Gahagen for the shutout lead with seven. Facing the third most saves in the OJHL with 1,246, he has remarkably held up the league's best save percentage at .938%. After missing out on last year's Team Canada East roster due to injury, Finn was named to this year's roster, leading Canada East to a fourth place finish at the 2012 World Junior 'A' Challenge held in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, but would miss the 2012 Central Canada Cup after being named to the OJHL East Division All-Star Team.