Forward Brant Romaniuk a steal of a deal for surging Cobourg Cougars

Cobourg Cougars’ forward Brant Romaniuk notched a hat trick and was awarded first-star honours after his four-point effort propelled the Cougars to a 9-4 victory over the visiting Wellington Dukes at the Cobourg Community Centre on Monday, Oct. 19. /Alan Rivett photos

By sports correspondent Alan Rivett

It’s becoming increasingly obvious with each passing game that the Collingwood Blues may have blundered in sending talented forward Brant Romaniuk to the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Cobourg Cougars.

The deal between the Cougars and Blues was consummated during the OJHL’s league-wide Governor’s Showcase in Niagara Falls earlier this month, with right winger Romaniuk coming to Cobourg, and the Blues settling for the Player Development Fee from the Cougars.

And you don’t have to be a Punch Imlach-calibre general manager to know that, at least in the short term, the Blues massively undervalued Romaniuk’s value as a playmaker and pure goal scorer, which he’s been demonstrating in spades as a member of the Cobourg Cougars in the five games that he’s been part of the organization.

Look no further than Romaniuk’s most recent effort in an emphatic 9-4 victory over the visiting Wellington Dukes at the Cobourg Community Centre on Monday, Oct. 19.

The 19-year-old Timmins native led the way with a hat trick and added an assist. He was also named as the first star of the contest that represented the Cougars’ third consecutive victory.

Romaniuk was also front-and-centre in the Cougars’ 8-2 road victory over the Aurora Tigers at the Aurora Community Centre on Saturday, Oct. 17. There, Romaniuk potted two goals and added an assist to contribute to the win.

Cougars’ Briir Long (19) watched as a shot entered the net behind the Dukes’ goaltender Dryden Riley during OJHL action Monday night at the CCC.

For his part, Romaniuk deflected his contribution in the dismantling of Wellington, stating instead that it was a solid effort up and down the lineup that put the Cougars in position for the victory.

“The boys came out to play tonight. You know, we were really good in all zones,” explained Romaniuk. “We were working hard, and offensively, we did really well tonight.”

Romaniuk allowed that he’s been super motivated to prove the doubters wrong since the trade, and so far, all evidence points to the Cougars making a solid move to bring him into the fold.

“Yeah, I guess there’s a little bit of motivation there,” said Romaniuk, of his play since the trade. “You know, I always want to do well no matter what. So tonight was just a good night and (I’ll) keep trying to stay consistent every game and compete.”

Cougars’ head coach Derek Smith gave Romaniuk his flowers after solid efforts against Wellington and Aurora. He said Romaniuk has fit in seamlessly with his line mates Briir Long and Cayden Smith who’ve formed an offensive juggernaut for the club.

“He has a really, really high-end skill set. His release is really good, and he finds quiet ice very well and playing with Long and Smith, those guys can make plays in all areas of the game, and Romy’s done a good job of finding some quiet ice and obviously, when that line’s clicking, they can put the puck on the net,” said coach Smith.

Wellington Dukes’ Galen O’Shea (18) skated past Cobourg Cougars’ Isaac Tracze (81) during Ontario Junior Hockey League action at the CCC on Monday, Oct. 19. The Cougars broke open a first-period 2-2 tie to score four times in the second and added three more goals in the third for a tidy 9-4 victory over the Dukes.

Romaniuk echoed his coach’s thoughts on his line mates Long and Cayden, noting he’s been able to get comfortable playing on the line quickly since his acquisition by the Cougars. In fact, he’s played alongside Long at the U11 to U15 levels as part of the North Bay minor hockey organization, which was a bonus when he was acquired by Cobourg.

“I was pretty confident that I would (have success) because I played with Briir Long growing up. So I had chemistry with him and then, you know, I practiced hard with the guys, and kind of gelled with my line so far. So yeah, I expected it,” said Romaniuk.

Smith said his club has continued to gather momentum as the season churns along, with the players starting to gel into a cohesive unit.

“It’s a process and Rome wasn’t built in one day, and we’ve had some tough times, but altogether, we’ve grown as a group, and they’re starting to play like a team, and, you know, the little things that we’ve been working on and preaching as a group, the guys are starting to understand.

“You know, we have to remember, we have a full new team,” he continued. “There are only five returning guys from Haliburton last year, and it takes a while for cohesion to come and for the group to come together and build.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do, but we’re happy with where we’re at today.”

Other scorers for the Cougars against Wellington were Chase Del Colombo with two and Jonny Brooks, Long, Garrett Jones and Isaac Tracze all with one apiece. Other assists went to Nole Faulkner with four, Liam Oravsky and Graydon Jones each with two, Carter Petrie, Luis Sturgeon, Garrett Jones, Keegan Shirley and Del Colombo all with one.

Cougars’ players celebrate a goal, while a Dukes’ player couldn’t hide his dejection during Ontario Junior Hockey League action at the CCC.

Del Colombo, with two, Cayden Smith, Petrie, Long and Oravsky were the other goal scorers for the Cougars against Aurora. Other assists were added by Shirley with four, Long with three, Faulkner with two, Petrie, Brooks, Smith and Oravsky, all with one.

The Cougars are on the road for their next three games, playing in Newmarket against the Hurricanes on Saturday, Oct. 24, in Toronto against the St. Michael’s Buzzers on Thursday, Oct. 29 and in Markham against the Royals on Sunday, Nov. 1.

The next home game for the Cougars is against the Newmarket Hurricanes at the CCC on Monday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m.