The first month of the season is complete and we are heading into Christmas Break action. Below is an update of the White North division.

          Amherst (7-3-0, 2-0-0) currently sits atop the GCHSHL White North Division. They returned from Oxford/Miami University with hardware over Thanksgiving break winning the DiPaulo Tournament with a 3-1 record.  They defeated Talawanda in the championship after losing to them in preliminary play. Amherst continued right into the Adam Hamilton Memorial where they finished 2-2-0 with a pair of tough losses to the Red Division powerhouse Mentor Cardinals. Amherst gets back to league play with a battle for first place on the line as they travel to Olmsted Falls Sunday.

          The Avon Eagles (3-7-0,0-1-0) packed their schedule with tough tournaments back-to-back as they went 1-3-0 in the Tim Alexander Memorial losing to Mentor, Rocky River and Olmsted Falls. Their sole win came against Solon, shutting them out by the score of 7-0. They then competed in the Adam Hamilton Tournament, going 2-2-0.  They lost again to Mentor, 4-1, but the game was much closer than their first meeting with the Cards. The wins came against Solon and Kent Roosevelt. This weekend, Avon plays a league game against Kent on Saturday and then a non-league game against Westlake on Sunday.

            Avon Lake (2-5-0, 1-2-0) over Thanksgiving break took part in the Tim Alexander Memorial Tournament, losing to Red Division contenders Mentor and Rocky River as well as Solon.  The Shoremen finished on a good note, however, beating Solon 11-1 after previously losing to them 4-2. After losing to both North Olmsted (7-6 in OT) and Amherst (2-1) this past weekend in league play, Avon Lake will be competing in the Benedictine Tournament the weekend December 13-15 with games against the host Bengals, Orange and Canton Akron (club team).

            Kent Roosevelt (3-7-0, 0-1-0) joined Amherst in Oxford/Miami University over Thanksgiving break however, unlike Amherst, the Rough Riders were unable to bring home any hardware as they managed just one win in four games. They immediately tried to rinse that taste from their mouths and competed in the Adam Hamilton Memorial Tournament the very next weekend. Despite playing better, the results did not match as Kent finished once again 1-3-0. The bright spot was beating a very tough Parma squad in overtime, 5-4. Kent Roosevelt gets back to league play with a game Thursday verse North Olmsted and Saturday against Avon.

            The North Olmsted Eagles (5-4-0,1-3-0) competed in the Tim Alexander Memorial Tournament over Thanksgiving break. It was tough to say competed because they swept four games and out-scored their opponents, 37-10. They had no trouble with CVCA, Orange, Twinsburg and Normandy with Orange giving them the biggest challenge (8-6). Despite the 1-3-0 league record, the Eagles have been very competitive, losing close contests to both Kent Roosevelt and Olmsted Falls. The chance for redemption against the Rough Riders comes this week as they travel to Kent on for a rematch.

            Speaking of Olmsted Falls (4-2-0, 2-0-0), they finished the Adam Hamilton Tournament with a record of 2-2-0. Both of the losses were to top Red Division teams, Mentor and Rocky River, which are a combined 16-1-3 so far this season. The Bulldogs are excited for their match-up Sunday against Amherst as it will be for first place in the division and possibly, in the long run, the upper hand when it comes to Baron Cup seedings.

--- Thomas Liegl for Ohio Hockey Digest