The Ontario Junior Hockey League today announced a broadcast partnership with CHCH-TV to air six live hockey games over the remainder of the 2018-2019 OJHL season. The “CHCH Game of the Week” will provide viewers across Ontario with thrilling Junior ‘A’ hockey action, featuring emerging local talent facing off every Saturday afternoon in rinks across the province. The deal also includes the broadcast of six episodes of The OJ Today, a weekly hockey magazine show featuring highlights and analysis from all games across the 22-team league.

 “The OJHL is excited by this player-centric and community-based partnership with CHCH-TV,” said OJHL Chairman Marc Mercier, “since it allows us to showcase our league to a broader audience of fans right in the convenience of their homes.” 

The groundbreaking partnership will see OJHL games available to millions of households across Ontario via terrestrial TV for the first time. Weekly matchups will air Saturdays at 3pm, beginning December 22 when the Lindsay Muskies meet the Whitby Fury at Iroquois Park Sports Centre in Whitby. The game is a fundraiser for Harper Friel and her family. The three-year-old from nearby Port Perry was diagnosed with brain cancer in November 2017. All proceeds will go to the Friels and Ronald McDonald House, where the family has spent considerable time during the past year.

 “The OJHL’s brand of high calibre hockey is going to make for action-packed Saturday afternoons on CHCH,” said Cal Millar, President & COO of Channel Zero Inc. “Viewers are in for an authentic junior hockey experience, live, as if they were right there in the rink. We’re thrilled to give seasoned fans the ability to watch their hometown teams on TV, and also make some new fans along the way.”

 “Partnering with CHCH to broadcast live hockey games is an expansion of our digital footprint that aligns with our brand plan,” said OJHL Commissioner Marty Savoy. “It also provides our players with added exposure, promotes our league to future players considering playing in the league of choice, and gives us another valuable asset to enhance our corporate partnerships.”

Veteran junior hockey announcer Alex Bloomfield will handle play-by-play duties for all six matchups, while Alex Bastyovanszky, host of The OJ Today, will serve as host and provide colour commentary during the CHCH broadcasts.

The “CHCH Game of the Week” schedule includes:

Date               Game                              Location                                                           City

Dec. 22           Lindsay vs. Whitby             Iroquois Park Sports Centre                                   Whitby

Jan. 26            North York vs. Toronto Jr. Canadians           Scotia Pond                                   Toronto

Feb. 2             Burlington vs. Oakville       Sixteen Mile Sports Complex                                Oakville

Feb. 9             Kingston vs. Wellington      Wellington and District Community Centre             Wellington

Feb. 16           Pickering vs Aurora            Aurora Community Centre                                    Aurora  

Feb. 23           Trenton vs. Cobourg           Cobourg Community Centre                                  Cobourg

About the OJHL:

Five 2018-19 Toronto Maple Leafs played in the OJHL: John Tavares (Milton/Brantford), Mitch Marner and Connor Brown (Toronto St. Michael’s), Travis Dermot (Newmarket) and Zach Hyman (Hamilton/Markham).

Four OJHL players are on NHL Central Scouting’s Players to Watch list for the 2019 NHL Draft.

Former OJHLer Alex Formenton (Aurora) won gold for Canada at last year’s World Junior Championships. The Ottawa Senators prospect is expected to be on Team Canada again at the World Juniors, which begin on Boxing Day in Vancouver.

62 OJHL players have committed this year to play NCAA Division 1 hockey or in the Ontario Hockey League. Our list: http://pointstreaksites.com/view/ojhl/home-of-the-ojhl-1/commitments-2.

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About CHCH-TV

CHCH-TV started broadcasting in 1954 and is proud to be the news leader for Hamilton and the surrounding Halton and Niagara regions of Southwestern Ontario. CHCH produces over 24 hours of original local news programming each week. With a primetime line-up anchored by movies, news magazine shows, fan favourite retro programming and hit dramas, CHCH is available to over 92 per cent of Ontario households and is viewed by millions nationally each week. CHCH News is produced daily out of its broadcast studio located in Hamilton, Ontario. For more information, please visit chch.com.

About the OJHL – “League of Choice”

The Ontario Junior Hockey League is the largest Junior ‘A’ league operating under the auspices of the Canadian Junior Hockey League with 22 member clubs.  A proud member of the CJHL and Ontario Hockey Association, the OJHL was originally named the Ontario Provincial Junior ‘A’ Hockey League and it was formed out of the Central Junior ‘B’ Hockey League in 1993-94. With a long and storied history of developing players for the next level, including USports, the NCAA, CHL, minor pro ranks and the NHL, the OJHL had more than 135 commitments in 2017-18, including 65 NCAA Division I scholarships. For more information on the Ontario Junior Hockey League, please visit www.ojhl.ca