HOCKEY NOTES: Bantam Hounds fall in playoff round

The Soo Greyhounds Bantam AAA minors advanced into the playoff round but feel short in overtime.

After finishing the round robin portion of the schedule with a 2-1-1 record, the Greyhounds advanced into the quarterfinal round at the International Holiday Classic Tournament in Toronto on Monday night but fell 3-2 in overtime to the Ajax-Pickering Rangers.

The bantam Hounds entered Monday's action without a loss at 2-0-1 but dropped their final preliminary game 2-1 to the Philadelphia Phantoms.

The Soo Thunder also participated in the tournament but finished action on Sunday out of the playoff hunt with a 2-2 record in the bantam major division.

Scoring details were not available.

*** THUNDERBIRDS WINLESS:

The Soo Thunderbirds finished the Newmarket Showcase Tournament with an 0-3 record after dropping their final game on Monday 4-1 to the Vaughan Vipers.

The Thunderbirds opened the heavily scouted junior A tournament on Saturday with a 4-3 loss to the Syracuse Stars before falling 7-2 to the Mississauga Chargers on Sunday.

The locals return to action on January 10th with an exhibition game against the USA Under-18 Development Team in Gaylord, Michigan. The next Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League action for the Thunderbirds is January 14th against the Blind River Beavers at the John Rhodes Community Centre.

*** CARTER SCORES IN ROMP:

The Soo Greyhounds' Jeff Carter scored once and setup another in Team Canada's 10-0 trouncing of the Ukraine on Monday at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Finland. Carter now has three points in the tournament.

The undefeated Canadian team returns to action on Wednesday against the Czech Republic at 8:30 a.m. on The Sports Network (TSN).

Meanwhile, Hounds rookie centre Chris Lawrence gathered an assist in Team Ontario's 9-2 win over Finland to open the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge on Monday in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland.

*** MAVERICKS DEBUT:

The Soo City Mavericks made their local debut at the Pullar Stadium in the Michigan Sault on the weekend and dropped a pair of games to the Northern Michigan Predators in the International Independent Hockey League.

The Mavericks dropped Friday's contest 5-4 before falling 8-4 on Saturday. The team slipped to 1-5 in the young season in the newly formed professional league.

Next home action for the club is scheduled for Friday at 8:15 p.m. at the Pullar Stadium against the Ohio Valley Ice Cats.