OJHL reporter Ron Valentine with Collingwood Blues Marcus Lougheed (right) and Dame Boose at the Centennial Cup postgame celebration in Oakville Sunday. (Photo by Jim Mason/OJHL Communications)
By Ron Valentine
Sunday’s Centennial Cup championship had extra significance for two members of the Collingwood Blues.
Their team defeated Saskatchewan’s Melfort Mustangs 1-0 in the nationally televised championship game in Oakville Sunday.
Damen Boose and Marcus Lougheed are both Collingwood natives. They know how important the franchise is to the Simcoe County community,
And as Lougheed said during the Blues’ run to a second straight Ontario Junior Hockey League championship run this spring, they remember Collingwood before Jr. A hockey returned to town five years ago following an eight-year (2011-19) absence.
“It’s unexplainable. Playing in my home town is a dream come true. I wouldn’t change a thing,” Lougheed said during the OJHL’s Nuftrarms Championship Series. “After I heard Dave (Steele) was bringing the team back it was definitely one of my goals to make the team.
“After not having a team here when I was younger, It’s neat to see the kids here getting this experience now. When I was their age there were Barrie Colts games, but for them to see people who are older than you in your home town is really cool.”
Lougheed, 19, is an assistant captain of the club and he is in Year 3 with the team. He had a 50-point regular season and added 15 more in the OJHL playoffs. He has a commitment to NCAA Division I Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
Boose had a goal and two assists going into the 2024 Centennial Cup tournament. He was part of the club that went to the national championship tournament in Portage-La-Prairie last year but only dressed for one game. He was a big point producer for the Stayner Siskins with 113 in the regular season and playoffs. This time around the 18-year-old has taken a much more prominent role.
Both players are graduates of the Grey-Bruce Highlanders minor hockey system and the Siskins’ Jr. C program.
“It’s an indescribable feeling to lift the cup,” Lougheed told the OJHL on the ice in Oakville, moments after hoisting the coveted trophy in front of the large contingent of Collingwood fans in the stands. “It sure feels different than Portage last year, the guys put everything out there in this one as we have been doing all season. The Mustangs are a very tough team, they came at us from the start, they didn’t give us a lot of room but we got it done. It was tighter than some of the other games with so much at stake but we played our game and kept at it.”
Native son Damen is really happy for the local pair: “We have known each other since we were three years old, grew up together, played our minor hockey together and I couldn’t be happier right now.”
Andrew Campoli, head coach of the Blues: “It was such a tight game but as they have all season the guys came through. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy and it wasn’t. I’m so happy for Marcus and Damen, it’s especially big for them and something they will be remembered for by people in Collingwood for the rest of their lives.”
UPDATE: The Blues are hosting a Tailgate Celebration Saturday, May 25, from 12-4 p.m. at Collingwood’s Royal Canadian Legion. Fans are invited to meet their national champions and enjoy live music and a barbecue presented by Nutrafarms, with proceeds going to Special Olympics.
-with files from Jim Mason/OJHL Communications
For more information on the Centennial Cup, go to: https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/national-championships/men/national-junior-a/2024
