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Hanging up his skates: Cox ends his Junior career

May 2, 2013   ·   0 Comments

He is a fan favourite for sure.

When Randy Cox was injured in game two of the 2013 Alliston / Midland Flyers Georgian Mid Ontario Junior C Hockey League final series, the big question at the next home game was “where’s number five?”

Cox has been major player on the Hornets team since he first signed on in the 2008 / 2009 season.

He had a taste of Junior C action at the end of the 2008 season as a 16 year-old AP in the playoffs.

His first year on the team as a rookie he notched 40 points with 26 goals and 14 assists –good for the number 14 spot in the points totals for the entire league.

The following year he moved up to the number two place in the league finishing the season with 66 points.

In the 2010 / 2011 season Cox was on top. After 37 regular season games, he had recorded 34 goals and 53 assists to lead the league with 87 points.

“It was a lot different,” Cox said of moving up to Junior C from playing at the Midget level with the TNT Tornados. “Darrin (Shannon) was the coach, it was a huge step up – playing with 20 year-olds when you’re 16, they were a lot bigger and faster.”

While fans loved to see #5 score, Cox is probably better known as a play maker – one who can read the ice and sense the movements of other players.

He knows where to be and where other players will be, to give them the feed when there’s an opportunity to score.

“I had never seen him play but I had seen his numbers. I thought they made a mistake because I didn’t think he was a strong skater,” said Hornets head coach Sandy McCarthy. “But then I saw him with the puck. He has a vision of the ice and can see the little things. He’s good at sucking players in and putting the puck the other way.”

After five seasons on the Hornets, Cox, who hails from Tottenham, has completed his career and has to move on from Junior level hockey. But he has made his mark in local hockey and is in the record books to prove it.

“It’s good competitive hockey. You’re close to home and you play using your brain,” Cox said of playing Junior C hockey. “There’s a lot more thinking at the Junior level.”

During his career the Hornets won the Georgian Bay Mid Ontario League championship every season and won the Provincial title in 2008 and 2010.

Not too many players can say they’ve been involved in that many championships.

While playing competitively past the Junior level is an option, Cox said for the time being he’s not sure where, or if he’ll go to a senior league. “If I do, it will be Senior AA”

Currently he is working for RJ Contracting and doing home renovations.

He’ll certainly be remembered by both coaching staff and fans in the stands who appreciated seeing number five take the puck down the ice and deke through the opponents defence to take the shot on net.

By Brian Lockhart

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