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Advertisement 1 Share this Story : HOCKEY NOTES Woman alleges sexual assault by OHL players in 2014 as per CTV News report and Canadian Press follow-up HOCKEY NOTES Woman alleges sexual assault by OHL players in 2014 as per CTV News report and Canadian Press follow-up Author of the article: Article content Yikes. A lawyer representing a woman who alleged in a CTV News report that she was sexually assaulted by eight Ontario Hockey League players in 2014 said her client is now deciding how she wishes to proceed. The woman, who used the pseudonym Anne Marie in a W5 report that aired last week, said the alleged incident occurred at a billet's house where a 19-year-old player she was in a relationship with was living at the time. “I do know that Anne Marie is looking to change hockey culture in Canada so that it is not as hyper-sexualized and that fewer people are getting hurt,” lawyer Simona Jellinek told the Canadian Press. “I know that is one of her goals for sure.” In the report, Anne Marie, who is now 32 years old, said she reported the alleged incident to Ontario Provincial Police in February of this year. She also said some of the players have gone on to play in the National Hockey League. The CTV report did not name the players alleged to have been involved or the team or teams they played for. None of the allegations have been tested in court. Jellinek declined to provide details on the location of the alleged incident. “Somewhere in Ontario is really the only thing that I'm able to say simply because you can understand that we do want to protect Anne Marie's privacy,” Jellinek said in an interview with the Canadian Press from her Toronto law office. In the report, Anne Marie said she also contacted the police force where the alleged assault took place, but was told they couldn't help her either, and that she should call police in the community where she now lives. “I do know she was very demoralized with how she was dealt with by police on both occasions,” Jellinek said. It wasn't clear if Anne Marie also reached out to local authorities. OPP spokeswoman Gosia Puzio told W5 that those filing a sexual assault report in Ontario need to do so with the police force in the jurisdiction where the alleged assault took place. In this case, the report said, a civilian employee breached OPP policy by not remaining on the phone with the complainant until they reached the appropriate person. The OHL, meanwhile, said it is taking the allegations “very seriously” and will co-operate with any police investigation into the claims. Responding to the report, the NHL told the Canadian Press that it “is deeply troubled by any accusation of this nature. We have no information beyond what was in the media report.” Jellinek issued further statements to the Canadian Press. “These kinds of cases can go anywhere from police investigations and criminal charges to civil cases being brought against the alleged perpetrators as well as hockey organizations, for instance,” Jellinek said. “They could also go towards a negotiated way of moving forward to change hockey culture in Canada. “There's lots of different things that can be done. It's just the willingness of all parties to try to come up with a way moving forward that's best for all,” the lawyer added. The report of the alleged incident comes as Hockey Canada continues to deal with sexual assault allegations against players on its 2018 and 2003 national world junior teams. OJHL VIA THESSALON Hailing from Thessalon, Brendan Cooke, a signed Ontario Hockey League prospect of the Flint Firebirds, is continuing his development with the Leamington Flyers and has his first goal as a member of the Ontario Jr. Hockey League team. Cooke, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound forward with a Dec. 22, 2007 birth date, was taken by Flint in the eighth round of the 2023 OHL priority selections draft from the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League. He spent the '23-'24 season of development with the Blind River Beavers of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League and was good for 13 goals, 16 assists, 29 points in 55 games. Now, into the '24-'25 campaign, Cooke was assigned by Flint to its Leamington affiliate for further development. As Cooke is signed by the Firebirds as a future look ahead for the '25-'26 OHL season and beyond, it is conceivable that the youngster could get a call to Flint for a game or two — or perhaps more — at some point in this '24-'25 campaign. FORT FRANCES TO TIMMINS From the Superior International Jr. Hockey League to the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League. Timmins Rock of the NOJHL has obtained 2004-birth-year forward Clark Scaddan from the Fort Frances Lakers of the SIJHL in a cash exchange. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Scaddan has appeared in 103 career games for Fort Frances, regular season and playoffs included. During that time, the Thompson, Man. product has produced 31 goals, 52 assists, 83 points. Scaddan joins a Timmins crew that is in a race for first place with the Sudbury Cubs and Blind River Beavers in the 12-team NOJHL. COACH OUT IN KAM RIVER First year head coach Dwight Lee and the Kam River Fighting Walleye of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League have parted ways after just 10 games. The SIJHL team confirmed that it is looking for a new bench boss to take over from Lee. Kam River had a record of 5-5-0 to begin the '24-'25 season under Lee and recently dropped a pair of games to its cross-town rival Thunder Bay North Stars. A perennial powerhouse through its first three seasons as members of the SIJHL, the Fighting Walleye has one championship and two other trips to the league finals to show for its efforts since its debut season 2021-2022. Notably, the Fighting Walleye had success in '21-'22, '22-'23 and '23-'24 under three different head coaches — Matt Valley, Geoff Walker and Jesse Messier. Kam River won the SIJHL crown in '22-'23 with Walker as the head coach. HOCKEY NOTES Woman alleges sexual assault by OHL players in 2014 as per CTV News report and Canadian Press follow-up Back to video Advertisement 2 Article content Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : HOCKEY NOTES Woman alleges sexual assault by OHL players in 2014 as per CTV News report and Canadian Press follow-up Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake Featured Local Savings
