OHL Alumni Central

EV Bozen 84 began play in the Lega Italiana Hockey su Ghiaccio Serie A2 last season, 2010-11. Things didn’t fare well for the club. The team played 32 games, lost 31 in regulation time and lost the other in overtime for a grand total of one point on the year. The team is affiliated with HC Asiago, the playoff champion in the LIHG Serie A1 for the past two seasons.

EV Bozen 84 will have two Ontario Hockey League grads on the roster to start the 2011-12 season. One, is the second oldest in the league and an integral part of Asiago’s back-to-back championships. The other, a goalie fifteen years younger and fresh out of the Canadian university system.

Ralph Intranuovo has averaged over a point per game while being a leader for HC Asiago for the past two seasons. Intranuovo played in the Ontario Hockey League for three seasons, starting way back in 1990-91, all with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. His OHL career culminated with a Memorial Cup victory with the Greyhounds. He was selected the Memorial Cup MVP in 1993.

Ralph was selected in the fourth round of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, 96th overall. His NHL experience consists of 22 games with the Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was an American Hockey League all-star in 1994-95 with the Cape Breton Oilers and in 1996-97 with the Hamilton Bulldogs.

During his career, Intranuovo has played for teams in Canada, Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Italy. Interestingly, he has never played for a club based in the United States. During him North American minor league career, he played for the Cape Breton Oilers and Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, as well as, the Manitoba Moose of the IHL.

Anthony Grieco played between the pipes in 25 games for the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors in 2007-08, posting a less-than-stellar 4.00 goals against average.

In 2009-10 and 2010-11, Grieco played net for the University of Western Ontario Mustangs. He posted incredible numbers on a very strong team. In his first season, his GAA was just 1.66 with a .954 save percentage. He played more games in his final seasons with UWO, recording a 2.57 GAA and .921 save percentage. In eight playoff games in 2010-11, he had a 1.96 GAA and .936 save percentage. Grieco played for Team Canada at the 2011 World University Games.

Anthony is officially a member of HC Asiago for 2011-12, but is on loan to EV Bozen 84. He will have a hard time not being an improvement over the goaltenders of 2010-11. Two goalies split the work for EV Bozen 84, the best played in 19 games with a 6.75 GAA and .847 save percentage. The lesser of the two goalies played in 15 games with a dreadful 8.39 GAA and .781 save percentage.

In the early 1990′s, there was no better team in the Ontario Hockey League than the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. In 1990-91 and 1991-92, the Greyhounds won the Robertson Cup as the Ontario Hockey League playoff champions. In both those seasons, they were unsuccessful at the Memorial Cup.

In 1992-93, Sault Ste. Marie lost to the Peterborough Petes in the Robertson Cup final but went to the Memorial Cup anyway as the host city. This time, the Greyhounds won the big prize, becoming Memorial Cup champions.

Eighteen years later, four of those players on that Memorial Cup winning team are still actively playing in the world of professional hockey. Three have moved on to coaching positions.

Ralph Intranuovo was the MVP of the 1993 Memorial Cup. He, along with Drew Bannister, were named to the tournament All-Star Team. Intranuovo played the 2010-11 season in Italy’s Lega Italiana Hockey su Ghiaccio (LIHG) with HC Asiago.

Steve Sullivan is currently a member of the Nashville Predators in the NHL. Sullivan has been sidelined with a groin injury for a good portion of the year.

Jeff Toms is playing in Switzerland’s National League A with Geneve-Servette. He played in the Spengler Cup for the team this past holiday season. After finishing fifth in the twelve team league this season, Geneve was ousted by EV Zug in the first round of the playoffs in six games.

Drew Bannister (stay tuned tomorrow as we go more indepth with Drew) was a two-time Memorial Cup tournament All-Star. Bannister is playing for the Hull Stingrays of Great Britain’s Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL).

As for those who have moved to behind the bench, one is in the AHL and two are in the OHL. Rick Kowalsky is the head coach of the AHL’s Albany Devils. David Matsos is an assistant coach with the Windsor Spitfires. Dan Cloutier is a goaltending coach for the Barrie Colts.

We give Italy’s Lega Italiana Hockey Ghiaccio Serie A1 a fair amount of attention here at OHL Alumni Central. With five Ontario Hockey League grads among the the top ten scorers as of Dec 9, 2010 and nineteen in the top one hundred, the attention is well deserved.

Here’s how our guys are doing in Italy. The number in front of their name refers to the position they sit at in the LIHG scoring race. Names that are hyperlinked will take you to a previous post at OHL Alumni Central featuring that player. (GP-G-A-PTS):

2. Luciano Aquino, Valpellice (16-12-21-33). Aquino played two seasons with the Brampton Battalion, 2004-05 and 2005-06.

3. Anthony Aquino, Valpellice (18-8-21-29). Anthony played one season with the Oshawa Generals in 2002-03.

4. Dan Tudin, Ritten/Renon (19-12-16-28). Dan played four seasons with the Ottawa 67′s from 1995-96 to 1998-99.

5. Ryan McDonough, Valpellice (18-14-11-25). Ryan played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2004-05 to 2007-08. His first season was with the Sudbury Wolves before becoming a Saginaw Spirit.

9. Michael Henrich, Asiago (18-10-12-22). Michael played four seasons with the Barrie Colts from 1996-97 to 1999-00.

18. Matt Kelly, Val Pusteria (19-6-14-20). Matt played four seasons with the Belleville Bulls from 2002-03 to 2005-06.

23. Marty Wilford, Fassa (17-3-16-19). Marty played three seasons with the Oshawa Generals from 1994-95 to 1996-97.

26. Kevin Baker, Ritten/Renon (18-7-11-18). Kevin played three seasons with the Belleville Bulls from 1997-98 to 1999-00.

30. Adam Henrich, Asiago (13-7-10-17). Adam played four seasons with the Brampton Battalion from 2000-01 to 2003-04.

33. John Vigilante, Asiago (17-7-9-16). John played four seasons with the Plymouth Whalers from 2002-03 to 2005-06.

43. Marco Insam, Bolzano (15-11-3-14). Marco played two seasons, 2008-09 and 2009-10, with the Niagara IceDogs.

46. Colin Chaulk, Alleghe (18-3-11-14). Colin played four seasons with the Kingston Frontenacs from 1994-95 to 1997-98.

47. Ryan Martinelli, Valpellice (18-2-12-14). Ryan played three seasons with the London Knights from 2004-05 to 2006-07.

52. Ralph Intranuovo, Asiago (14-6-6-12). Ralph played three seasons with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds from 1990-91 to 1992-93.

55. Nick Plastino, Asiago (18-2-10-12). Nick played four seasons with the Barrie Colts from 2003-04 to 2006-07.

56. Tyler Doig, Val Pusteria (8-1-11-12). Tyler played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2003-04 to 2006-07, split between the Barrie Colts, Guelph Storm and Belleville Bulls.

70. Gerome Giudice, Fassa (15-3-7-10). Gerome played four seasons with the Sudbury Wolves from 2005-06 to 2008-09.

84. John Parco, Asiago (8-3-3-6). John played three seasons with the Belleville Bulls from 1988-89 to 1990-91.

89. David Bowman, Alleghe (18-1-5-6). David played four seasons with the Windsor Spitfires from 2000-01 to 2003-04.

Check out the LIHG’s official website.

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds alumnus Ralph Intranuovo will be entering his 18th season in professional hockey and his 12th season in Europe. Intranuovo will return to HC Asiago of Italy’s Lega Italiana Hockey Ghiaccio (LIHG) for his second season with the club.

Ralph Intranuovo played three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 1990-91 to 1992-93, all with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. In 1991-92, Ralph finished eighth in OHL scoring with 113 points on 50 goals and 63 assists in 65 games. The Greyhounds finished atop the Emms Division and beat out the North Bay Centennials for the Robertson Cup as Ontario Hockey League champions. Despite being undefeated in the round robin of the Memorial Cup, the Greyhounds fell to the Kamloops Blazers in the Memorial Cup final.

In his final season, he contributed 31 goals and 47 assists for 78 points in just 54 games. The Greyhounds once again took the Emms Division crown but fell in the Robertson Cup final to the Peterborough Petes. However, the Greyhounds participated in the Memorial Cup as the host team and won the Cup by beating out the Petes in the final. Intranuovo was named the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy winner as tournament MVP and was also named as the All-Star centre.

As if that final season wasn’t magic enough for Ralph, he was also a member of the 1993 gold medal winning Team Canada squad at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships.

All that success during his Ontario Hockey League career got him drafted in the fourth round of the 1992 NHL draft by the Edmonton Oilers, 96th overall. Intranuovo appeared in 19 games for the Oilers over three seasons and spent most of his time in the American Hockey League with Edmonton’s affiliate, the Cape Breton Oilers.

Ralph was an AHL all-star in 1994-95 and 1995-96. In 1994-95, he was fourth in league scoring with 46 goals and 47 assists for 93 points in 70 games with a dismal Cape Breton team. In 1994-95, despite appearing in just one game with the NHL Oilers, Intranuovo was an integral part of the Team Canada team at the IIHF World Hockey Championships. Canada took home a bronze medal and Ralph helped out with 5 goals and an assist in 8 games.

Ralph appeared in three more NHL games as a Toronto Maple Leaf during the 1996-97 season but his NHL career never quite took flight. He spent two seasons with the Manitoba Moose in the old IHL before heading to Europe to start the 1999-00 season. He has since split most of his time between teams in Germany’s DEL and Austria’s EBEL until moving over to Italy this past season.

Intranuovo should be a great mentor to the number of Ontario Hockey League grads on HC Asiago for 2010-11. The team is a heavy favourite to do well this season and will certainly be interesting to watch.

Ralph Intranuovo’s profile can be found from the HC Asiago official website roster page.

Ralph will be teammates with fellow Ontario Hockey League grad, Andrew Perugini.