A Thank You To Our Overage Trio
The final home game of the regular season: Overage Appreciation Night. One final recognition by the fans before the last playoff run. The three stars awarded, regardless of production. It’s a culmination of a junior hockey career that our players won’t get to experience this year. The Owen Sound Attack would like to thank Brady Lyle, Matthew Struthers and Matt Philip for their outstanding contributions to the organization, and we hope we will be able to honour them as soon as the current landscape allows.
Lyle came to the Attack after an early season trade in 2017 with the North Bay Battalion. A 1st-round-selection in the 2015 draft, the North Bay native came to Owen Sound with a booming shot and loads of potential. Brady instantly became a workhorse on the backend and wouldn’t miss a regular season game in his final two years. The rearguard also put pucks into the net at a prolific pace and earlier this season became the Owen Sound Attack’s all time leading goal scorer for a defenseman with 32 career markers. If not for the shortened season, Lyle likely would have passed Scott Walker’s mark for most goals in a single season by an Attack defender. Brady served as an assistant captain for the franchise and was invited to the Arizona Coyotes development camp last summer. For his OHL career, Lyle played 295 games with 49 goals and 126 assists for 175 points.
Struthers was originally drafted by Owen Sound in 2015, but was sent to North Bay at the deadline in 2018 in a package for Brett McKenzie. Reacquired in December for draft picks by Attack General Manager Dale DeGray, the fifth-year-forward made an immediate impact. In his first game back on home ice, Struthers scored the overtime winner against the Niagara IceDogs. Over 298 career games, Struthers found the back of the net 91 times with 126 assists for 217 career points between Owen Sound and North Bay. At the end of last season, Matthew played five games with the Laval Rocket of the AHL.
Philip joined the Attack following an offseason trade with the Niagara IceDogs. The winger immediately became a mentor figure in the locker room and the coaching staff made him part of the leadership team before the season began. Philip had played three seasons in Niagara, picking up 40 goals and 49 assists before his move to Owen Sound. In the Scenic City, Philip’s production took off. The speedster was in the midst of a career year, notching 19 goals in 48 contests, before an injury cut his season short. Even with the injury, he continued to help out in the dressing room, becoming an invaluable part of the game day preparation team with Andy Brown and his staff. Philip ended his OHL career with 227 games played, and 59 goals and assists for 118 total points.
These three young men made the Attack a stronger organization with their presence, and we can’t thank them enough for their contributions on and off the ice. We look forward to seeing them succeed in hockey and in life as they graduate from the Ontario Hockey League.
