Matt Fuller, an 18-year old Londoner, has spent his share of time playing Junior B with the Soo Thunderbirds and the London Nationals. The hard work, skill and determination he displayed have shown he is now OHL-ready; the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds now welcome Fuller to their game-day roster.

During the holiday OHL break, I had the opportunity to have a oneon- one with the Greyhounds rookie. Considering the recently sparked rivalry between the London Knights and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (I believe we all remember the Nick Cousins vs. Ryan Rupert incident that sparked a bench-clearing brawl back in November at the John Labatt Centre), I felt more than obligated to ask this Londoner that plays on the Greyhounds about that right off the bat — or stick, if you will.

What are your thoughts about the London-Sault Ste. Marie reheated rivalry?
"I'm enjoying it ... Being from London, I always enjoyed watching (the Knights) growing up ... Nick (Cousins of the Greyhounds), he's a great player, he knows how to get under people's skin so easily and I think that's what makes him so great … I know the Ruperts (Ryan and Matt Rupert) as well and they've got a little fire in them as well, it's a good little battle they got going between them two (Ryan Rupert and Nick Cousins)."

Do you ever consider playing London in the playoffs?
"Yeah, I check the standings every day — 'Where are they going to end up, where are we going to end up?' I'd actually enjoy playing them in the playoffs."

What are the Greyhounds' goals going into the second half of the season?
"We are looking to compete for the championship ... we have a good shot at it. I know we are in sixth place, but we are right there with the fourth- and fifth-place teams, and Plymouth who is in second: we beat them and lost to them in overtime, so it's not like we can't compete with the best teams, plus we beat London ... For the second half of the season, we are going to be looking to climb the standings." When sitting down before the interview, Fuller told me that he made a transition from playing forward to moving back to play defence. I found this interesting, especially for a person who has played the majority of their hockey career in one position; for most who have played the game and tried to make the transition themselves, they know how difficult this transition can be.

What made you move from forward to defence?
"I got cut as a forward, played AA as a forward ... Tried out next year as a forward, and the coach told me he had one more spot for a defenseman, and I wanted it."

What was the transition from forward to defence like for you?
"I think it made the game easier ... I have the forward's mind, so I know what they are thinking, where they are going to be and it really made the game easier ... It was a smooth transition; I didn't have any troubles with it."

I also caught up with London Nationals Head Coach Kelly Thomson to talk about what it was like coaching Matt Fuller and if he had any personal advice for Fuller in the OHL.

"Fuller is a great kid, we were happy — actually quite surprised when we got him back, we expected him to stick up there (Sault Ste. Marie)," said Thomson. "He came back with a great attitude and he put in the work to get back up there ... we couldn't ask more out of him when he was here."

"If Fuller wants to continue to succeed on playing in the OHL, he needs to make sure he doesn't take a day off," he continued. "As hard as it is to get up there (in the OHL), it's even harder to stay. Every day, bare down, work as hard as you can and take it one day at a time."

As a hockey analyst, it was very refreshing to have a sit-down oneon- one interview with a down-toearth OHL player who is respectful of the game of hockey (Hey London, a player on the Greyhounds you don't have to hate!). From what I can tell, the Knights-Greyhound rivalry is a healthy one and it will be very enjoyable to watch it develop. Make sure to pay attention to Matt Fuller, number two on the Greyhounds, to add another perspective on this already storied rivalry.