Jacob Brown joins the Echo Sportscast #35 as a guest co-host filling in for Paul McLean. Brown and co-host Dave Dale serve up a buffet of local North Bay and area sports news and features, including highlights of high school soccer and men's league baseball.

The Spotlight interview is with Marc Mathon, coach and organizer of the North Bay Bulldogs Football club, which kicks off their 2025 season with four games Saturday, May 17, on the Mike O'Shea Field at the Steve Omischl Sports Fields Complex from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Heritage Moment promotes a reunion for city playground and lifeguard staff being planned for July 25-26 as part of North Bay's Centennial Celebration in 2025.

This week's Echo Sportscast Episode 34 features high school soccer action, an update on tennis and shares Wes Buell's excellent award speech at the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame event held on the weekend.

Our Spotlight interview is with Matt Marquardt, a retired professional hockey player who is loving his role on the bench with his hometown North Bay OHL Battalion team.

In club sports, the camera caught the North Bay Bulldogs senior team, led by USports-polished quarterback Mason McGriskin, as it scrimmaged on the Mike O'Shea field this past Sunday. And co-hosts Paul McLean and Dave Dale chat about the bathrooms not being opened at the Steve Omischl Sports Fields Complex despite hundreds of footballers there for several hours of practice.

The Heritage Moment features an emotional speech by Doyle Anthony while accepting his Hall of Fame award, the Pete Palangio accolade for dedication to sport.

Badminton, soccer, hockey and baseball make the cut for the 33rd Echo Sportscast, including a snippet from our Spotlight interview with North Bay Sports Hall of Fame inductee Dale Hewitt. Key moments in the show include co-host Paul McLean rolling into the studio with 'parent with kids in tryouts' energy, while co-host Dave Dale shared a story about his kid getting cut (one of them). The best segment is focused on the North Bay Employee Hockey Tournament wrapping up on the weekend with family and co-ed divisions. And, of course, there were some sparks flying with video evidence of a late game huddle that would count as a mini-brawl at least.

This week's Echo Sportscast #32 features high school badminton winners, a Spotlight feature with Battalion president Adam Dennis and video highlights for football fans after the Bulldogs gathered at the Canadore Dome this past Saturday.

One of the featured topics during the Spotlight interview and between the cohosts afterward was the changing landscape for minor hockey players seeking the best route for development. Topics included the 'open borders' in Ontario and the evolving horizon of opportunities through the OHL, NCAA and OUA.

Also given a salute are two of the new inductees to the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame, Mike Long and Dale Hewitt.

The 31st episode of the Echo Sportscast show puts the Spotlight on North Bay Bulldogs senior football and a stacked men's hockey team taking the A division gold last weekend.

Our big interview is with Mason McGriskin, a local football product who recently finished a successful USports career at Bishop's University. McGriskin and his fellow football fanatics are gathering at the Canadore Dome on Saturday afternoon for a fun five-on-five tournament and skills contest before their first Bulldogs practice of the season. He's working out of Toronto this summer as the head coach, quarterback lead and strength coach of a high school football academy. And he's committed to quarterback the Bulldogs this summer, joining a host of former local high school players who have university experience.

Also featured are upcoming sports events, recent achievements by club teams and two more community leaders ahead of the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame Induction and Awards dinner.

The 30th episode of the Echo Sportscasts covers all kinds of ground with co-hosts Paul McLean and Dave Dale. This week’s show includes NDA badminton, salutes the North Bay Employee Tournament with a Spotlight on organizer Moe Bedard, the Can-Nip Basketball League final and Jr. Lakers hockey banquet. There’s also a Heritage Moment segment that honours a couple of the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame award winners.

Sportscast co-hosts Paul McLean and Dave Dale propose ways to deal with frustrating 'snow days' before getting into real sports coverage in the 28th episode of North Bay's only weekly local sports podcast.

Once they get that off their chests, they talk to Scott Kile, a long-time North Bay minor hockey volunteer and association executive, about the virtues and contributions of the late Jim Lecappelain, who will be posthumously honoured at the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame Induction and Awards banquet at the Davedi Club May 3.

The show also features Ringette championships, the Ballers 3 on 3 tournament and a look at the Jr Lakers awards dinner

Hockey champions, a Titan of swimming, Granite Club's curling dynamo and 100 years of Laurentian skiing history are highlighted in the Echo Sportscast #28 with co-hosts Paul McLean and Dave Dale.

0:00 Introduction
5:38 Paul's swimming career
7:19 Spotlight: Titan's Annabelle Jackson, Joshua Huard
16:40 Curling Salute
20:12 Men's basketball league playoffs
22:29 Ballers Bball Promo
22:46 Heritage Moment - Laurentian Ski Hill's 100th
29:05 Women's Hockey Champs

The 27th episode of the Echo Sportscast covers the 44th North Bay Sports Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Dinner announcement, including NDA athletes named for honours, and curling success by Team Winters, a U16 team representing Northern Ontario at the U20 nationals in PEI starting this weekend.

The Spotlight interview is with Derek Lindeman, part of the North Bay Pickle Club that is hosting a competitive tournament at Canadore College on May 9-10.

Co-hosts Paul McLean and Dave Dale conclude the show with a discussion about elitism in hockey compared to other sports.

In this March Break Edition of Echo Sportscast, host Paul McLean flies solo while Dave takes a well-earned vacation.

This week, we:

✅ Break down the CAN-NIP Men’s Basketball League playoffs – Who’s in, who’s out, and what to expect as the season wraps up.

✅ Preview the upcoming 3-on-3 Ballers Tournament – A fast-paced competition that’s bringing serious talent to North Bay.

✅ Take a deep dive into sports tourism & youth sports – Featuring a fireside (well, ice-side!) chat with Scott Clark, recorded straight from an ice fishing hut on Lake Nipissing!

From growing local sports leagues to how small towns can attract more sports tourism, this episode is full of great stories, insights, and a few laughs along the way.