The Leamington Flyers are a junior ice hockey team based in Leamington , Ontario , Canada. They play in the Ontario Junior Hockey League . Prior to 2023 they played in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League . They are an affiliate of the Ontario Hockey League's Flint Firebirds .
31-723: Bill Burgess, coach and general manager of the local Intermediate Flyers, formed the Junior Flyers in 1954. They were a Junior B team in the Southwestern League until 1958 when they quit the league. The Flyers were a part of the BCJBHL 1958 until 1964. When the OHA allowed the Border Cities League to fail in 1964, the town mothballed the junior team and operated a top-notch juvenile team in its stead. In 1966,
62-528: A 12–8–1–2 record. Following a shocking trade of their top two scorers Maddux Rychel and Griffin Robinson, Leamington went on to finish the regular season 21–4–1–1 and claim the Western Conference regular season title. Leamington played Strathroy in the first round and clinched the series 4–1. Moving on to the conference semifinals Leamington played a tightly contested playoff series coming back from
93-550: A 1–3 deficit defeating the Komoka Kings on home ice to clinch the series 4–3. In the Western Conference finals the young Flyers team were out matched by a veteran London Nationals team, and were swept 0–4. Although the season ended in disappointment, Leamington had a very successful season having multiple award winners. Adam Jeffrey Top Rookie Scorer, Ryan Gagnier Rookie of the year, Levi Tetrault Defenceman of year, Zach Borgiel Goalie of year, and Cam Crowder being named coach of
124-708: The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association . The first two games of the Best-of-Seven series took place in St. Thomas, Ontario . Flin Flon won game one 6-2, while St. Thomas returned the favour in game two with a 6-3 win. The teams then shipped out to Flin Flon , where the Bombers took game three 5-0. In game four, the Bombers led 4-0 at 10:10 of the second period, and the last of two brawls in
155-669: The Collingwood Blues also joined the league but three other teams dropped out, reducing the number of clubs to four. The Niagara Falls Flyers folded to make way for a new OHL franchise in that city, the Welland Sabres also folded and Chatham returned to Junior B. After the 1977 playoffs, the league folded and the Platers and A's were invited to join the OPJHL. The Greys went on hiatus for one season and then moved up to
186-779: The Detroit Jr. Red Wings , starring Mark Howe and Marty Howe , sons of legend Gordie Howe . Detroit defeated Guelph 3-games-to-2 with two ties to clinch the title. Detroit went on to defeat the Ottawa M & W Rangers in the quarterfinals of the Centennial Cup before losing to the Charlottetown Islanders in the Eastern Final. The next season saw the Guelph CMC's challenge and defeat Detroit in
217-790: The Major Intermediate A Hockey League . Collingwood returned to Junior B. The Guelph Platers joined the OHL in 1982 and are now known as the Owen Sound Attack . Sarnia Legionnaires (GOJHL) The Sarnia Legionnaires are a junior ice hockey team based in Sarnia , Ontario , Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League . The Sarnia Bees joined
248-668: The 2019–2020 season. In the 2022–23 season the Flyers finished the regular season with a record of 35–11–4 for a total of 72 points finishing first in the Western Conference. In the playoffs the Flyers swept the Sarnia Legionnaires and the LaSalle Vipers before defeating the St. Marys Lincolns 4–1 in the Western Conference finals. The Flyers went 2–2 in the Sutherland Cup Round Robin which
279-653: The 2023–24 season. SOJAHL The Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League was a Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey that lasted from the late 1960s until 1977 in Southern Ontario , Canada. The league was swallowed by what is now called the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League in 1977. In 1956 the traditional Big '10' League was divided, its Western Division became the Western Ontario Junior "B" Hockey League, and
310-757: The Buzzers finished off the Bees in game 7 to deny the franchise of its second Sutherland Cup. In 1995, it saw the arrival of an Ontario Hockey League known as the Sarnia Sting to the city. To stay out of the shadow of the OHL team, the Bees changed their name to the Steeplejacks. After another couple name changes, the Sarnia franchise became the Sarnia Blast in 2001. The team is a long-standing member of
341-754: The CHA suspended the Barons for the entire 1969-70 season, but the suspension was overturned by the WOJAHL. In 1970, the Top Tier of Junior Hockey in Ontario broke away from the OHA. The OHA opened negotiations with the WOJAHL, and the league was welcomed back into the OHA as the top level in its system and changed its name to the Southern Ontario Junior "A" Hockey League. The 1971 League title went to
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#1732793911523372-734: The Central Division became the Central Junior "B" Hockey League . In the 1960s, the Western Junior "B" Hockey League was arguably the top league of Junior "B" hockey in Ontario. The Western's brass and the team owners felt that they should, as a whole, be promoted to Junior "A" status. In 1968 the league applied to the Ontario Hockey Association , but were declined by Jack Devine who stated that
403-780: The Flyers defeated the Windsor Bulldogs by a score of 30–3. On January 26, 2002, the Flyers set the WOHL record for largest margin in a shutout victory by defeating the Aylmer Aces by a score of 16–0. [1] On Tuesday March 16, 2010, the Leamington Flyers hired Head Coach Tony Piroski . Previously, as coach of the Essex 73's , Piroski won seven Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League championships and three Clarence Schmalz Cups in nine seasons. In Piroski's first season
434-810: The Legionnaire name after a 38-year absence, the club finished first in the Western Conference of the Greater Ontario Hockey League. In the playoffs, they won the conference championship by eliminating the St. Thomas Stars 4-1 in games, taking out the Strathroy Rockets 4-3 in games and ousting the London Nationals 4-2 in games to win the Weir Cup. Tyler Cicchini led the way, scoring 18 goals in 22 post season games. That
465-549: The OHA, but no suspensions were issued. The league operated outside of the OHA's jurisdiction for the next two seasons. After the 1969 playoffs, the WOJAHL champion St. Thomas Barons , starring future NHLer Ken Murray , faced off against future Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke and the Flin Flon Bombers of the Western Canada Hockey League to determine a National Champion outside of
496-801: The Platers fell apart and lost in seven games. The league had six teams in 1975-76 but that was only due to the additions of the Hamilton Mountain A's and the Owen Sound Greys . The Jr. Red Wings had gone back to playing in the United States , the Sarnia Bees went to the newly formed Western Junior B Hockey League and the Windsor Spitfires moved up to the Ontario Hockey League . In 1976-77
527-731: The Sutherland Cup in 2023, the Flyers announced they were moving up to Junior A and playing in the Ontario Junior Hockey League On January 3, 1993, the Leamington Flyers helped set a record for the highest scoring tie in the history of the Western Ontario Hockey League by tying the London Nationals 11–11. The Flyers hold the record for the most lopsided game in the history of the WOHL. On January 20, 1995,
558-638: The WOJHL championship and went on to defeat the Metro Junior B Hockey League 's Toronto Nationals 4-games-to-2 to win Sarnia's first Sutherland Cup since the Sarnia Legionnaires did it in 1968. In 1983, the Bees were again WOJBHL champions and pushed all the way to the Sutherland Cup finals. In the final, they met the Metro Junior B Hockey League 's St. Michael's Buzzers . After a long battle,
589-833: The Warriors in seven games. The '75 title was won by the CMC's again. They made it all the way to the National title, but fell to the Alberta Junior Hockey League champion. In 1975-76, the CMC's were bought and renamed the Guelph Platers . They won the league once again, and moved on to the national title playdowns. Their first opponent was the Rockland Nationals of the Central Junior A Hockey League . After going up 3-games-to-none on them,
620-525: The Western Junior "B" league (WOHL). In 2002, the Blast won the WOHL championship and qualified for the Sutherland Cup final. In the final they met the Mid-Western Junior B Hockey League 's Elmira Sugar Kings . The series went the distance, but the Blast prevailed in game 7 of the series and brought the Sutherland Cup back to Sarnia for the seventh time and the first time in 29 years. In 2008,
651-399: The application was too late for the upcoming season. In September 1968, the league left the OHA and joined the rival Canadian Hockey Association led by Ron Butlin as president. The league changed names to the Western Ontario Junior A Hockey League (WOJAHL) with the move. CAHA president Lloyd Pollock stated that players leaving for the WOJAHL would face difficulty in being reinstated with
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#1732793911523682-668: The final 4-games-to-1. The CMC's pushed further and ended up winning the Manitoba Centennial Cup as Canadian Tier II Junior "A" Champions. In 1973, the Chatham Maroons took the league crown and then defeated the newly formed Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League 's champion the Wexford Warriors for the OHA Crown. The next season's title was won by the Windsor Spitfires who then fell to
713-507: The game would break out. In retaliation, the Barons walked off the ice. When St. Thomas made it clear they would not finish the series, the Canadian Hockey Association awarded the championship to the Bombers. Coach Keith Kewly and Manager Jack Cassidy were suspended one season by their league and the team was fined $ 700. The town of St. Thomas had to raise $ 4500 to bring the team back home from Manitoba . Initially
744-758: The legend of the Sarnia Legionnaires. After dominating the Western Ontario Junior B Hockey League during the 1970-71 season, the Bees elected to jump to the Legionnaires' old league, the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League , but the adventure was not overly successful and the Bees returned to the WOJHL the next season. Their experience in Junior A seemingly fueled the Bees during the 1972-73 season as they won
775-423: The ownership of the Sarnia Blast was transferred to a consortium of local individuals. In memory of the fabled Sarnia Legionnaires of old, the new owners and the local Royal Canadian Legion allowed for the current team to resurrect the name. The new owners said they will put pictures of the original Legionnaires in their dressing room, hoping that will inspire today's young players. In their first year back under
806-401: The ranks of the current Western Junior "B" league in 1969. The Bees were an upstart team in direct competition with the historic Sarnia Legionnaires of the Western Ontario Junior A Hockey League . By mid-season, the Bees had stolen away most of the Legionnaires fan base and the team was forced to fold. Over the next quarter century the Bees had some good teams but the club seldom lived up to
837-563: The team operated as an independent team, playing only in OHA playdowns and exhibition against local all-star, juvenile, and intermediate teams. In 1967, they joined the Western Junior B League . They entered the new Border Cities league in 1968. When the league became the Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League in 1970, the Flyers stayed on board. The Flyers were promoted to the Western Junior "B" league in 1992. After winning
868-566: The team went from 7 wins to 26 wins, losing Game 7 in overtime to the Lasalle Vipers. In spring 2011 the Flyers brought aboard OHL scout Mike Sadler as the club's general manager. On May 11, 2015, General Manager Mike Sadler stepped down from the organization. Kevin Hopper takes over as the team General Manager. April 2, 2018, owner Abe Fehr announced that he had sold the team to five local businessman, Jason Melo, Dan Jancevski, Cam Crowder, David Halliwill & Craig Mahon. Eight-year Head Coach Tony Piroski also announced he would not be returning to
899-400: The team. In eight seasons under Piroski the Flyers had a record of 262–108–31 (a .692 winning percentage) in 401 regular-season games with the Flyers and took the team to the conference final four-straight years with two titles. April 10, 2018, Cam Crowder was named head coach of the Leamington Flyers. Starting the season with only 10 returning players, Leamington stumbled out of the gate with
930-500: The year. The current version of the Leamington Flyers led by Cam Crowder and General Manager Justin Solcz, take great pride in competing for the Sutherland cup while developing players for higher levels of hockey. The 2018–19 team moved on two players to major junior ( Ryan Gagnier Oshawa Generals and Colton O'Brien Quebec Remparts), and four players to tier II. The Leamington Flyers and the Ontario Hockey League's Flint Firebirds announced an affiliation agreement in June 2019 prior to
961-429: Was enough to advance to the Sutherland Cup Championship Series against the Stratford Warriors . The series went the full seven games and in the seventh and final game on May 9, the Flyers defeated the Warriors 4–0 to capture the franchises first Sutherland Cup . Following the victory, on May 17 the Flyers announce they would be leaving the GOJHL and would be joining the Junior A level Ontario Junior Hockey League for