This Week in CK Sports: Hockey
The 2013-2014 Great Lakes Junior C schedule was released this week and the Wallaceburg Lakers will have a busy first week. The Lakers will be a part of three home openers, including the season opening game Tuesday, September 10, when the defending champion Essex 73s welcome the Lakers to town for their banner raising ceremony.
The next night, the Wallaceburg Lakers will welcome the Dresden Junior Kings to Memorial Arena, for their September 11 home opener. Wallaceburg will then travel to Blenheim for the Blades home opener Sunday, September 15.
Wallaceburg is looking to climb out of the basement of the Great Lakes Junior C loop after finishing last in 2013. The Lakers will begin that process this weekend as they open their mini-camp at Thames Campus in Chatham.
As a change, the Lakers will be hosting four home games this season on Walpole Island, with the first scheduled for October 3.
Also knew to the Great Lakes Junior C loop, will be the Amherstburg Admirals, who are playing their inaugural season in the league after relocating from Kingsville.
The Chatham Maroons, who already held their mini-camp this summer, will also be hitting the ice again next month, with former Wallaceburg Lakers bench boss Mark Davis taking over as the Maroons new head coach. Chatham is coming off a regular season first overall finish in the GOJHL’s Western Conference, before falling to London in the Western Conference final.
The GOJHL also recently received a nod to their development abilities, as The Hockey Writers.com named the league the 8th best developmental loop in North America. The list also included professional leagues such as the American Hockey League, and East Coast Hockey League, as well as the NCAA and OHL. Proof of the GOJHL’s development abilities can be spotted locally as Blenheim’s Brady Campbell will begin his first season with the NCAA’s Maine BlackBears this season. Maine has recently sent several prospects to the NHL including Detroit Red Wings Jimmy Howard and Gustav Nyquist, and is known for developing skilled forwards similar to Campbell, including alumni Paul Kariya. Campbell is one of 17 GOJHL graduates committed to play University hockey this Fall.
Hear CKSN’s Ian Kennedy do This Week in CK Sports on CKXS 99.1 FM multiple times each week.