Players Use Chiefs As Stepping Stone

Just because the Ridgetown-Blenheim Chiefs were a group of Junior aged players not playing Junior last season, does not mean they didn’t have the talent.

In fact, several players on last years OMHA winning Juvenile Chiefs team had Junior experience, and this season, that number grew as a group of Chiefs players have stepped into contributing roles with teams across the Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League.

“Playing with the Chiefs prepared me for Junior this year from the run we had, and connecting with people from other towns and coming together as a team and winning a championship,” says Matt Clark, who starred for the Ridgetown-Blenheim Chiefs last season, and is now playing a scoring role with the Wallaceburg Lakers.

“Playing for the Chiefs prepared me for Junior because during our OMHA run we came across some good, quality teams that challenged us to be a better hockey team and play better hockey as a player,” echoed Brandon Falconer, who has been eating up minutes on the Blenheim Blades’ blueline this season, playing alongside former Chiefs forward Nolan Vandenboorn, who also made the Blades this season.

For Derrick Van Every, his run with the Chiefs last year came after playing multiple seasons with the Dresden Kings, when he decided to step back to Juvenile hockey to focus on his schooling at the University of Windsor. After a year of experiencing the school and sport balance with a lesser commitment, VanEvery is back in Junior this year, again with the Kings.

“After playing in Dresden for 2 seasons, last year I attended the University of Windsor and didn’t think I would make the commitment of junior hockey,” explains Van Every. “Then the opportunity to play with my friends back home in Ridgetown came up so I decided to play. What a great experience it was. I was able to still play competitive hockey while attending University, made some new friends and of course an unforgettable season, winning OMHA. It also taught me that although school is the number one priority, I would be able to commitment more and come back to Dresden with the goal to finish out my career here as an overager.”

Now, after an unforgettable season playing with the Chiefs, this group of local athletes are still seeing each other on the ice, however, now it’s as opponents.

“Playing against former teammates is different but fun,” says Falconer, “however we all have a job to do for our current teams and can’t play differently just because of who the player is.”

“Honestly it’s one of the weirdest things I’ve ever done, seeing my friends and former teammates in another jersey on the other side of the ice after playing with them for years,” says Clark.

“It’s actually a lot of fun for me,” added Van Every, who was named an assistant captain of the Kings, about facing his former Chiefs teammates in Great Lakes action this season. “Playing against these guys this year is different for sure, with Clark being a great friend of mine and former linemate. As well as Falconer being one of my best friends. But this experience isn’t new to me,” added VanEvery, who said he actually fought Robert Towsley, another Chiefs player in his original Junior stint while Towsley played for Wallaceburg.

With last years Chiefs on to other challenges, a new group of Ridgetown-Blenheim players, mixed with a few returning Chiefs veterans, are already playing in defense of their 2014 OMHA title, defeating Watford 5-3 to open their 2014-2015 season.