Chatham-Kent Sports Year in Review: April

April started with one of CKSN’s most popular stories ever, an April Fool’s prank announcing the Mitchell’s Bay Mariners as the newest local Junior C hockey team. It fooled many, including Chatham-Kent’s mayor Randy Hope who made headlines by congratulating Mitchell’s Bay on their new team.

After April Fool’s, of course the month was filled with major sports headlines from Chatham-Kent, including the OHL Draft, Chad Laprise’s Ultimate Fighter win, and much more.

Here are our top moments from Chatham-Kent sports in April 2014:

• Mitchell’s Bay Mariners All The Talk: What we started as a joke, turned out to be one of the better stories this month. CKSN announced April 1, better known as April Fools Day, that Mitchell’s Bay had been awarded a Junior C hockey team called the Mitchell’s Bay Mariners. Unfortunately, not all, including Chatham-Kent Mayor Randy Hope, figured out it was a joke, as Hope congratulated Mitchell’s Bay at the next Municipal Council meeting.
• Travis Konecny OHL Rookie of the Year: Clachan’s Travis Konecny topped all OHL rookies in scoring, and was the leading scorer for his Ottawa 67s en route to being named the OHL Rookie of the Year.
• Huge Day For Chatham-Kent at OHL Draft: Several Chatham-Kent hockey players, including Joseph Raaymakers, Brady Pataki, Nolan Gardiner, Levi Tetrault, Brendan Harrogate, Brock Philips, and Anthony Hurtubise were all drafted by OHL teams.
• Dane Fox Named OHL Overage Player of the Year: Thameville’s Dane Fox, who closed out his OHL career with an incredible 64 goal, 107 point performance with the Erie Otters, was named the OHL’s Overage Player of the Year.
• Mackenzie Butzer Makes NCAA Commitment: Chatham’s Mackenzie Butzer committed to play NCAA golf in Florida with the Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats.
• Kent Badminton Champs Crowned: The Kent badminton titles were handed out, with four different schools winning divisions.
• Chad Laprise Wins TUF Nations: Chatham’s Chad Laprise won The Ultimate Fighter Nations, securing his spot in history as the first Canadian to win the show, and earning a UFC contract.
• GOJHL Denied Junior A Status: The GOJHL, which includes the Chatham Maroons, applied for a reclassification to be known as a Junior A league, but had that status denied.
• Lambton and Kent High School Leagues Merge: With declining enrolment across the province, the local KCSSAA (Kent) and LSSAA (Lambton) high school sports organizations make the decision to merge into the new Lambton-Kent Secondary School Athletic Association (LKSSAA), protecting local high school sports.
• New Dresden Sports Complex Gets Funding: The new Dresden sports complex, scheduled to be built behind Lambton-Kent Composite School, got Municipal funding, the first major funding announcement of several to come.
• Van Damme Plays With Red Devils: Emily Van Damme became one of the first women in history to suit up for, and play for a Junior B men’s lacrosse team, as the goaltender played for the Wallaceburg Red Devils.