Year in Review: April 2016

April saw a whole new group of sports gearing up in Chatham-Kent, and a group of local athletes earning recognition.

Madison Broad at Olympic Trials – Wallaceburg’s 15-year-old pool shark Madison Broad finished in 16th place in the 100-metre backstroke at the Rio Olympic time trails in Scarborough proving she’s among the top swimmers in the country.

Montour Named To AHL All-Rookie Team – A second round draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks, 55th overall, in 2014, Montour tied for third among AHL rookies in scoring this season with 11 goals, 41 assists, and 52 points in 63 games for the San Diego Gulls. His performance earned him a spot on the AHL All-Rookie team.

Grant Spence Selected In OHL Draft – Chatham’s Grant Spence was selected in the 2016 OHL Draft by the Oshawa Generals. Spence went in the 8th round of the OHL Priority Selection Draft, 147th overall. Spence, a forward with the Chatham-Kent Cyclones Minor Midget ‘AAA’ team at the time scored 18 goals and 29 points in 33 regular season games for the Cyclones, before adding 10 points in 10 playoff games.

Junior C Hockey Goes Provincial – The Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League became a thing of the past as the province decided to rebrand all Junior C hockey in Ontario under the moniker of the Provincial Junior Hockey League. The local division would be known as the Stobbs Division.

Wallaceburg Lakers Sold, Announce New Ownership – After months of speculation, The Byrne (Bernie) Laus Hockey Corporation was formally introduced as the new owners of the Wallaceburg Lakers. The group, consisting of Joe Byrne Sr, Joe Byrne Jr, and Boris Laus, all of the Essex, would form new ownership, and soon, a major part of the teams coaching staff.