Familiar Faces Now Foes For Blair Derynck
Blair Derynck, who spent the last two seasons with his hometown Chatham Maroons, will face off against Chatham with the Kitchener Dutchmen on the opening day of the 2017-2018 GOJHL season – Contributed Photo
After choosing to attend Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo this season to study Business, Derynck had to make an on ice change moving from his hometown Maroons, to the Kitchener Dutchmen.
Strangely enough, in the season’s opening game at the 2017 GOJHL Showcase in Brantford, Kitchener an Chatham will face off September 9.
“It will be quite odd,” Derynck said of facing his former team. “Considering I grew up rooting for the hometown club, it will be very different to be facing off against them. It will also be fun I’m sure, playing against people I know on the ice and the people behind the bench.”
Playing defense last season for Chatham, after spending most of his career as a forward, is excited for a new start in Kitchener with the Dutchmen, a team that showed immediate interest in his talents. The Chatham-Kent Cyclones alumni racked up 29 points in 47 contests last season for Chatham.
“I chose Kitchener mainly because of the immediate interest that was shown,” he explained. “I contacted multiple teams in the area and of them, Kitchener got back to me the quickest and they were most eager to get talking. Kitchener was also one of the better choices because the home arena is very close to the Laurier campus. I didn’t want to have to drive too far multiple times a week.”
Despite the fact he is a three year Junior veteran, having spent two seasons with the Maroons, and a season as a Junior rookie with the Junior C Blenheim Blades, Derynck knows there will be a transition this season as he steps on the ice with the Kitchener Dutchmen, as he’ll be a new face in the dressing room, and on the blueline.
“Well this time will be a little bit different than joining my first two junior teams. This time I won’t be local and so I don’t know a single person coming in. Whereas in the past I always knew a few prior to the season. Having said that I’m excited to meet the new group of guys.”
Derynck has already met his new teammates, with the GOJHL preseason coming to a close, but he won’t have to look far for more familiar faces September 9, when he goes head-to-head against his former teammates in the GOJHL season opener.
Puck drop is 1:45pm, Saturday, September 9 for Derynck and the Dutchmen as they face the Chatham Maroons.