Rockland Nationals

Rockland Nationals
City Rockland, Ontario, Canada
League National Capital Junior Hockey League
Founded 1987
Home arena Canadian International Hockey Academy Arena
Colours Blue, white, green
              
General manager Andre Roy
Head coach Timothy Kosch

The Rockland Nationals are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team from Rockland, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the National Capital Junior Hockey League.

History

The original Nationals were founded in 1973 to replace the Hull Festivals who had just left the Central Junior A Hockey League for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In just three season the Nationals, coached by Bryan Murray, won the league, the Dudley Hewitt Cup as Central Canadian champions, and the Centennial Cup 1976 National Championship. Unfortunately for them, in those days the teams played sets of best-of-seven series to determine the national champion. Many successful Tier II clubs like the Red Deer Rustlers, the Guelph Platers, and the Vernon Vipers franchises were well rooted in their communities when they were victorious, with warchests of cash from major sponsors and massive fan support awaiting long playoff runs. The Nationals were in their infantile stage as an organization and found themselves not only national champions but financially bankrupt from months of travel across the county. They survived one more season on life support funds from the CJHL before packing it in for the 1977-78 season. The fall of the Nationals convinced the CJHL to petition the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association to consider alternate, cheaper, playdown methods to determine regional and national champions. The CAHA answered back a few seasons later with the formation of round-robin championship tournaments. Until the Pembroke Lumber Kings won the 2011 Royal Bank Cup, the Nationals were the only team in Central League history to win a national championship.

A decade later the Nationals were reborn. In 1987, the Nationals entered the Eastern Ontario Junior C Hockey League and won the league title in their first season back in action. In recent years, the Nationals have been pushing to re-enter the CJHL, but with no results so far.

Centennial Cup 1976

In only their third season, the Nationals were league champions. They moved on to take on the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League and Ontario Hockey Association champion Guelph Platers. The series went the distance, but the Nationals pulled out a 4-games-to-3 series win.

The Nationals then took on the Lac-Megantic Royals, the champions of the Quebec Provincial Junior A Hockey League. The Nationals defeated them 4-games-to-1 to get to the Eastern Canadian Championship.

In the Eastern Canadian championship, the Nationals drew the Island Junior Hockey League's Charlottetown Colonels. The Nationals overpowered the Islanders and crushed them 4-games-to-none. In the final, the Nationals came to play the Alberta Junior Hockey League, Doyle Cup, and Abbott Cup Champion Spruce Grove Mets. The Mets were floored by the Nationals in the first two games, losing 9-4 and 7-1 respectively. In Game 3, the Mets pulled close in a 5-3 loss and then took game four 4-3. Game 5 saw the National regain their early series form and crush the Mets 7-3 to win their first and only National title 4-games-to-1.

Their landmark victory, led by coach Bryan Murray, was the first time a team from the Central Junior A Hockey League had won the Junior A National Championship. The cost of the venture left the team in financial turmoil and led to them folding a year later.

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Season GP W L T OTL GF GA Points Finish Playoffs
1973-74 50 13 33 4 - 260 349 30 6th CJHL
1974-75 50 25 18 7 - 251 249 57 3rd CJHL
1975-76 50 31 11 8 - 324 225 70 1st CJHL Won League, Won DHC, Won MCC
1976-77 50 22 22 6 - 243 230 50 4th CJHL
1977-87 Did Not Participate
1987-04 Eastern Jr. C Standings Not Available
2004-05 36 20 13 0 3 172 133 43 4th EOJCHLLost Semi-final
2005-06 36 14 20 - 2 143 183 30 5th EOJCHL Lost Quarter-final
2006-07 34 8 25 - 1 96 200 17 8th EOJCHL Lost Quarter-final
2007-08 35 18 15 - 2 146 143 38 3rd EOJCHL Lost Semi-final
2008-09 33 10 22 - 1 154 208 21 7th EOJCHL Lost Quarter-Final
2009-10 34 17 13 - 4 159 148 38 4th EOJCHL Lost Final
2010-11 34 22 9 - 3 182 164 47 2nd NCJHL Lost Final
2011-12 32 16 15 - 1 132 132 33 5th NCJHL Lost Semi-final
2012-13 34 14 17 - 3 135 157 31 5th NCJHL Lost Semi-final
2013-14 32 13 16 - 3 116 147 29 6th NCJHL Lost Quarter-Final
2014-15 32 5 26 - 1 90 198 11 9th NCJHL did not qualify
2015-16 34 18 14 - 2 144 132 38 2nd of 5 North
5th of 10 NCJHL
Lost Div Semifinals (2-4)(Volants)

Individual player awards

Season Name Award
2011-12 Chris 'Tele' Telford Best Goaltender
2010-11 Kyle Blohm Most Improved Player
2009-10 Corey Oliver Top Scorer
2007-08 John Leboeuf Coach of the Year
Denis Brunet Executive of the Year
Gus Sacoutis Best Defensive Forward
Alex Bernard Most Sportsmanlike Player
2005-06 Alex Bernard Best Defensive Forward
Guy Audet Most Sportsmanlike Player
Ghyslain Hotte Most Valuable Player
2004-05 Guy Audet Best Defensive Forward
2002-03 Rene Tasse Best Defenseman
2000-01 Chris Verdon Most Improved Player
1998-99 Christian Groleau Best Defenseman
1997-98 Alain Paquette Most Improved Player
1996-97 Christian Bessette Best Defenseman
1994-95 Yanick Vinette Most Valuable Player
Darren Proulx Coach of the Year
Martin Gauthier Most Improved Player
Christian Mercier Most Sportsmanlike Player
1993-94 Darren Proulx Coach of the Year
Serge Lavictoire Most Improved Player
1992-93 Stephane Groulx Most Valuable Player
1991-92 Jeff Egan Best Defenseman
1990-91 Andre Charlebois Best Defenseman
Marc Rousseau Best Defensive Forward
1989-90 Luc Lavictoire Best Defenseman
Marc Rousseau Best Defensive Forward
Bob Fairfield Coach of the Year
Bernie Dion Most Valuable Player
1988-89 Jean Maisonnneuve Most Sportsmanlike Player


Preceded by
Spruce Grove Mets
Centennial Cup Champions
1976
Succeeded by
Prince Albert Raiders
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