Team
1958-59 Rotary Juvenile Hockey
SPORT | Hockey
LEVEL | Minor Juvenile
YEAR OF INDUCTION | 2005
Back Row: Harold MacFarlane (Coach), Steve Emans (Sports Director, Rotary Club), David Hales, Bob Swift, Tom Green, John Grantham, Jim Burgess, Brian Peifer, Dennis Ryan, Dennis Roebuck, Larry Swift, Bob Charbonneau (Statistician), Nick Federonik (Coach), Front Row: Lloyd Shepanowski, Winston Krajevski, Larry Siddall, Ron Coristine, John Campbell, Terry Chapman, Bill Killby, Seated in Front: David Burtch (Stick Boy)
1958-59 Juvenile Hockey players at the induction into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame, 2005 Front Row: Tom Green, Dave Hales, Brian Peifer, Harold MacFarlane (coach), John Grantham, Peter Burtch (bother of Dave Burtch, stick boy), Back Row: Sherry Killby (wife of Bill Killby), Lloyd Schepanowski, Jim Burgess, Colleen Krajevski (wife of Winston Krajevski), Ron Corristine, Dennis Roebuck, Larry Swift, Bob Swift, Larry Siddall
1958-59 Juvenile Hockey players at the induction into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame, 2005 Front Row: Tom Green, Dave Hales, Brian Peifer, Harold MacFarlane (coach), John Grantham, Peter Burtch (bother of Dave Burtch, stick boy), Back Row: Sherry Killby (wife of Bill Killby), Lloyd Schepanowski, Jim Burgess, Colleen Krajevski (wife of Winston Krajevski), Ron Corristine, Dennis Roebuck, Larry Swift, Bob Swift, Larry Siddall
In the spring of 1957 the Chatham Midget team was eliminated in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association semi-finals by the eventual provincial champions, St. Catharines. Two years later, with the same personnel, the team had a truly remarkable year.
The 1958-59 Rotary Juveniles lost only 1 game throughout the entire season. In addition, they played three teams from the Border Cities Jr. “B” League, winning 2 games and tying 1. In the first round of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) playdowns, Chatham defeated Sarnia 11-1 in a 2 game total goals series. In the same format in the quarter-finals, Chatham beat Stratford by a total of 9-4.
Against Welland in a 2 out of 3 semi-finals, Chatham lost the first game 5-4, but goalie John Campbell recorded shut-outs in games 2 and 3 to provide the margin of victory. In the finals against Barrie, Chatham won the best-of-three series in 2 straight games to become the first team from the Chatham Minor Hockey Association to win an OMHA Championship.
In the following season, 1959-60, ten members of the juvenile team moved up to play for the initial Chatham Junior Maroons team. Three of those then later went on to earn hockey scholarships at Division 1 Universities in the United States. The Rotary Juvenile team, arguably one of the best produced by CMHA, was coached by Harold MacFarlane and Nick Federonik.