Mitchell’s Bay Awarded Junior C Hockey Team

After years of sitting at nine teams, the Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League will be expanding to an even ten next season with the addition of the Mitchell’s Bay Mariners.

With no arena in place, Mitchell’s Bay plans to play the majority of their home games in Wallaceburg and Walpole Island. Mitchell’s Bay joins the newly relocated Amherstburg Admirals as the league’s newest franchises.

When weather conditions are right however, the Mitchell’s Bay Mariners hope to play several outdoor games in the town’s park, as well as on Mitchell’s Bay itself.

“This is a great day for hockey in Chatham-Kent,” says long time Mitchell’s Bay resident, and partial Mariners owner Rod Reel. “This has always been a great fishing community, and this week we hooked our biggest catch, a new hockey team.”

The team plans to serve fresh perch at their concession stand instead of traditional hot dogs, and during outdoor games, will have special fishing shanty’s set up for anglers to try their luck at intermission.

Although Mitchell’s Bay does not currently have a minor hockey program, Reel hopes that if the Mariners are successful, a program can be developed to help feed the Mariners organization.

“Youth in this community are used to growing up on the water,” says Reel, “And all ice is, is frozen water, so I think this community was destined to have a hockey team. Every winter, people are seen sliding all over the ice on the Bay, so slap a stick in their hands instead of a fishing rod, and we’re ready. Not only that, but I think we’ll have the best goalies in Canada. If you grow up netting a flopping large mouth bass, you can definitely catch a hockey puck.”

The Mitchell’s Bay Mariners will begin play in 2015, weather permitting.