4 minute read
Flyers 1979-80 championship run was a spectacle
By Mark Ribble
With photos from C. Scott Holland
Editor’s note: With the COVID-19 pandemic grinding all local and national sports to a halt, we thought it might be interesting to highlight some past sports stories until we can resume regular duties.
The 1979-80 Leamington Flyers catapulted out of the Great Lakes Junior C championship and never lost a game after that, winning 12 straight to take the Ontario title. Here is a synopsis of their season:
October 3, 1979
Leamington Flyers’ coach Reg Mulholland remained cautious after his team drubbed the Dredsen Kings 15-4 in their opening contest of the 79-80 Great Lakes Junior C Season.
Mulholland has made the decision to keep three goaltenders this year, in Don Campbell, Mike MacKinnon and rookie Clare Gillanders.
The Flyers were led by Scott Omstead’s hat trick, while Dave Drummond, Robb Serviss, Mark Johnston and Gary Gayer each scored twice. Bob Clifford, John Jacobs, Ed Thiessen and Tim Oliphant each chipped in with a goal. MacKinnon and Campbell shared the victory in goal.
November 21, 1979
The Flyers maintained their first place standing with a domination of the Amherstburg Vikings in Amherstburg on Friday night, with a 9-2 win.
TODD HODGSON
Leamington scored five powerplay goals enroute to the victory and that was the biggest difference in the game. Todd Hodgson led the way offensively with a pair of goals, while singles went to Dave Drummond, Serviss, Johnston, Clifford, Oliphant, Kevin Leslie and Omstead. MacKinnon and Gillanders shared the goaltending duties.
December 12, 1979
As coach Reg Mulholland predicted, the Wallaceburg Lakers would be tough, and that’s what they were Saturday in Wallaceburg, carving out a 6-6 tie with the first place Flyers.
It took a powerplay goal off the stick of Mark Johnston with 44 seconds remaining to get the Flyers the point. The Lakers are fighting for a playoff spot and clearly came to play. Johnston and captain Dave Drummond each had four-point nights, each with two goals. Jacobs had a pair as well, to finish off the scoring. The team’s record now stands at 23-2-2, and they sit 18 points ahead of second place Essex.
December 5, 1979 — Flyers’ forward Mike Wlardarski sails a shot over the Blenheim net. Photo courtesy of Scott Holland
January 16, 1980
The Leamington Flyers kept rolling with a pair of victories on the weekend. They beat the Belle River Canadiens 10-7 on Friday night and then bested the Wallceburg Lakers 11-4 here on Sunday. On Friday, Johnston’s hat trick led the way with a pair from Robb Serviss. Drummond, Jacobs, Hodgson, Oliphant and Rick Butler scored single goals. Butler and Manny Silva were up from the Juvenile Bulldogs. On Sunday, the Flyers got another hat trick from Johnston, while Jacobs and Mike Wladarski each scored twice. Singles went to Rob Willan, Serviss, Gary Ferguson, Duane Bourdeau and Hodgson.
February 20, 1980
The Leamington Flyers finally managed to subdue the pesky Blenheim Blades with a 7-3 win here Sunday night. The win gave Leamington a 4-1 series win, although it wasn’t as easy as it looked. The Blades had won their only game of the series on Saturday in Blenheim as they beat the Flyers 6-4. The series clincher saw two goal performances put in by Gayer and Oliphant, with singles to Bourdeau, Johnston and Hodgson. Mike MacKinnon got the win in goal. The Flyers will now play Essex in the Great Lakes final.
March 12, 1980
The Leamington Flyers are Great Lakes Junior C champions for the second straight year, as they disposed of the Essex 73s four games to two, with a 7-4 win in Essex on Friday night. Essex jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but newcomer Bill Brown and Hodgson each scored to tie it up in the second. Hodgson added another, along with Drummond’s pair and Johnston’s single to finish the series. The Flyers will face Port Elgin in the OHA quarter-finals.
March 19, 1980
The Leamington Flyers swept the Port Elgin Bears in four straight games as they advanced to the OHA “C” semifinal. The Bears were no match for the surging Leamington squad, as the Flyers beat them 13-6 in the final game. Johnston’s four goals led the way offensively, with Hodgson potting three, Wladarski two and singles to Ferguson, Brown, Clifford and Omstead. The Flyers will advance to play Flamboro.
April 9, 1980
The Leamington Flyers defeated the Flamboro Colts 9-4 on Thursday at Leamington Arena, to sweep their OHA semi-final series in four games. The Flyers have now won eight straight since advancing out of the Great Lakes League. Leamington led 3-2 after two periods and scored six times in the third. Johnston continued his prolific scoring with a hat trick. Clifford added two, while Thiessen, Drummond, Oliphant and Brown each scored once. Gillanders and MacKinnon shared the net victory.
They will meet Bradford in the Ontario final.
April 23, 1980
“A team like this only comes along once in a few years”, smiled Reg Mulholland as his team swarmed after game four of their OHA championship. The Flyers had just completed a 12-game winning streak to become OHA Junior C Champions with a decisive 8-4 win over the Bradford Blues in Bradford. Perhaps the most dominant Junior C team to ever come out of this area, the Flyers were led in the final game by two of the usual suspects, Todd Hodgson and Mark Johnston, both with hat tricks. Captain Dave Drummond scored the other goal and Mike McKinnon carried the load in goal.
REG MULHOLLAND
When the final buzzer went off, the 100 or so Leamington fans in attendance went wild as the team celebrated on the ice.
