Flyers hold annual awards banquet for 2021-22 season

By C. Scott Holland

It’s been a month since their 2021-22 season came to an end in the West Conference finals, but last Thursday night the Leamington Flyers’ staff, players, parents, friends and volunteers celebrated in a very upbeat manner.

Instead of dwelling on what might have been, the team looked to the wealth of experience the 19 eligible returning players will have for the 2022-2023 campaign.

Attendance was very good and Cam Crowder spoke on behalf of the ownership group.

“We’d like to thank the volunteers, staff, parents, the players and the fans for the tremendous support given during this past difficult season of dealing with Covid and its protocols,” he said. “These players put in lots of effort, and focused on hard work both on and off the ice.”

For many of them it meant juggling work and school schedules.

GM Justin Solcz spoke for a few minutes and recapped the season.

“It’s been a tough couple of years for our team,” he said. “This past season we had 17 rookies plus a new head coach and assistant coaches. Yet we exceeded our expectations by claiming first-place in the regular season.”

Flyers Volunteer of Year Award was presented to Cheryl Issell (left) and Jeannine Mouck (right). They are pictured with Flyers grad and Regular Season MVP Ryan Polidori.

Photos by C. Scott Holland

“We learned so much in our playoff run,” Solcz added. “Typically, you have to lose in order to win.”

Head coach Dale Mitchell echoed the sentiment of Solcz by saying, “It was tough in March playing 15 games in 30 days and then continuing on into playoffs, but they (the players) showed us the efforts of their hard work.”

As for the awards themselves, the entire coaching staff helped in presenting the plaques to each winner.

The Leading Scorer was Connor MacPherson (27 g. 30 a. 57 pts.). The Unsung Hero Award was presented to Ryan MacPherson, who set up 38 different Flyers goals. The Coaches Award was garnered by veteran Wyatt O’Neil. Rookie of Year was Connor MacPherson, who was not only the Flyers’ Top Scoring Rookie but the Top Rookie Scorer for the GOJHL as well. There were plenty of choices for Hardest Working Player during the extended season, but Gabe Piccolo took the honors. The Best Defenseman Award was fittingly handed to captain Colton O’Brien. The Regular Season MVP was Ryan Polidori, and the Playoff MVP was Gavin Grundner. Both Polidori and Grundner had high-standard performances that reflected their abilities and helped inspire their teammates.

The Flyers Top Defenseman honours were bestowed upon veteran and captain Colton O’Brien. From left to right are assistant coach Kade McKibbin, video coach Garrett Fodor, recipient Colton O’Brien, GM Justin Solcz, head coach Dale Mitchell and goalie coach Matt Anthony.

Photos by C. Scott Holland

In addition to the awards, four graduating players – Adam Jeffery, Wyatt O’Neil, Colton O’Brien and Ryan Polidori – all received their jerseys.

The final award was for the team’s Volunteer of Year and this year the award was won by Cheryl Issell and Jeannine Mouck, who stepped up to take over the operation of the ticket booth after the retirement of Hilda Franklin.

The Flyers look forward to a normal full 2022-2023 season and are already making plans for another enjoyable campaign.