page_title: Chatham Maroons
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Chatham Maroons / History
caption_attribution_description: English: This photo was taken by Devan Mighton during the 2013 GOJHL playoffs. https://www.facebook.com/devanssportspics
context_page_description: The Chatham Maroons are a junior ice hockey team based in Chatham, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. The Maroons were the 1970 Western Ontario Junior A Champions and 1973 Southern Ontario Junior A Champions. The Maroons have won multiple Junior B league titles and the 1999 Sutherland Cup as Ontario Hockey Association Junior B Champions.
context_section_description: The Maroons originated in the Border Cities Junior B Hockey League in 1959.  The team later moved to the stronger Western Junior "B" league in 1964 and continued with the league, even when it became the renegade Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League in 1970.  The Maroons left the league in 1976, became the Maple City Fords and rejoined the current Western Junior "B" league.  The Maroons became the MicMacs in 1988, but switched back to their traditional "Maroons" moniker in 1995.
  At the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Ryan Jones was drafted as a Maroon in the fourth round by the Minnesota Wild, 111th overall.  He attended and played for Miami University. After his collegiate career, Minnesota traded Jones to the Nashville Predators.
  The Maroons participated in the 2006 Sutherland Cup round robin, but lost out to the Niagara Falls Canucks and the Cambridge Winterhawks with a 1-3 record.
  The Maroons began the 2013-14 season slowly and resorted to trading for four of their territorial rival's, the Lambton Shores Predators, top players (Kyle Brothers, Adam Arsenault, Tanner Ferguson, and Connor Annett) in a series of high-profile trades for players and cash.  The Maroons also released 2012-13 starting all-star goaltender Darien Ekblad and replaced him with the Cambridge Winter Hawks' goaltender Jacob Keogh while picking up NOJHL Jr. A forward Kyle Rowe.  Ekblad would get picked up by the Junior C Essex 73's and tend them to a Great Lakes League championship.  Right before the trade deadline, the Maroons picked up forward Charlie Izaguirre from the fizzling Port Colborne Pirates for cash and prospects.  On January 28, 2014, the Ontario Hockey Association ruled against the Maroons for exceeding their limit on import players.  General Manager Bill Szekesy was suspended for an entire season and the franchise fined $4500.  In addition, during the 2014-15 season, the Maroons will be limited to 30 cards instead of the usual 35.  On February 19, 2014, the OHA announced that despite a Maroons' appeal, the punishment will stand.  In addition, two wins were stripped from their record (versus Leamington Flyers and St. Marys Lincolns).  Despite the trades and controversies, the Maroons would sweep the Western Conference quarter-final against the Strathroy Rockets and semi-final against the LaSalle Vipers, before being quashed 4-games-to-1 in the conference final by the Leamington Flyers. 
  The Maroons have since remained a strong presence in the ultra competitive Western Conference of the GOJHL. In 2017-18 the Maroons were only able to secure the 6th seed in the playoffs but upset a major rival the Lasalle Vipers in a highly competitive 7 game series in which the Maroons trailed the series 2-0 and 3-2 before prevailing. The Maroons would then battle the 1 seed London Nationals in another highly competitive series. The Maroons took game one in a classic game on a Bryce Yetman double overtime goal the Maroons however would not be able to overcome the Nationals high powered offense and suffering defense and fell in 6 games. 
  In the offseason the Maroons made many moves to attempt to once again rain supreme over the West acquiring many veterans of various junior leagues highlighted by the acquisition of Nolan Gardiner a former Ottawa 67 from the Caledonia Corvairs. 
  The Maroons are always a competitive team within the GOJHL and teams never take the trip down to the Chatham Memorial Arena for a weekly Sunday night battle lightly knowing that they will have played a strong team within the Conference in the Maroons
caption: Maroons line up for a draw in 2013 playoffs.
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