Rockland Nationals

The Rockland Nationals are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team from Rockland, Ontario, Canada. They were a part of the National Capital Junior Hockey League from 1987 to 2017, when they merged with the Gloucester Rangers to become the Rockland Nationals CCHL team beginning play in 2017-18.
==History==
The original Nationals were founded in 1973 to replace the Hull Festivals who had just left the Central Junior A Hockey League for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In just three season the Nationals, coached by Bryan Murray, won the league, the Dudley Hewitt Cup as Central Canadian champions, and the Centennial Cup 1976 National Championship. Unfortunately for them, in those days the teams played sets of best-of-seven series to determine the national champion. Many successful Tier II clubs like the Red Deer Rustlers, the Guelph Platers, and the Vernon Vipers franchises were well rooted in their communities when they were victorious, with warchests of cash from major sponsors and massive fan support awaiting long playoff runs. The Nationals were in their infantile stage as an organization and found themselves not only national champions but financially bankrupt from months of travel across the county. They survived one more season on life support funds from the CJHL before packing it in for the 1977-78 season. The fall of the Nationals convinced the CJHL to petition the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association to consider alternate, cheaper, playdown methods to determine regional and national champions. The CAHA answered back a few seasons later with the formation of round-robin championship tournaments. Until the Pembroke Lumber Kings won the 2011 Royal Bank Cup, the Nationals were the only team in Central League history to win a national championship.
A decade later the Nationals were reborn. In 1987, the Nationals entered the Eastern Ontario Junior C Hockey League and won the league title in their first season back in action. In recent years, the Nationals have been pushing to re-enter the CJHL, but with no results so far.
===Centennial Cup 1976===
In only their third season, the Nationals were league champions. They moved on to take on the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League and Ontario Hockey Association champion Guelph Platers. The series went the distance, but the Nationals pulled out a 4-games-to-3 series win.
The Nationals then took on the Lac-Megantic Royals, the champions of the Quebec Provincial Junior A Hockey League. The Nationals defeated them 4-games-to-1 to get to the Eastern Canadian Championship.
In the Eastern Canadian championship, the Nationals drew the Island Junior Hockey League's Charlottetown Colonels. The Nationals overpowered the Islanders and crushed them 4-games-to-none. In the final, the Nationals came to play the Alberta Junior Hockey League, Doyle Cup, and Abbott Cup Champion Spruce Grove Mets. The Mets were floored by the Nationals in the first two games, losing 9-4 and 7-1 respectively. In Game 3, the Mets pulled close in a 5-3 loss and then took game four 4-3. Game 5 saw the National regain their early series form and crush the Mets 7-3 to win their first and only National title 4-games-to-1.
Their landmark victory, led by coach Bryan Murray, was the first time a team from the Central Junior A Hockey League had won the Junior A National Championship. The cost of the venture left the team in financial turmoil and led to them folding a year later.
The Rockland Nationals returned in 1987 - ten years after folding. The team has played in the National Capital Junior Hockey League until 2017. 
In Fall 2016, new owners purchased the Gloucester Rangers and will relocate the team to Rockland for 2017-18. The Junior "C" team will continue with their home games now at Clarence Creek Arena in Clarence-Rockland, ON.
==Season-by-season record==
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OL = Overtime Losses, SL = Shootout Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Season 	GP 	W 	L 	T 	OL 	GF 	GA 	Pts 	Finish 	Playoffs 	 	
1973-74	50 	13 	33 	4 	- 	260 	349 	30 	6th CJHL 	 	 	
1974-75	50 	25 	18 	7 	- 	251 	249 	57 	3rd CJHL 	 	 	
1975-76	50 	31 	11 	8 	- 	324 	225 	70 	1st CJHL 	Won League, Won DHC, Won MCC 	 	
1976-77	50 	22 	22 	6 	- 	243 	230 	50 	4th CJHL 	 	 	
1977-87	Did Not Participate 	Did Not Participate 	Did Not Participate 	Did Not Participate 	Did Not Participate 	Did Not Participate 	Did Not Participate 	Did Not Participate 	Did Not Participate 	Did Not Participate 	Did Not Participate 	
1987-04	Eastern Jr. C Standings Not Available 	Eastern Jr. C Standings Not Available 	Eastern Jr. C Standings Not Available 	Eastern Jr. C Standings Not Available 	Eastern Jr. C Standings Not Available 	Eastern Jr. C Standings Not Available 	Eastern Jr. C Standings Not Available 	Eastern Jr. C Standings Not Available 	Eastern Jr. C Standings Not Available 	Eastern Jr. C Standings Not Available 	Eastern Jr. C Standings Not Available 	
2004-05	36 	20 	13 	0 	3 	172 	133 	43 	4th EOJCHL 	Lost Semi-final 	 	
2005-06	36 	14 	20 	- 	2 	143 	183 	30 	5th EOJCHL 	Lost Quarter-final 	 	
2006-07	34 	8 	25 	- 	1 	96 	200 	17 	8th EOJCHL 	Lost Quarter-final 	 	
2007-08	35 	18 	15 	- 	2 	146 	143 	38 	3rd EOJCHL 	Lost Semi-final 	 	
2008-09	33 	10 	22 	- 	1 	154 	208 	21 	7th EOJCHL 	Lost Quarter-Final 	 	
2009-10	34 	17 	13 	- 	4 	159 	148 	38 	4th EOJCHL 	Lost Final 	 	
2010-11	34 	22 	9 	- 	3 	182 	164 	47 	2nd NCJHL 	Lost Final 	 	
2011-12	32 	16 	15 	- 	1 	132 	132 	33 	5th NCJHL 	Lost Semi-final 	 	
2012-13	34 	14 	17 	- 	3 	135 	157 	31 	5th NCJHL 	Lost Semi-final 	 	
2013-14	32 	13 	16 	- 	3 	116 	147 	29 	6th NCJHL 	Lost Quarter-Final 	 	
2014-15	32 	5 	26 	- 	1 	90 	198 	11 	9th NCJHL 	did not qualify 	 	
2015-16	34 	18 	14 	- 	2 	144 	132 	38 	2nd of 5 North5th of 10 NCJHL 	Lost Div Semifinals (2-4)(Volants) 	 	
2016-17	32 	16 	15 	- 	1 	159 	166 	31 	5th of 9 NCJHL 	Lost Quarterfinals (1-4)(Cougars) 	 	
Season 	GP 	W 	L 	OL 	SL 	GF 	GA 	Pts 	Finish 	Playoffs 	 	
2017-18	62 	28 	28 	3 	3 	186 	204 	62 	4th of 6 Yzerman8th of 12 CCHL 	Lost Quarterfinals (1-4)(Canadians) 	 	
2018-19	62 	40 	17 	3 	2 	205 	151 	85 	2nd Yzerman 	Lost Quarterfinals (1-4)(Canadians) 	 	
2019-20	62 	39 	19 	- 	4 	254 	183 	82 	1st Yzerman 	Playoffs cancelled before team starts quarterfinal series 	 	
2020-21	League only played training games due to COVID-19 pandemic	League only played training games due to COVID-19 pandemic	League only played training games due to COVID-19 pandemic	League only played training games due to COVID-19 pandemic	League only played training games due to COVID-19 pandemic	League only played training games due to COVID-19 pandemic	League only played training games due to COVID-19 pandemic	League only played training games due to COVID-19 pandemic	League only played training games due to COVID-19 pandemic	League only played training games due to COVID-19 pandemic	League only played training games due to COVID-19 pandemic	League only played training games due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021-22	55 	24 	24 	4 	3 	166 	188 	55 	4th Yzerman 	L, 8th place playoff 1-4 (Bears) 	 	
2022-23	55 	20 	23 	4 	8 	172 	203 	52 	5th Yzerman 	Did not qualify 	 	
2023-24	55 	32 	19 	3 	1 	202 	175 	68 	3rd Yzerman 	W, QF 4-2 (Wolves)L, SF 1-4 (Grads) 	 	
==Individual player awards==
Season 	Name 	Award
2011-12	Chris 'Tele' Telford	Best Goaltender
2010-11	Kyle Blohm 	Most Improved Player
2009-10	Corey Oliver 	Top Scorer
2007-08	John Leboeuf 	Coach of the Year
 	Denis Brunet 	Executive of the Year
 	Gus Sacoutis 	Best Defensive Forward
 	Alex Bernard 	Most Sportsmanlike Player
2005-06	Alex Bernard 	Best Defensive Forward
 	Guy Audet 	Most Sportsmanlike Player
 	Ghyslain Hotte 	Most Valuable Player
2004-05	Guy Audet 	Best Defensive Forward
2002-03	Rene Tasse 	Best Defenseman
2000-01	Chris Verdon 	Most Improved Player
1998-99	Christian Groleau 	Best Defenseman
1997-98	Alain Paquette 	Most Improved Player
1996-97	Christian Bessette 	Best Defenseman
1994-95	Yanick Vinette 	Most Valuable Player
 	Darren Proulx 	Coach of the Year
 	Martin Gauthier 	Most Improved Player
 	Christian Mercier 	Most Sportsmanlike Player
1993-94	Darren Proulx 	Coach of the Year
 	Serge Lavictoire 	Most Improved Player
1992-93	Stephane Groulx 	Most Valuable Player
1991-92	Jeff Egan 	Best Defenseman
1990-91	Andre Charlebois 	Best Defenseman
 	Marc Rousseau 	Best Defensive Forward
1989-90	Luc Lavictoire 	Best Defenseman
 	Marc Rousseau 	Best Defensive Forward
 	Bob Fairfield 	Coach of the Year
 	Bernie Dion 	Most Valuable Player
1988-89	Jean Maisonnneuve 	Most Sportsmanlike Player
==External links==
*Nationals Homepage
*Revisiting the 1975-76 Rockland Nationals
Category:Eastern Ontario Junior C Hockey League teams
Category:Central Canada Hockey League teams
Category:established in 1987
Category:Canadian ice hockey teams
Category:Central Junior A Hockey League team