The Petrolia Flyers are continuing to build their hockey club ahead of the 2022-23 Provincial Junior Hockey League season.
The Jr. C team announced the hiring of Chris Fryfogle as head coach, and the addition of four players during a news conference Monday.
Fryfogle, a 51-year-old Wingham native, is no stranger to the Petrolia hockey scene. He has spent over 10 years as either the head coach or assistant of a Petrolia Minor Hockey Association team.
His resume includes an OMHA championship, four regional Silver Stick championships, and an appearance in the International Silver Stick finals.
He was also an assistant coach with the Jr. B St. Thomas Stars, Lambton Jr. Sting AAA, and Jr. D Exeter Hawks, and coached the Aylmer minor hockey team to a 45 win season.
Fryfogle thanked Flyers GM Dennis Meston and the organization for the opportunity.
"It's an honour to finally get to be a head coach at the junior level," said Fryfogle. "We'll find out what our identity is and we'll be moving forward in that direction. We have some great young guys coming in, and it's been great to meet them."
Fryfogle said his players will have to come to the rink ready to work hard.
"I think for some of the kids who know me, they know what they're getting and I think they know the expectations," he said. "We're not getting onto the ice and shooting pucks for minute, let alone 15, we're going to work when we hit the ice. I think some of the boys found that out early. They dropped the pucks in the first practice and I was like 'get rid of those, we have work to do before you have the fun'. We're going to have some fun but we've got to put the work in. We'll generate our offence from our defence, we'll be solid in our own end. At the end of the day we'll try to get into a hybrid system once we get out of our end, but in our end we will be disciplined. That's where we need our guys buying in. We'll get them buying into what we're selling and at the end of the year, hopefully it's not being arrogant, but I think we're going to climb the ropes there and get into the three or four position and make some noise in the playoffs because we'll be pulling from the same end of the rope."
Former Sarnia Legionnaires GM Tom Norris, is joining the Flyers as an assistant coach, joining Erin White on the staff.
The Flyers also signed forward Cameron McCarthy, goalie Joseph Malinowski, as well as defencemen Logan O’Leary-Dilosa and Anson Grant.
Flyers GM Dennis Meston (L), Cameron McCarthy (C), Flyers Head Coach Chris Fryfogle (R) - June 6/22 (Blackburn Media photo by Josh Boyce)
McCarthy, a Strathroy resident, has played AAA in Lambton and BB in Strathroy. He spent the past four years away from hockey, focusing on competitive basketball. Despite that, the Flyers noticed his skill and size during the team's spring camp.
Malinowski is from Sarnia and has played in the Lambton AAA organization since 2016. Last season, he was an affiliate player for the Dresden Kings.
O’Leary-Dilosa played in every playoff game for the Flyers this past season as an affiliate from the Petrolia U18’s. He has split time between the PMHA, Lambton AAA and Sarnia Minor Hockey.
Grant is from Kapuskasing and spent the last two seasons with the Kapuskasing Flyers AAA U18’s and was affiliated to the Jr A Hearst Lumberjacks this past season. He will be taking Fire Science at Lambton College this fall.
Meanwhile, the Flyers will be competing in a different division this coming season.
They will be leaving the Stobbs Division, which includes Lambton county rival Mooretown, and joining the Yeck Division after receiving board approval Friday.
The Yeck Division features teams in Mt. Brydges, Lucan, North Middlesex, Dorchester, Port Stanley, Thamesford and Exeter.
