The Chatham Maroons couldn't have asked for a better start to the season.
The team kicked off its title defense with a 5-3 road win against the Strathroy Rockets on Saturday.
Viljami Kukkola made 33 saves in his first career Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) game.
Scoring the goals for the Maroons were Ian Lachance, Carter Chadwick, Max Skinner, Trevor Zanutto, and Jaxon Priddle.
"Overall, I was pretty happy with our performance. There are obviously some things that we need to clean up; however, it was the first game of the year," said Brennan Feasey, Maroons' head coach and general manager.
The offence accounted for 49 shots. However, that was nothing compared to the team's home opener the next day.
The Maroons raised their championship banner on Sunday, before beating the St. Thomas Stars 5-3.
The team managed to get 61 shots, nearly doubling the number by St. Thomas.
"There was a lot of excitement in the room. I would say (the players) were probably looking forward to the home opener than they were to that first road game," added Feasey.
Skinner and Chadwick each added a goal, while Zanutto scored twice. The last goal came from Evan Krell, his first for the Maroons.
Kukkola also got the start in the home opener, making another 30 saves in the win.
The Maroons will look for their third straight win to start the season on Wednesday in Windsor against the LaSalle Vipers. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
