The Rockland Nationals are champions once again.
For the second straight year, the Nats captured the Bogart Cup championship, sweeping the Smiths Falls Bears in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) championship final.
The win capped off a memorable year for the Nats, who lost three games during the regular season, and won another Yzerman Division title and a regular season crown.
“The boys played outstanding in the playoffs, and this was a great win for our team,” said head coach Justin Pereira, who was named the league’s top coach for a second straight season. “What we have done is very rare to do, and it is challenging especially in a league where we have so many good teams. It’s a special feeling for these boys, and I am so proud of what they were able to accomplish.”
Nats forward Gabriel Le Houillier, who was named the league’s most valuable player (MVP) and won the scoring title for the 2025-2026 CCHL season, said what made the team special was the camaraderie on and off the ice, and the fact that every player on the team was determined and motivated to be champions again.
“Everyone is doing their jobs on the ice and consistency is key,” said the reigning league MVP. “It really is an amazing feeling, but there is one more trophy we want, and that’s the Centennial Cup.”
Nats forward Alex Kelloway said bringing another Bogart Cup to the city of Clarence-Rockland was certainly a challenging task, and all the hard work paid off, especially seeing the way hockey fans around the city have responded to the team.
“The fans, this city, this community, they have really rallied around us,” said Kelloway. “They were there at away games cheering us on, and just to have people chanting “Go Nats’, we can tell what this means to the people here.”
The Centennial Cup
Now that the team has successful defended its Bogart Cup championship from a year ago, the focus now shifts to the Centennial Cup, which is scheduled to take place from May 7 to 17, 2026, in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. The tournament serves as Canada’s National Junior A Hockey Championship and will be hosted at the Credit Union Place. A total of 10 teams will compete, including the host Summerside Western Capitals of the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL). The Nats, the Capitals and eight regional champions from across the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL).
The Nats made it to the final four last year, and players and coaches alike are determined and motivated to not only have a chance to compete in the tournament but bring the cup back to Rockland which would solidify their position as the best junior hockey team in the country.
“We want one more trophy,” said coach Pereira. “That was our goal at the beginning of the season, we wanted to win the Bogart Cup and get back to the Centennial Cup and play one more game with a chance to win it.”
Nats captain Mathys Laurent, who was named the CCHL’s best defenseman for the 2025-2026 CCHL season, said winning the Centennial Cup after coming up shirt last season would be the cherry on top as he inches closer to the end of his junior hockey career.
“Winning the Bogart Cup again is an amazing feeling, but there is one more trophy we want, and we are focused to get back and play for the Centennial Cup,” said the Nats captain. “We have the team that can do it, and as long as we play our game, we have a chance.”
The last and only time a Nats team won the Centennial Cup was in 1976, exactly 50 years ago. The Nats celebrated that team with a special ceremony earlier this season, bringing together former players to share their memories of the monumental feat.
“That was some extra motivation for us,” recalled Laurent. “The players from that team are still connected and they are friends and they talk about that moment. It was great to hear their stories, and that is something that I want for this team. No matter what happens, we will be connected forever with what we have done, and these guys will always be my brothers.”
