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This was to be the last season for the team to be named the National Brewers. It was another very successful season, but the team was winning some games due to the Brewers reputation for ending up with a victory in a game that should have been a loss. Sam Mattingly returned as Brewers’ coach for his eighth year of the club’s nine seasons. There was a continuing talent loss, as Dave Mattingly and Tim Strasdauskas left for college hockey at Northeastern University and Elmira College. Another big loss was Brewer’s founder Stu Hyatt, looking for more ice time, leaving to play for the Baltimore Bruins, a new CHL team. This team was a late replacement for long time Brewers’ rival the Baltimore Jr.Clippers who folded just prior to the season. The addition of the Bruins kept the league at 6 teams. In addition, Steve Wirth began the season with the now Southern Hockey League’s Baltimore Clippers, but would return to the Brewers in November. Goalie Gerry Horak was now a full time right wing and Bob Gieron was added to back up Ron Olenick in the net.
In mid November, the Brewers traveled to Philadelphia for the now regularly scheduled game at Wissahickon. This game was slightly different as it ended in an 11-11 tie featuring a two team offensive explosion. Two weeks later in a game at Columbia against the Benfield Blues, defenseman Randy Mattingly suffered a broken wrist while receiving an open ice check. In another game, Roger Forrest suffered a knee injury and had to be moved from right wing to center to attempt to stay out of the corners.
The regular season came down to a March game at Northwest between the Brewers and the Orchard Mercurys. Coming into this game, the Mercs had scored almost as many goals as the beer men, while allowing many fewer tallies. In the three previous games with the Mercurys, the Brewers had two wins and one loss. If the Brewers won or tied the game, a first place finish was assured. If the Mercurys won by 6 goals or more, they would outscore the Brewers for the season and claim the regular season title. The Mercurys dominated this game and nearly won by the margin needed against a flat Brewers performance. When the ice had cleared, the Mercs’ claimed a 7-2 win, but since the margin of victory was 5 goals, the Brewers won the tie breaker to claim first place in the CHL, with both teams having 17-3-0 records. With identical team records in the CHL, the first tie breaker was head to head games. Each team had won 2 of the 4 games between them. The next tie breaker was goals scored and the Brewers scored 155 to the Mercurys 154 goals. If the Mercurys had won the regular season final game by 6 goals, the next tie breaker was goals allowed where they had a wide edge, 61 to 27, and therefore would have been the regular season champion.
During the season, Ron Olenick’s strong goaltending helped lead the team to a third straight 25 win season, including all non league games played by the Brewers. The overall record was again 25-4-1 with 238 goals scored and 98 allowed. Jim Bartlett led the CHL scoring again with 30 goals and 34 assists. Additional key scoring was provided by Steve Bachman, Mickey McBee, Roger Forrest, Biff Evans, Gerry Horak and George Bachrach.
In the Chesapeake Hockey League playoffs, the Brewers opened with a 7-2 win over Benfield. Jim Bartlett had 2 goals and 2 assists to go along with Mickey McBee’s 2 goals with1 assist to lead the scoring. The championship game was against the Baltimore Blazers, as the Mercurys had declined to compete in the post season. The National Brewers defeated the Blazers in the final by a 6-4 score to claim a 4 th consecutive playoff crown. Dave Mattingly returned and had 2 goals and 1 assist, Steve Bachman also had 2 goals and Steve Wirth added 3 assists. Goalie Ron Olenick needed to make only 12 saves in the final game. The Baltimore Sunpapers’ newspaper story headline the next day was: ‘Brewers title continues dynasty’.
  
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