The Nottawasaga River Rats were a senior hockey team based out of CFB Borden . They played in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League .
48-526: Nottawasaga has won one WOAA Championship, when they were known as Georgian Bay, when they were Senior "A" champions in 2004. This season would prove to be disastrous for the River Rats, as they finished the regular season with a 0-24-0 record, last place in the 18 team WOAA. Georgian Bay did have a victory in mid-December, a 4-3 win over the Durham Thundercats , however they were stripped of
96-534: A 4–3 win, sending Palmerston to the "A" playoffs. In the "A" quarter-finals, the 81's would face the Lucknow Lancers . Lucknow took the first game, winning a wild one by a score of 8–6. The Lancers then took the second game by a 7–3 score, followed by a 7–4 Lucknow win in the third game as the Lancers took a 3–0 series lead. Lucknow completed the sweep in the fourth game, blowing out Palmerston 9–3 to end
144-496: A 7–6 Winterhawks victory in the second game. Saugeen Shores would continue their winning ways in the third game, defeating the 81's 6–4 to take a 3–0 series lead. Palmerston would fight off elimination in the fourth game, defeating the Winterhawks 8–5, however, Saugeen Shores would end the 81's season in the fifth game with a 4–2 victory over Palmerston. Palmerston would struggle during the 2009–10 season, as they finished with
192-534: A 9–8–1 record, and push the team out of the "AA" playoff picture. Palmerston snapped out of their slump, and in their remaining eight games, they posted an impressive 7–0–1 record, and finish in fifth place in the North Division, and qualifying for the "A" playoffs. The 81's opening opponent in the quarter-finals was the Monkton Wildcats , and Monkton surprised Palmerston with a 4–3 OT victory in
240-581: A OEHL Sr. "AA" Championship, in 2023-2024. Palmerston, the defending Senior "A" Champions, had a very strong year, with a 17–7–0 record, good for fourth in the North Division. The 81's would face the South Division champions, the Clinton Radars in the "AA" quarter-finals. After falling behind by losing the first game of the series, Palmerston would win two in a row in overtime to take a 2–1 series lead. Clinton would come back and win two in
288-503: A lifetime of memories, and even a couple of friendships. The T-cats would come back with a vengeance though, returning to their winning ways and capturing Senior AA Championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Over the course of the last 10 seasons, the Thundercats won eight league championships. Finding themselves once again in the finals in 1999, they would suffer defeat at the hands of the upstart Milverton Four Wheel Drives . Prior to
336-770: A major restructuring. The disbandment of two other local leagues (Central Grey-Bruce League, CGBHL and the Central Ontario Hockey League, COHL) increased the team numbers in The WOAA and required the creation of the Upper Tier Intermediate A Division and the Lower Tier Intermediate D Division. Changes in the league format proved to be a good thing for Durham as in 1982, the 72's won their first ever Intermediate "A" Championship, beating Lions Head in seven games. Led by
384-515: A place to play competitive Senior Hockey, and would lay the foundation for 40 years of Championship calibre teams. The Durham 72's, as they were named, were founded as members of the Intermediate "C" loop of the WOAA. Their competition would be found in other local teams like Arthur, Woodford, Thornbury, Elora, and Chatsworth. The 72's finished their first season winning their loop but then lost
432-491: A record of 8–9–3, earning 19 points, and a seventh-place finish in the North Division standings. In the playoffs, the 81's faced off against the Shelburne Muskies in a best of five qualifying round. The Muskies easily defeated the 81's by a 6–3 score in the series opener, followed by a 5–2 Shelburne win in the second game. Palmerston kept the third game close, however, Shelburne completed the three-game sweep with
480-559: A row to put Palmerston behind 3–2, however in the sixth game, the 81's staved off elimination with a convincing 5–2 victory, forcing a seventh game in Clinton. The 81's would fall behind the Radars 3–0 after the first period and could never recover, losing 6–2 and being eliminated from the playoffs. After starting the season off with a 7–2–1 record in their first 10 games, the 81's would slump, losing six of their next eight games, to sit with
528-650: A senior hockey team based out of Palmerston and Harriston , Ontario , Canada. They play in the Ontario Elite Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada . Palmerston won the WOAA Grand Championship in the 1957–58 season. The current Palmerston 81's have three WOAA Sr. "A" Championships, in 1998–99, 2005–06, and 2007–08, they have a WOAA Sr. "AA" Championship, in 2002–03, and
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#1732802295943576-601: A third consecutive title in 94' vs Tavistock, they were challenged by the Ripley Wolves . Durham swept the Wolves for their third straight Grand Championship. The once proud OHA Senior loop was now defunct and several teams now joined the WOAA. This required another level of league play and soon the Senior "AA" Level was adopted. The new teams and influx of OHA talent into the league also created an interesting challenge for
624-732: The Shallow Lake Crushers 6-5 in their fourteenth game of the year. Nottawasaga finished the year with a 1-19-0 record, earning two points, and eleventh place in the WOAA North Division, failing to qualify for the post-season. After the season, the club announced they were ceasing operations, and withdrew from the league. Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T= Tie, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against More information will be added as more becomes available Durham Thundercats The Durham Thundercats , originally
672-581: The Tavistock Royals . A hard-fought series ended when Brian Sweeney would score in overtime in the 6th game and allow the Thundercats to emerge victorious and Senior A Champions. Some members of the team took immediate vacations but halfway through they got word that the WOAA had been attempting to contact them to set up dates for a Grand Championship series with the Arthur Tigers , the Intermediate "B" champions. The 3 out of 5 series would go
720-563: The "Thundercats" and switched the Green and Yellow for the Black and Silver . The effect was instantaneous as the Thundercats would terrorize the league for the next dozen years. Once again a change proved fruitful and the 1988-89 season had the T-Cats finish first in the league with 19 wins, 2 losses, and 2 ties. Solid goaltending from Scott MacMillan, Mark Taylor & Gord McGinnis, along with
768-653: The 1972 Centennial celebration in Durham, locals decided a second Men's hockey club could succeed and thus put into place the formation of the current Durham Thundercats. Working alongside but playing out of different leagues as the towns established team, the Huskies, the town applied to and was accepted to enter the Western Ontario Athletic Association 's Northern league. The organization of this second team allowed many talented local players
816-566: The 1999-00 season, the Thundercats engaged in a two-game home-and-home series against the Ontario Hockey Association 's Senior AAA Cambridge Hornets . On September 25, the Thundercats won 4-3 and the next day the Hornets won 2-1. Such a matchup between WOAA and OHA senior teams was not seen again until September 30, 2017 when the Clinton Radars defeated the Whitby Dunlops 3-2 in a preseason game. No longer playing but still feeling
864-487: The 3–0 series lead. The fourth game would once again be tied 4–4 after regulation time, and the 81's would earn the series sweep, by scoring in the extra period and advance to the "AA" quarter-finals. In the "AA" quarter-finals, the 81's faced off against the Saugeen Shores Winterhawks , where Saugeen Shores would take an early series lead by defeating Palmerston 5–3 in the series opener, followed by
912-604: The 81's season. After a very disappointing 2009–10 season, the 81's improved a little bit during the season, as the club went 13–12–1 to finish above the .500 mark, earning 27 points, and finishing in fifth place in the North Division standings. In the summer of 2011, the team announced they were merging with the Drayton Icemen and expanding their territory with it. They are now called the Mapleton-Minto 81's. The 81's were able to maintain their 5th place spot in
960-579: The 90pt seasons from Steve Reay and Todd Stoddart , they would defeat the Lucknow Lancers to win the Intermediate Grand Championship in their first year. They followed this up in 1989/90 with another winning season, but lost a memorable hard-fought battle with Kincardine. Over the course of the next 8yrs, the Thundercats would dominate the WOAA. In the 1990/91 newly formed Senior "A" finals, they were challenged by
1008-788: The A Semi-Finals 2009-10, 5th, lost in A Finals In remembrance of two of the greatest teams in Durham hockey history, the 1989 Greater Ontario Senior "AA" champion Durham Huskies who made it to the Hardy Cup semi-finals will play off against the 1989 WOAA Intermediate Grand Champion Durham Thundercats on April 4, 2009 in a 20th Anniversary Alumni game. Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against The 72's Runner-Up in: Int. "C" 1972-73, Int. "B" 1980-81, Int. "A" 1982-83, 1983-84 The Thundercats Runner-Up in: Sr. "AA" 1994-95, 1998–99, 2001-02, Sr. "A" 2009-10 Palmerston 81%27s The Minto 81's are
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#17328022959431056-457: The Cats limped through the regular season, both on the ice and off. Antonopolis was unable to revive the magic from previous years even while the core of the T-Cats remained virtually unchanged. Ending up 6th during the regular season the Cats won the first round of play-offs but lost in A Semi-Finals. 2008-09 proved much the same as the previous year, ending up 5th during the regular and losing in
1104-505: The Durham 72's, are a senior hockey team based out of Durham , Ontario , Canada. The Thundercats are members of the Ontario Elite Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada . The Thundercats date back to the town's Centennial, 1972, and have been an extremely successful team in all loops of the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior "AA" Hockey League . During
1152-732: The League's leading scorer in Randy '12' Reay, the 7th and final game was played in Markdale, in front of a sold out crowd. The next season saw the 72's lose the Intermediate "A" Championship to the Woodford Royals , who in turn lost the Grand Championship to Lion's Head. In 1986, with coach Bev Nixon behind the bench, the 72's were led again by two-time league scoring champ Bruce 'Beagle' Marshall. Ultimately losing to Woodford in
1200-559: The Major Intermediate "C" Championship to the Milverton Four Wheel Drives . The next season saw them finish first overall again with 14 wins 4 losses and 2 ties, but fall to Arthur in the loop final. A third attempt at securing a championship finally paid off as the 72's won the 1975 WOAA Intermediate C championship. Unfortunately, the team would be required to take a two-year hiatus until a new arena
1248-427: The North Division following the merger with Drayton, finishing the 24-game schedule with a record of 11–10–3. They faced off against the Durham Thundercats in a North Division quarterfinal series, falling in 5 games. The 81's started off their season with promise, defeating the defending champion Saugeen Shores Winterhawks in the Winterhawks home opener. The 81's were unable to sustain the success, and struggled to
1296-495: The River Rats all season long, as they finished with a 4-22-0 record, however, the Georgian Bay would finish in seventh place, and earn a spot in the "A" playoffs. The River Rats opponent in the quarter-finals was the Milverton Four Wheel Drives , and Georgian Bay quickly found themselves down two games to none after Milverton won both the games on their home ice by scores of 13-2 and 9-3. The series moved to Georgian Bay for
1344-577: The Thundercats openly allowed the Ottawa Senators Chris Neil to practice with the team. With the cancellation of the season, Neil joined his three older brothers and signed with the Thundercats. Unfortunately he signed without permission from the WOAA. In the only game he played, Neil recorded one assist in a 5-4 win over the Mildmay Monarchs . Asked about Neil playing against his team, Monarchs coach's mentioned that it
1392-438: The Thundercats, who only added 4 players from the now defunct OHA Durham Huskies. In 1995, the T-Cats proved human and lost to the Tavistock Royals in the sixth game of the Senior "AA" championship. The rivalry of the late 70's and early 80's with Lions Head was now back seat to the dislike these two teams developed for each other over the course of the last 4 years. 3 Senior AA Championship series against each other would forge
1440-478: The WOAA Grand Championship and lost a hard-fought battle that would lay the ground work for a tumultuous rivalry that would last for years to come. Over the course of the next three seasons, Durham would endure successes but fall short of the ultimate goal, including the 1981 defeat at the hands of the Mitchell Red Devils, in the Intermediate "B" final. During the summer of 1981, the league underwent
1488-418: The WOAA North Division. Palmerston opened the playoffs against the Durham Thundercats , with the winner advancing to the "AA" quarter-finals. The 81's opened the series with a 9–2 victory, followed by a 6–2 win the second game to take a 2–0 series lead. The third game would be determined in overtime, as the scored was tied 4–4 after three periods of play, and it would be Palmerston earning the victory to take
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1536-712: The ability to play with his brothers, Neil soon shipped off to the American Hockey League 's Binghamton Senators , and they T-Cats were unable to duplicate the success of the previous year. The 2005-06 season saw a new team president in Randy Reay, and a new Coach, in John Antonopolis. Antonopolis was already well known in the area, having already been suspended by the OHA after some successes but also for questionable coaching practices. With Reed in
1584-466: The assistant coach's role, Antonopolis weaved his magic and once again the T-Cats were providing Durham fans with the kind of hockey they were used to seeing in the 1990s. After edging out the Elora Rocks for first place in the WOAA with 22 wins and 3 losses, the Thundercats plowed through the playoffs to defeat those same Rocks 4-games-to-1 to win another WOAA Senior "AA" championship. The 2006-07
1632-468: The comeback, defeating Monkton 5–4, and advance to the "A" semi-finals. Palmerston would face the defending "A" champions, the Durham Thundercats in the semi-finals, and the 81's would win a very wild opening game by a score of 9–7. Durham rebounded to tie the series up in the second game, however, Palmerston would dominate the Thundercats in the third game, winning 10–5, and taking a 2–1 series lead. Palmerston's offense stayed hot, defeating Durham 7–3 in
1680-728: The competitive spirit, Todd Stoddart took over coaching duties in 2000. Regular season success did not pan out in the play-offs as a seventh game loss to Palmerston in the semi-finals would put an end to the season. With future Mayor Kevin Eccles now behind the bench, the T-Cat's would knocked off the Hensall Sherwoods to win the Senior "AA" crown in 01', but would lose to Milverton in 02'. Longtime 72 & T-Cat Rob Reed would take over coaching duties in 2002/03 and amassed and incredible regular season record of 22 wins and 2 losses, tying
1728-462: The distance with Arthur pulling off the upset to win the Grand Championship. The series of course was not without controversy. The two head coaches were longtime friends who would test that friendship severely. A questionable arena malfunction canceled game two in Arthur, which resulted in the series lasting an extra weekend longer. This resulted in the Cats losing the services of a couple of players for
1776-406: The end of an era in regards to the Durham 72's. The lackluster season ended early with a record of 6 wins, 6 losses, and 4 ties and the winds of change soon came knocking. This marked the last season the team would be known as the Durham 72's. The summer of 1988 would prove to be a major change for the team known only as the 72's, for the last 16yrs. Given a face lift, they traded in the "72's" for
1824-436: The fourth game, and then defeating the Thundercats in the fifth game by a 7–4 score to win the series, advancing to the "A" finals. The 81's next opponent would be the Lucknow Lancers , and after dropping the series opener by a 5–4 score, Palmerston would win the next two games by scores of 6–4 and 7–1 to take a 2–1 series lead. Lucknow evened the series with a 7–5 victory in the fourth game, however, Palmerston once again took
1872-447: The last two games, due to prearranged trip commitments to Florida. Arthur would win game 5 in Durham in front the largest crowd ever (1,000+) people, to claim their only Sr. A Grand Championship. After the previous years controversy, the Thundercats began the first of two consecutive, three year runs as Champion. Beating Tavistock and Lakeshore respectively in 1992 & 93', they were unopposed WOAA Senior Grand Champions. After winning
1920-668: The next two games, but it was Milverton continue to win by blowout scores, winning both games three and four by a 10-4 score, eliminating the River Rats from the playoffs. In June 2008, the Georgian Bay River Rats announced that they were moving from Thornbury, Ontario to CFB Borden and were renamed the Nottawasaga River Rats. In the River Rats first season in Nottawasaga, the club would continue to struggle, earning only one victory, defeating
1968-403: The play-offs, changes were again, on the horizon. With new coach Dennis 'Guido' Graham now calling the shots, the 72's moved to the newly formed Northern division with Lucknow, Ripley, Kincardine, Teeswater, and Lion's Head. After finishing first with 16 wins, 4 losses, and 2 ties, they won the Intermediate "A" Championship but lost the Grand Championship in 6 games. The 1987-88 season would see
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2016-481: The record of 1989. Again, regular season success proved to be fodder as the Cat's couldn't sustain their winning ways. In 2003/04, the Thundercats, with Reed behind the bench again, would plough their way through the regular season and then carry-on to win another Senior "AA" championship, defeating the Clinton Radars in the league final. 2004/05 proved to be an interesting season. With the 2004–05 NHL lockout looming,
2064-428: The series lead with a solid 7–3 win in the fifth game. The 81's would hang on for a 3–2 win in the sixth game, winning the "A" championship for the second time in three seasons. Palmerston would get off to a hot start to begin the regular season, winning their first seven games. The 81's would continue to play good hockey throughout the regular season, finishing off with a 14–4–2 record, earning 30 points, and fourth in
2112-498: The series opener, followed by a 2–1 win in the second game to take a 2–0 series lead. The 81's fought back, winning games three and four to tie the series, but the Wildcats put Palmerston on the brink of elimination with a 4–0 victory in the fifth game to take a 3–2 series lead. The 81's would once again fight back, hanging on for a 4–3 win in the sixth game, sending the series to a seventh and deciding game. Palmerston would complete
2160-547: The win due to playing with illegal players. The River Rats struggles continued into their best of three qualifying series with the Drayton Icemen , as they were swept in two games by the Icemen, ending the River Rats season. After dropping their first game of the season, the River Rats would earn their first victory in nearly two years when Georgian Bay would defeat the expansion team Shallow Lake Crushers 7-5, ending their long losing streak. Wins would be few and far between for
2208-406: Was a winning season for the Thundercats with 15 wins, 8 losses, and a tie, but the Thundercats fell victim to a new system in the WOAA that segregates Senior "AA" from Senior "A" before the playoffs, not during the opening round. The T-Cats finished just out of reach for the Senior "AA" loop, but proved worthy by going on to add another Senior "A" title to the long list of Championships. In 2007-08,
2256-512: Was planned & developed. Returning to the ice in 1977/78, the 72's were playing at the Intermediate "B" level and were led by current coach Bruce Marshall. 'Beagle' as he is fondly known, led the league in scoring, (a feat he would repeat in the 1985/86 season) and the 72's defeated Palmerston (later known as the Palmerston 81's ) to win the "B" Championship. The 72's were challenged by the Intermediate "C" Champion Lion's Head Northstars for
2304-471: Was unfortunate they were unaware Neil was playing, or they would have promoted it better. Mildmay's feelings however were not universal and soon after, the WOAA announced that they would not allow actively professional players compete in the WOAA regardless of the NHL lockout. For playing Neil without league permission, the win was taken away and awarded to Mildmay and Durham's coach Rob Reed was suspended. Without
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