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63-660: During 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

126-408: A 7-5 win. Tavistock evened the series with a 5-2 win at home. Petrolia responded with their own 5-2 win in game three. Game four was won by Tavistock 8-4 tying the series at two games apiece. Petrolia took a series lead by winning game five 5-2. Tavistock forced a seventh game with a 7-3 win in game six. Tavistock went on to take the series with convincing 9-1 game seven win. Tavistock's opponent for

189-503: 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

252-770: 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

315-515: 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

378-583: A record of 8-11-1, earning 17 points. It was the first time since 2003-04 that the Royals had a losing record. In the best of five qualifying round, Tavistock faced off against the Monkton Wildcats . The Wildcats took the series opener by a 6-3 score, and while the second game was close, it was Monkton who prevailed with a 5-4 win to take a 2-0 series lead. In the third game, the Wildcats completed

441-601: 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

504-834: Is a Canadian senior ice hockey league governed by the Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada . The league operates in Southwestern Ontario . As of the 2024-25 season, the champion of the OEHL will be eligible to challenge the champion of Allan Cup Hockey for a spot in the Canadian national Senior AAA championship and a chance to win the Allan Cup . Formerly known as the WOAA Senior AA Hockey League , and governed by

567-527: Is to be divided into a Northern and Southern Conference with Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest Divisions. The league as well wishes to promote expansion in the league, especially to the Southeast Division. Another change for 2010–11 is that there will only be one league championship for the first time in the league's modern history, as the league will drop both its second and third tier championships (Sr. A and Sr. B respectively). This

630-737: The Bruce Rural Hockey League , integrating many of their teams. In 1991, they came to grip with the times and dropped the Intermediate moniker, relabeling itself the WOAA Senior A Hockey League. In the 1980s, many teams jumped between the WOAA and the Ontario Hockey Association Senior leagues that attempted to operate in the area. This era ended in 1994 with the death of the WOAA Grand Championship. The final champions were

693-468: The Clinton Radars in the "AA" semi-finals, and would take a 1-0 series lead with a solid 8-5 victory in the series opener. Tavistock would easily win the second game by an 8-1 score, before winning the third game by a close 5-3 score to take a 3-0 lead in the series. The Royals and Radars would play into overtime in the fourth game, with Tavistock scoring in the extra period to win the game, sweep

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756-591: The Durham 72's , Arthur Tigers , Brussels Crusaders , Lion's Head Northstars , Woodford Royals , Ripley Roosters , Drayton Comets , St. Clements Saints , Teeswater Falcons , Lucknow Lancers , Kincardine Kings , Dundalk Flyers , Monkton Wildcats , Mitchell Red Devils , and Tara Cyclones . As the league grew, they brought in many smaller local senior leagues like the Central Ontario Hockey League , Central Grey-Bruce Hockey League and

819-672: The Durham Thundercats , who took it for the third straight year in 1994. From 1977 until 1994, the WOAA was dominated early on by Lion's Head and Woodford and later on by Brussels and Durham. With the collapse of Ontario Hockey Association Senior hockey, the WOAA made the move to declare itself one level below Allan Cup competition with the Senior AA moniker in 1994. The league consolidated itself into one large league with different tiers of playoff championships: AA, A, and Sr. B until 1997. The Durham Thundercats proved to be

882-488: The Milverton Four Wheel Drives reemerged as a powerhouse in the WOAA, dominating the league in 1999, 2000, and 2002. The Palmerston 81's and Elora Rocks also emerged as dominant forces later in the decade along with Tavistock as the Thundercats stranglehold on the league has loosened. The Saugeen Shores Winterhawks , based out of Port Elgin , have become the perennial team to beat since entering

945-562: The Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada . The Tavistock Royals have won three WOAA "AA" Championships, as they were champions in 1994-95, 2007-08, and in 2022-23. Tavistock had another very strong season, finishing with an 18-6-0 record, which placed them in third place in the South Division, and a playoff matchup with the Shelburne Muskies in the "AA" quarter-finals. The Royals would start off quick and win

1008-630: The Petrolia Squires and Lucan-Ilderton Jets . The Royals finished the year with a 13-4-3 record, earning 29 points, and third place in the WOAA South Division. Tavistock opened the post-season against the Exeter Mohawks , with the winner advancing to the "AA" playoffs. The Royals took the series opener by a 3-1 score, however, Exeter evened the series with a 3-2 overtime win in the second game. Tavistock rebounded in

1071-581: 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

1134-479: The "AA" finals were the Saugeen Shores Winterhawks . Saugeen Shores won the first three games with scores of 4-3, 6-2 and 5-4. Down three games to none Tavistock kept the series alive with a game four 6-5 overtime win. The Winterhawks completed the series with a game five 6-4 win. Tavistock struggled throughout the regular season, finishing the year in sixth place in the South Division with

1197-563: 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

1260-564: 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

1323-579: 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

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1386-795: 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 WOAA Senior The Ontario Elite Hockey League

1449-457: 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

1512-732: 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

1575-479: 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

1638-641: The OEHL's Senior A championship trophy. That trophy was previously awarded to the champions of the Continental Senior A Hockey League from 1973 until 1980 and then, later, the regular season champions of the OHA Senior A Hockey League from 1981 until 1987. Tavistock Royals The Tavistock Royals are a senior hockey team based out of Tavistock , Ontario , Canada. They play in the Ontario Elite Hockey League of

1701-678: The Radars in five games to capture the Sr. AA Championship. In the summer of 2023 ten of the twelve existing teams voted to leave the league and reform under the umbrella of the Ontario Hockey Association. At the end of the 2022-23 WOAA Senior AA season, the Petrolia Squires elected to join the Western Ontario Super Hockey League , while Shallow Lake and Shelburne chose to take a year off. With

1764-477: The Royals held off the Radars 3-2 to take a 3-1 series lead. Tavistock would then eliminate Clinton in game five with a 5-4 victory, and advance to the "AA" finals. The Royals would play the Elora Rocks in the finals to determine the "AA" championship, and after the first four games, the series was tied two games each as both teams would win their games on the road. The Royals won game five on home ice, with

1827-443: The Royals were within one victory of the WOAA "AA" championship, Tavistock would have its best regular season in team history, finishing on top of the South Division with a 23-2-1 record, earning 47 points and a spot in the "AA" playoffs. Tavistock's "AA" quarter-final opponent was the Shelburne Muskies , the same opponent from the "AA" quarter-finals from the previous season, in which the Royals were victorious. The Muskies surprised

1890-577: 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

1953-438: 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

Durham Thundercats - Misplaced Pages Continue

2016-478: 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

2079-506: The WOAA has made wind about further expansion to the South in former Senior AAA towns like Aylmer and Dorchester in the near future. In the Summer of 2010, the WOAA decided to officially change the name of the league to the WOAA Senior AA Hockey League . Adding the "AA" designation was to help differentiate the league from Major League Hockey which carries a "AAA" designation. Also the league

2142-541: The WOAA turned down Eastern expansion to the Cooks Bay Canucks as that was not where the league was interested in going. In 2008, the Ontario Hockey Association was rocked by the defection of three of its five Major League Hockey Senior AAA teams. Two of them applied successfully for expansion into the WOAA, the Tillsonburg Vipers and the two-time Allan Cup champion Petrolia Squires . Also,

2205-712: 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

2268-423: The arrival of the omicron variant of COVID-19 caused restrictions to be re-imposed, shutting down the league. On January 12, 2022, the league announced the regular season had been declared complete and that the playoffs would begin upon resumption of play. Teams were ranked based on points-percentage due to the unequal number of games played. The Seaforth Centenaires ended Clinton's reign as champions, knocking off

2331-407: 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

2394-621: The autonomous Western Ontario Athletic Association , in the summer of 2023 ten of the twelve existing teams voted to leave the WOAA and reform under the umbrella of the Ontario Hockey Association. From 1969 until 1977, the WOAA's premier division was an Intermediate B hockey league. Teams that were involved were the Mount Forest Rams , Arthur Tigers , Thornbury, Harriston Blues , Milverton Four Wheel Drives , Plattsville Combines , Seaforth, Durham 72's , Listowel, Lucknow, Crediton, Atwood, Ripley, Belgrave, and Kurtzville. The league

2457-596: The chance to win the title in Elora in game six. Tavistock would fall short in the sixth game, losing 5-3 in a well played game, setting up the seventh and deciding game in Tavistock. The Royals got off to a fast start, scoring 97 seconds into the game, but the Rocks would prove to be too much to handle, as the Royals lost 7-3, ending their season one victory shy of the championship. After a successful 2006-07 season, in which

2520-728: 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

2583-462: 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

Durham Thundercats - Misplaced Pages Continue

2646-406: 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

2709-474: The first time in over 70 years. On September 25, 2020, the league announced the 2020–21 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With COVID-19 restrictions loosened, the league returned for the 2021-22, with 13 teams in the fold. The Creemore Coyotes joined as an expansion team, while Elora and Tillsonburg withdrew. The Ripley Wolves were in first place with an 11-2-1 record on January 4, 2022 when

2772-466: The first two games, however Shelburne came back and won three in a row to put Tavistock on the brink of elimination. The Royals would come back and win the final two games of the series to win it 4-3. Tavistock would then face the South Division winning Clinton Radars in the "AA" semi-finals, and would drop the first game 6-4 to go down 1-0 in the series. The Royals would rebound, and win the next two in overtime. Game four would be another close one, as

2835-417: The fourth game, defeating Elora 4-3, to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Tavistock would have no problems wrapping the series up in the fifth game, dominating the Rocks, as they easily won the game 6-1, and winning the "AA" championship for the second time in club history. It would be another successful regular season for the defending "AA" champions, as Tavistock would battle for first place all season with

2898-568: The heavily favoured Royals in the series opener in Tavistock, defeating the Royals 6-5. Tavistock evened the series up in the second game held in Shelburne with a convincing 6-1 victory. The Royals continued their winning ways in the third game, doubling Shelburne 4-2 to take a 2-1 series lead, then won a wild 4th game 7-6 in OT to lead the series 3-1. The Royals closed out the series in the fifth game, defeating Shelburne 6-4. Tavistock would then face

2961-447: 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

3024-429: The league in 2007/08, winning the "AA" championship in 2009, 2011 and 2012. In 2004, the WOAA allowed for the recreation of the famed Lucan-Ilderton Jets franchise, a team that dominated the Intermediate ranks in the 1960s and 1970s. The Jets, near London set a precedent for years to come. In 2006, the WOAA shocked many of its teams by confirming the expansion of the even more Southerly Thedford Dirty Dogs . In 2007,

3087-838: The move to the OHA, the league rebranded as the Ontario Elite Hockey League and added two new teams, the Georgian Bay Applekings and the Erin Outlaws. With joining the OHA, the league adopted the J.F. Paxton Cup as their AA playoff championship trophy, renaming it the OEHL Cup. The trophy was previously awarded to the OHA Senior A champion from 1935 until 1992, and briefly in 2004. Also, the Hugh McLean Trophy has been adopted as

3150-403: 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

3213-481: 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,

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3276-408: The second game with a 6-5 overtime win. Clinton responded with a 6-2 win and a 4-3 overtime win. Tavistock won game five by a score of 5-2. Clinton kept the series alive by winning game six 5-4 in overtime. Game seven was also decided in overtime with a 5-4 win for Tavistock. In the "AA" semi-finals, Tavistock met the Petrolia Squires in a high scoring 7 game series. Petrolia opened the series with

3339-489: The series sweep, defeating the Royals 3-1 to send Tavistock to the "A" playoffs. In the "A" quarter-finals, the Royals played against the Milverton Four Wheel Drives . Tavistock hung on for a 6-5 win the first game, however, Milverton tied the series up in the second game, defeating the Royals 7-2. In the third game, Tavistock once again hung on for a close victory, defeating the Drives 3-2, however, once again, Milverton tied

3402-475: The series up, defeating Tavistock 7-4 in the fourth game. The fifth game was another close victory by the Royals, defeating the Four Wheel Drives 6-5 to take a 3-2 series lead. Milverton fought off elimination with a convincing 5-1 win in the sixth game, setting up a seventh game. In the last game of the series, the Drives were able to hold off the Royals in a wild 8-6 win, eliminating Tavistock from

3465-437: The series, and advance to the "AA" finals. The Royals would face the Elora Rocks in a rematch of the 2007 "AA" finals, which saw the Rocks win the championship in seven games. Elora opened the series with a 5-2 victory, however, the Royals rebounded and held on for a 5-4 win in the second game to tie the series up. Tavistock would win by a 5-4 again in the third game to take a 2-1 series lead, then win another one-goal game in

3528-470: The team to beat early on. Going back to the 1991–92 season, the Thundercats won 9 league championships in 15 years, including 6 out of 7 from the 1991–92 season until 1998. In 1995, the Tavistock Royals won the first ever WOAA Senior AA championship by taking the Durham Thundercats to seven games. The Thundercats avenged the loss by winning the next three Senior "AA" crowns. As time went on,

3591-471: The third game, easily winning by a 5-2 score, before shutting out the Mohawks 7-0 to go up 3-1 in the series. In the fifth game, Exeter and Tavistock fought to a score of 5-5 after three periods, before the Royals scored in the extra period to win the game 6-5, and win the series. The Royals opponent in the "AA" quarter-finals were the Clinton Radars . Tavistock won the first game by a score of 5-4 and took

3654-406: 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,

3717-545: Was changed during the 2010–11 season, the Sr. A championship and qualifier round will still be gone but the Sr. B championship and its round robin will now be known as the Sr. A championship. By 2017, the league had shrunk to 14 teams, with the departures of Walkerton, Thedford, Monkton and Komoka. With the South Division down to six teams (eight in the North), the league reverted to one division with each team playing an unbalanced schedule to reduce travel costs. The playoff format

3780-490: Was divided into as many as five divisions, Int. B, Major and Minor Int. C, and Major and Minor Int. D. The teams from the Major Int. C loop dominated the WOAA in terms of Grand Championships, winning 5 of 8. The most dominant teams were Mount Forest and Milverton. From 1977 until 1991, the WOAA promoted itself to the Intermediate A level. With four major loops: A, B, C, and D; the WOAA had a wide variety of teams, including

3843-512: 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

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3906-454: Was revised, with the top-eight teams qualifying for the Sr. "AA" championship, while the remaining five teams played for the Sr. "A" championship. This change did nothing to stop the dynasty in Clinton, with the Radars rattling off four consecutive championships. Much like the rest of the world, the 2020 playoffs were stopped in the semi-final round, and ultimately cancelled, by the COVID-19 pandemic , resulting in no champion being crowned for

3969-422: 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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