The Lakeshore Winterhawks were a senior hockey team based out of Southampton , Ontario , Canada. They played in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League and the Northern Senior A Hockey League . From 1967 until the mid-1980s, the team was known as the Port Elgin Sunocos from Port Elgin, Ontario and spent some of their time in the Major Intermediate A Hockey League and in for contention for the Hardy Cup .
17-777: The Port Elgin Sunocos began play in the Central Intermediate B Hockey League in 1967. In the early 70s, the Sunocos were moved down to the more local Central Intermediate C Hockey League. After dominating the local league for a few seasons, the Sunocos were moved up to the Georgian Bay Intermediate A Hockey League and into contention for the Hardy Cup . The Hardy Cup was the Canadian grand championship of Intermediate hockey. The Sunocos would win
34-721: The Owen Sound Greys and the Orangeville Cougars . Port Elgin had been part of the OHA Intermediate C loop and Owen Sound was returning to the ice after a one-year hiatus caused by the 1977 collapse of the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League . Collingwood was the first regular season champion, finishing first with a 30-7-0 record, but Port Elgin won the inaugural playoff championship. The Sunocos placed second at 24-10-1 and beat
51-797: The 1979 GBIAHL championship, but lose the OHA title to the Georgetown Raiders . In 1983, the Sunocos dropped from Intermediate A when their league was disbanded and into the Northern Intermediate B Hockey League with the Durham Huskies and Shelburne Muskies . In 1985, the Sunocos went on hiatus. In 1989, the team was reformed in Southampton as the Lakeshore Winterhawks. The Winterhawks returned to
68-594: The Raiders topped the standings for the third year in a row, Collingwood finally won the playoff championship by downing Georgetown 4-1 in the final. The Major Intermediate A Hockey League folded in 1983. Midland disappeared with it while Port Elgin and Durham joined a local OHA Intermediate B loop. Collingwood, Georgetown and Barrie (now known as the Broncos) were absorbed into the Senior A league. Dundas and Owen Sound are
85-981: The Sunoco's old league, known a season later as the Northern Senior A Hockey League . The Winterhawks left the Ontario Hockey Association in 1993 when the NSAHL folded from beneath their feet. In 1993-94, the Winterhawks found themselves in the WOAA Senior Hockey League . They played three seasons in the WOAA until 1996, when increasing departure of jobs due to the shutdown of the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station "A" caused many players to leave
102-670: The Suns, and Georgetown and Collingwood again captured the top two places in the standings. Port Elgin, Orillia, Midland, Owen Sound and Barrie rounded out the league. Georgetown swept the playoffs, beating the Shipbuilders 4-0 in the final, and went on to win the Hardy Cup as Canadian champions. Owen Sound and Orillia departed prior to the 1982–83 season but the Durham Huskies entered from Senior A. Unfortunately, they were overmatched and finished in sixth and last place, behind Georgetown, Collingwood, Port Elgin, Midland and Barrie. Although
119-756: The Timmins Northstars again. This time fate laid with the Raiders, as they won the series 2-games-to-1. The Raiders ended up moving on to win the 1982 Hardy Trophy. In 1983, the Collingwood Shipbuilders won the Major Intermediate A Championship. They met the Northstars in the Ontario Hockey Association final but were defeated 2-games-to-none. This essentially marked the end of Intermediate "A" hockey in Ontario as
136-577: The area and financial difficulties, causing the team to fold. In 2007, after eleven years without senior hockey, the Saugeen Shores Winterhawks were formed in Port Elgin. The name pays homage to the original team. Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T= Tie, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Major Intermediate A Hockey League The Major Intermediate A Hockey League
153-651: The league changed its name to Major Intermediate A as it had fully absorbed the Niagara league which floundered around 1979. Dundas departed for Senior A but the Midland Athletics were added. The order of finish was Georgetown, Collingwood, Owen Sound, Orillia, Barrie, Port Elgin and Midland. The Raiders ended up as playoff champions, defeating the Greys 4-1 in a best-of-seven final. The same seven teams returned in 1981–82, although Port Elgin changed its nickname to
170-498: The league merged with the OHA Senior A Hockey League before the beginning of the 1983–84 season. Prior to 1980, after 1934 realignment. Hardy Cup (ice hockey) The W. G. Hardy Trophy , more commonly referred to as the Hardy Cup , was the Canadian national Intermediate "A" ice hockey championship from 1967 until 1984, and the Canadian national senior championship for Senior "AA" from 1985 until 1990. The Hardy Cup
187-590: The only teams that remain in existence today. Despite the success and talent of the Major Intermediate A Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey Association had set a litmus test for the league's champions to determine whether or not they were capable of competing for the coveted Hardy Trophy. The litmus test in question was the Northern Ontario Hockey Association 's only Intermediate team, the Timmins Northstars. In 1980,
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#1732800899686204-605: The playoff champion Dundas Merchants got the first crack at the Northstars. In a best-of-three series, the Granites defeated the Merchants 2-games-to-1. After the 1980–81 season, the champion Georgetown Raiders took their chances with Timmins. The Northstars made short work of the Raiders, defeating them 2-games-to-none. A year later, the Georgetown Raiders won their second straight league title and challenged
221-669: The third-place Greys (14-22-1) in one semifinal series. Orangeville finished dead last at 2-32-0, was swept by Collingwood and folded. Port Elgin then defeated Collingwood 4-2 in the final series. The Georgian Bay league played an interlocking schedule with the five teams of the Niagara District Intermediate A Hockey League—the Georgetown Raiders , the Dundas Merchants , the Thorold Athletics , Port Colborne and Fort Erie. The Niagara league
238-526: Was an ice hockey league in Ontario , Canada, sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association . It existed from 1978 to 1983. Its champion was eligible to compete for the W.G. Hardy Trophy , emblematic of Canadian Intermediate A hockey supremacy. The Georgian Bay Intermediate A Hockey League was founded in 1978. Its founding members were the Collingwood Shipbuilders , the Port Elgin Sunocos ,
255-703: Was donated by a group of realtors from North Battleford , and retired from competition in 1990. Until the 1967-68 season, the Intermediate level had many regional championships. The most prominent was for the Edmonton Journal Trophy, the Western Canadian Intermediate "A" Crown. In Ontario, the Intermediate champions were sometimes included in Allan Cup Senior "A" playoffs. Senior "AA" was unsustainable at
272-680: Was founded in 1964. In 1979-80 Georgetown and Dundas joined the Georgian Bay league, which also took in the Orillia Terriers and the Barrie Flyers from the OHA Senior A Hockey League. Dundas finished first in the standings and beat third-place Georgetown 3-1 in a best-of-five playoff final. Collingwood was second, Orillia was fourth, Barrie was fifth, Port Elgin dropped to sixth and Owen Sound finished seventh. In 1980-81
289-613: Was named for W. G. Hardy , and it was retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990. The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association established the W. G. Hardy Trophy in 1968, which became known as the Hardy Cup. It was awarded to the national champion of the intermediate senior division. From 1984 onward, the trophy was awarded to the Senior AA division champions of Canada, after senior and intermediate hockey were merged. The trophy
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