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52-903: Formerly known as the WOAA Senior AA Hockey League , and governed by 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

104-677: A 3–0 series lead, the Winterhawks allowed the Muskies back into the series with three straight losses, which forced a seventh and deciding game in the series. The Winterhawks won the final game by a score of 3–2 with the overtime winner scored by Ryan Dudgeon. Saugeen Shores then defeated the Tavistock Royals in 5 games to win the WOAA Sr. "AA" championship, winning the title in just their second year of existence. All home games in

156-455: A home crowd of more than 1,000 to their advantage, the Winterhawks defeated Tavistock in Game 6 to secure their third-straight league championship. General Manager Scott Jamieson and Assistant Coach Don MacLeod stepped down shortly after the win. On September 7, the Winterhawks announced Matheson was returning to the club, taking over the role of general manager, while Mark Kazarian was joining

208-611: A playoff spot in question. With healthy bodies returning to the lineup, the team got on a roll, posting an 8-0-1 record to finish the regular season to finish in 3rd place in the North Division. The final game of the regular season saw the Winterhawks turn back the clock with vintage Port Elgin Sunocos jerseys, which raised more than $ 6,000 for charity. The Winterhawks faced off against the Durham Thundercats in

260-431: A region encompassing Grey County , Bruce County , Perth County , Huron County , northern Middlesex County , and northern Wellington County . The WOAA Senior Hockey League has been around since 1948. The WOAA controls these sports: Senior Hockey , Women's Hockey, Minor Hockey, and Softball . The WOAA also actively trains officials for these sports. The WOAA's jurisdiction over local Senior Hockey has lasted since

312-704: A senior hockey team in the Ontario Elite Hockey League based in Saugeen Shores , Ontario , Canada. With the construction of the Saugeen Shores Community Complex in 2000, there was considerable pressure to lure a senior or junior league team to the municipality, which had been without a permanent team since the Lakeshore Winterhawks folded in 1996. Following a short-lived attempt to share

364-526: 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

416-798: 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

468-591: 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

520-604: 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

572-631: The Georgian Bay River Rats by a 12–1 score on the road. Saugeen Shores hosted its first ever home game on October 12, when the Shelburne Muskies made a visit, and came out on top with a score of 6–0. The Winterhawks would continue their hot streak, winning their first nine games, before losing their first game in team history, a 5–3 loss to the Elora Rocks . The Winterhawks would continue their winning ways throughout

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624-548: 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

676-496: The 1948-1949 season but the association was actually established in 1942 by W. T. (Doc) Cruickshank of Wingham, Ontario . The WOAA became an incorporated body on July 24, 1986 under the Ontario Corporations Act. In 2004, there were 545 sports teams with approximately 9881 registered participants and an addition approximate 2500 volunteers, executives, convenors and officials involved with the WOAA. These are

728-504: The 1st round of the playoffs. After opening the series with a 5–3 win, Durham stormed back and took the next two, by 4-0 and 3-1 scores. The Winterhawks reeled off three victories in a row to take the series in six games. In the North Division final, the Winterhawks met up with the powerhouse Mapleton-Minto 81's, who had lost just twice all season and were coming off a sweep of the Shallow Lake Crushers . Mapleton-Minto took

780-561: The Junior-B Owen Sound Greys in the first half of the decade, the Winterhawks entered the WOAA Senior Hockey League in 2007/08. The team took the name Winterhawks as a tribute to their predecessor, who played from 1989 until 1996, including their final three seasons in the WOAA senior loop. Former Lakeshore Winterhawk Don Matheson was named the first coach of the team, while defenseman Greg Thede

832-503: The North Division. The Winterhawks faced off against the Mapleton-Minto 81's in a best-of-7 North Division quarterfinal to start the playoffs. Mapleton-Minto would put a scare into the Winterhawks, forcing overtime in Game 2, but Saugeen Shores ended up prevailing, 5–4. In the remaining three games, Saugeen Shores outscored the 81's by a margin of 26–2, sweeping the series in four games. The North Division semi-final opponent for

884-591: 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. Western Ontario Athletic Association The Western Ontario Athletic Association ( WOAA ) is the governing body of minor and senior sports in

936-663: 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

988-487: The Southern winner Monkton Wildcats in only 5 games, thus winning the WOAA Sr. "AA" championship. After four seasons and two championships, head coach Don Matheson announced he was stepping down. He was replaced for the 2011/12 season by assistant coach Jim Grieve, who had also previously played for the Lakeshore Winterhawks . The Winterhawks finished the regular season with a record of 23-1-0, with their only loss at

1040-506: 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

1092-620: 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,

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1144-470: The Winterhawks took on the Tavistock Royals for the second straight year and third time overall. Tavistock jumped out to an early lead, thumping the Winterhawks 5–2 in the opener. The Winterhawks roared back with back-to-back overtime victories to put themselves ahead, but dropped Game 4 to the Royals, 5–1. The Winterhawks again used overtime to secure victory, taking a 4-3 decision on the road in Game 5. Using

1196-402: The Winterhawks was the rival Shelburne Muskies . The Winterhawks swept the Muskies after a nail-biter of a Game 3 with the final score being 4-3 and the 'Hawks scoring 4 unanswered goals in the last 10 minutes of the 3rd. The Winterhawks faced off against the Elora Rocks in the North Division final again and prevailed in six games. The theme of familiar foes continued in the league final, as

1248-423: 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

1300-475: The best record in the North Division for the second consecutive season, as they finished the season with a 16-3-1 record, earning 33 points. The Winterhawks opened the post-season against the Drayton Icemen , in a best of seven series with the winner advancing to the "AA" playoffs. Saugeen Shores opened the series with a blowout victory, defeating Drayton 9–3, and then kept their foot on the gas petal in

1352-455: The coaching staff as an assistant coach. Several new faces joined the Winterhawks for the 2013 season. Dustin Mantha, Jim Nesbitt, Greg Wardell, Kyle Roulston, Mitch Roulston, Nick Brown, Mike Bujold, Adam Alexander and Chris King all made their Winterhawks debut during the season. Goaltender Joe Kirkland signed late in the regular season and served as a back-up, but did not see any action during

1404-403: The elite teams in the North Division, spending a majority of the season in 1st place. The team lost three games in a row to end the month of October, but rallied to reel off an impressive 14 victories in their next 15 games. Mapleton-Minto and Durham went on runs of their own to keep pace with the Winterhawks, and while they were able to defeat the 81's on the second-to-last game of the season, it

1456-569: The end of the series. Assistant coach Doug Mitchell stepped down after the season. The team brought in a trio of captains from the junior-C ranks to start the season, acquiring Jay Thomson ( Walkerton Hawks ), Brett Brophy ( Wingham Ironmen ) and Mike Smailes ( Kincardine Bulldogs ), along with goaltenders Josh Sturrock & Blake Sinclair, and forwards Dylan Weltz and Alex Penner, who had just wrapped up an eight-year professional career. Defenceman Justin Ainslie and goaltender Blake Sinclair joined

1508-622: The final series had to be played at the Southampton Coliseum. Saugeen Shores had a good season, finishing 3rd in the North Division with a record of 12-5-3. They would defeat the Lucknow Lancers and Shelburne Muskies in the first two rounds of the playoffs, but lost to the eventual league champion Elora Rocks in the North Final. The Winterhawks finished 22-4-0 at the end of the regular season. They finished at

1560-415: The first game 5–2, but the Winterhawks scored late in Game 2 to take a 3–2 victory to even the series. Game 3 saw Mapleton-Minto win by a 6–2 score in a game that featured 108 penalty minutes. Injuries began to mount for the Winterhawks, who saw key players go down throughout the series, including their starting goaltender. Game 4 saw Mapleton-Minto win 4–3 in overtime, though the Winterhawks were able to erase

1612-474: 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

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1664-573: The first time since 2009 with a loss to the Ripley Wolves the following night. Forward Bryan Kazarian co-captured the league scoring title with 54 points (17 goals, 33 assists), sharing the honour with Ryan Stephenson of the Komoka Classics . It marked the first time in franchise history that a Winterhawks player had won the scoring title. The Winterhawks finished the regular season with a record of 16-7-1, good enough for 2nd place in

1716-452: The hands of the Shelburne Muskies . In the first round of the playoffs, they downed the Lucknow Lancers in four straight games. In the North Division semi-final, the 'Hawks beat the Durham Thundercats in another four-game sweep. The Winterhawks met the rival Elora Rocks for the North championship and again prevailed in the minimum four games. The Winterhawks met the Tavistock Royals in

1768-519: The league championship series, and completed a clean sweep of the playoffs, winning in four games and securing their second league championship in a row. Following the season, head coach Jim Grieve stepped down. Port Elgin native and Lakeshore Winterhawks alum Peter Roedger was named head coach in July 2012. The Winterhawks opened their quest for a third-consecutive championship with three new faces, as Andy Mitchell, Marc Roedger and Adam Shular joined

1820-429: 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,

1872-734: The major member towns as agreed to by the Ontario Minor Hockey Association and the Ontario Hockey Federation in 2006. These centres are governed by the WOAA, but the WOAA works under the OMHA. The WOAA is responsible for its own tournaments, disciplinary system, and playoffs, but must provide the accounts of these actions to the OMHA. This ice hockey organization article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Saugeen Shores Winterhawks The Saugeen Shores Winterhawks are

1924-887: 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

1976-490: The next two games by scores of 5-4 and 7–4 to take a 2–1 series lead. Elora fought back to tie the series up again in the fourth game, then the Rocks would put Saugeen Shores on the brink of elimination with a 6–5 victory in the fifth game. Elora would end the Winterhawks season with an overtime goal in the sixth game, as they won the series 4–2. Saugeen Shores would again have a very impressive regular season, as they would have

2028-448: The regular season. The Winterhawks were yet again near the top of the standings all season long, posting an 11-game winning streak at one point. However, three shootout losses in their final five games ended up costing the Winterhawks first place, finishing in third behind the Mapleton-Minto 81's and the Elora Rocks . The Winterhawks defeated the Ripley Wolves in the first round of the "AA" playoffs, but fell in five games to Elora in

2080-520: The season, ending up with a 23-3-0 record, first place in the North Division, and a spot in the "AA" playoffs. The Winterhawks would face the Exeter Mohawks for their first ever playoff series, and the team would win their first playoff game, holding off the Mohawks for a 4–3 victory. Exeter would take the second game in overtime to even the series up, but the Winterhawks would take control of

2132-537: The second game, winning 7–3 to take a 2–0 series lead. The Winterhawks would have their best game in the third game, defeating the Icemen 10–3, followed by a 7–3 win in the fourth game to sweep Drayton. Saugeen Shores opponent in the "AA" quarter-finals was the Palmerston 81's . Saugeen Shores won the series, 4 games-to-1. The Winterhawks then faced the Shelburne Muskies in the "AA" Semi-Finals. After racing out to

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2184-463: The second round. It ended the Winterhawks three-year run as league champions. Overall, the Winterhawks finished the season with a record of 18-3-3. The Winterhawks again experienced some turnover in the lineup, with Dustin Mantha, Jim Nesbitt, Mike Bujold, Ryan Fry, Nick Brown and Jeff Young departing. They were replaced by Andy Fracz, Dave Grant, Jacob Brown, Jordan Smith, Scott Komer, Trent Hawke and Justin Ainslie. The Winterhawks were again among

2236-416: The series, easily defeating the Mohawks by a 6–2 score in the third game, followed by a 5–3 victory in the fourth game. Saugeen Shores would close out the series in the fifth game, winning 5–4, and advance to the "AA" semi-finals. Saugeen Shores would face the Elora Rocks , the defending "AA" champions in the semi-finals. Elora would take the opening game in overtime, but the Winterhawks stormed back to win

2288-493: The team mid-season. Joe Kirkland, Shawn Walker, Adam Alexander, Tyler Kennedy, Jason Hutchinson, Matt Turcotte and Darrell Cowen were among those who departed. The team filled the vacancy created by Doug Mitchell's departure by re-hiring Jim Grieve as an assistant coach. The team uncharacteristically struggled early on, posting a 1-4-0 record in October. A four-game winning streak followed, but another poor stretch of 1-4-1 put

2340-470: 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,

2392-404: The team, while Matt Turcotte, Jordan Lang and Greg Virgo did not return. Forward Tyler Kennedy joined the club midway through the season, while James McHaig & Ryan Dudgeon left the club. They would open the season with a 5–2 win over the Shallow Lake Crushers , but would drop their home opener to the Mapleton-Minto 81's less than a week later. The Winterhawks would lose consecutive games for

2444-416: The top of the North Division and went on to sweep the Shallow Lake Crushers 4 - 0 in the first round of the playoffs. The second playoffs round was just as impressive as they finished 4–0 against the Lucknow Lancers and then moved on to the battle for the North Division. The Winterhawks moved on, impressively defeating the winners from last season, Elora Rocks 4–1. Saugeen Shores went on to win against

2496-609: 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

2548-490: 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

2600-471: Was named captain. The team has become one of the most successful senior hockey franchises, both on and off the ice. They have won four league championships and attendance for home playoff games routinely exceeds one thousand. The team left the WOAA loop, along with 10 other clubs in the summer of 2023 to establish the Ontario Elite Hockey League , a senior "AA" league under the Ontario Hockey Association . The Winterhawks won their first ever game, defeating

2652-564: 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

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2704-478: Was sandwiched around losses to Durham and the Ripley Wolves, which allowed Durham to finish in 1st place. Kazarian again lead the team in scoring, capturing his second career league scoring title. The Winterhawks faced off against the 81's in the first round of the playoffs, dropping the series in six games, in large part due to a bevy of injuries that left the squad with only a handful of healthy bodies by

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