Tavistock Braves
Encyclopedia
The Tavistock Braves are a Canadian
Junior
ice hockey
team based in Tavistock, Ontario
, Canada
. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League
of the Ontario Hockey Association
.
After suffering relative mediocrity through the 1990s Tavistock would return as a power in the 2000s. In the early 2000s Tavistock was consistently held just short of a championship by a pair of Hawks. Both Exeter and Hagersville took turns ending Tavistock's postseason runs a little earlier than expected.
As the decade progressed Tavistock would encounter a new rival. In the spring of 2006 the Delhi Travellers
would be responsible for eliminating the Braves in the conference finals in four games. In 2006-07 Tavistock finished first place overall during the regular season. The league's top two scorers, Jeff Roes and Joe Voll played for the Tavistock Braves during the 06-07 season, Voll set a team and conference record tallying 122 points in 42 games. However come playoff time the Braves again found themselves in a battle for the conference title with Delhi. This time falling short in a dramatic game seven double overtime loss. In 2007-08 Tavistock would again meet the rival Travellers in the McConnell Conference final, however unlike the previous two years the Braves managed to come back from a 3-1 series deficit to take the Conference title. Twenty-five years after their previous OHA Cup Championship the Braves were unable to duplicate the accomplishment and fell to a strong Thamesford Trojans
team in four games.
With the restructuring of the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League
for the 2008-09 season Tavistock found themselves in a conference with longtime local rivals the Ayr Centennials
and Wellesley Applejacks
as well as a newly formed foe in Thamesford. Due to an imbalanced schedule Tavistock and Thamesford would play each other eight times during the regular season. The two heavy weights of the division battled it out for the conference title until January when Thamesford began to pull away. As expected the two teams breezed through their first rounds and met up in the conference finals. Tavistock came out with the short end of the stick losing an extremely close series four games to one with no games were decided by more than a goal.
played for the Tavistock Braves during the 1993/94 season.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Junior
Junior ice hockey
Junior hockey is a catch-all term used to describe various levels of ice hockey competition for players generally between 16 and 20 years of age...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team based in Tavistock, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League
Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League
The Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League is a Junior level ice hockey league sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association based out of Southwestern Ontario....
of the Ontario Hockey Association
Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
.
History
During the 1981-82 season Tavistock finished first overall in regular season league play for the first time in franchise history. In 1982-83 the feat was repeated and was upstaged with the first and only OHA Cup in franchise history. In 1986-87 and 1987-88 Tavistock would once again post back-to-back first overall regular season finishes. However in both seasons they would fall short of the OHA Cup.After suffering relative mediocrity through the 1990s Tavistock would return as a power in the 2000s. In the early 2000s Tavistock was consistently held just short of a championship by a pair of Hawks. Both Exeter and Hagersville took turns ending Tavistock's postseason runs a little earlier than expected.
As the decade progressed Tavistock would encounter a new rival. In the spring of 2006 the Delhi Travellers
Delhi Travellers
The Delhi Travellers are a Canadian junior hockey team based in Delhi, Ontario, Canada. The Travellers play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
would be responsible for eliminating the Braves in the conference finals in four games. In 2006-07 Tavistock finished first place overall during the regular season. The league's top two scorers, Jeff Roes and Joe Voll played for the Tavistock Braves during the 06-07 season, Voll set a team and conference record tallying 122 points in 42 games. However come playoff time the Braves again found themselves in a battle for the conference title with Delhi. This time falling short in a dramatic game seven double overtime loss. In 2007-08 Tavistock would again meet the rival Travellers in the McConnell Conference final, however unlike the previous two years the Braves managed to come back from a 3-1 series deficit to take the Conference title. Twenty-five years after their previous OHA Cup Championship the Braves were unable to duplicate the accomplishment and fell to a strong Thamesford Trojans
Thamesford Trojans
The Thamesford Trojans are a Junior ice hockey team based in Thamesford, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
team in four games.
With the restructuring of the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League
Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League
The Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League is a Junior level ice hockey league sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association based out of Southwestern Ontario....
for the 2008-09 season Tavistock found themselves in a conference with longtime local rivals the Ayr Centennials
Ayr Centennials
The Ayr Centennials are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Ayr, Ontario. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
and Wellesley Applejacks
Wellesley Applejacks
The Wellesley Applejacks are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Wellesley, Ontario. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
as well as a newly formed foe in Thamesford. Due to an imbalanced schedule Tavistock and Thamesford would play each other eight times during the regular season. The two heavy weights of the division battled it out for the conference title until January when Thamesford began to pull away. As expected the two teams breezed through their first rounds and met up in the conference finals. Tavistock came out with the short end of the stick losing an extremely close series four games to one with no games were decided by more than a goal.
Season-by-season standings
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | P | Results |
| 1970-71 | 34 | 17 | 12 | 5 | |||||
| 210 | 177 | 39 | 2nd WJDHL | ||||||
| 1971-72 | 30 | 7 | 22 | 1 | |||||
| 138 | 210 | 15 | 7th WJDHL | ||||||
| 1972-73 | 29 | 4 | 22 | 3 | |||||
| 114 | 202 | 11 | 8th WJDHL | ||||||
| 1973-74 | 34 | 6 | 27 | 1 | |||||
| 141 | 269 | 13 | 8th WJDHL | ||||||
| 1974-75 | 32 | 12 | 18 | 2 | |||||
| 168 | 198 | 28 | 7th WJDHL | ||||||
| 1975-76 | 28 | 16 | 8 | 4 | |||||
| 173 | 131 | 36 | 3rd WJDHL | ||||||
| 1976-77 | 31 | 21 | 8 | 2 | |||||
| 216 | 150 | 44 | 3rd WJDHL | ||||||
| 1977-78 | 34 | 8 | 25 | 1 | |||||
| 149 | 239 | 17 | 8th WJDHL | ||||||
| 1978-79 | 34 | 9 | 21 | 4 | |||||
| 158 | 236 | 21 | 8th WJDHL | ||||||
| 1979-80 | 33 | 10 | 19 | 4 | |||||
| 148 | 182 | 24 | 8th WJDHL | ||||||
| 1980-81 | 34 | 19 | 10 | 5 | |||||
| 217 | 150 | 43 | 4th WJDHL | ||||||
| 1981-82 | 38 | 27 | 7 | 4 | |||||
| 260 | 165 | 58 | 1st WJDHL | ||||||
| 1982-83 | 38 | 31 | 5 | 2 | |||||
| 278 | 147 | 64 | 1st WJDHL | ||||||
| 1983-84 | 34 | 15 | 17 | 2 | |||||
| 220 | 186 | 32 | 5th WJDHL | ||||||
| 1984-85 | 34 | 23 | 9 | 2 | |||||
| 230 | 158 | 48 | 3rd WJDHL | ||||||
| 1985-86 | 42 | 20 | 15 | 7 | |||||
| 206 | 195 | 47 | 5th WJDHL | ||||||
| 1986-87 | 40 | 28 | 8 | 4 | |||||
| 60 | 1st SJDHL | ||||||||
| 1987-88 | 31 | 24 | 4 | 3 | |||||
| 51 | 1st SJDHL | ||||||||
| 1988-89 | 36 | 19 | 16 | 1 | |||||
| 238 | 194 | 39 | 10th WJDHL | ||||||
| 1989-90 | 35 | 9 | 21 | 5 | |||||
| 133 | 183 | 23 | 14th WJDHL | ||||||
| 1990-91 | 40 | 16 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 181 | 209 | 35 | 12th WJDHL |
| 1991-92 | 34 | 16 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 162 | 172 | 34 | 12th OHAJDL |
| 1992-93 | 39 | 13 | 17 | 7 | 2 | 141 | 164 | 35 | 12th OHAJDL |
| 1993-94 | 40 | 12 | 22 | 6 | |||||
| 179 | 225 | 30 | 12th OHAJDL | ||||||
| 1994-95 | 39 | 21 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 189 | 172 | 49 | 5th OHAJDL |
| 1995-96 | 40 | 17 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 181 | 198 | 36 | 11th OHAJDL |
| 1996-97 | 39 | 20 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 196 | 176 | 43 | 7th OHAJDL |
| 1997-98 | 37 | 8 | 28 | 1 | 2 | 115 | 168 | 17 | 16th OHAJDL |
| 1998-99 | 37 | 15 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 126 | 148 | 32 | 14th OHAJDL |
| 1999-00 | 38 | 15 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 145 | 188 | 32 | 12th OHAJDL |
| 2000-01 | 40 | 29 | 9 | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 60 | 2nd OHAJDL | ||||||||
| 2001-02 | 40 | 28 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 213 | 112 | 61 | 2nd OHAJDL |
| 2002-03 | 40 | 21 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 158 | 145 | 46 | 6th OHAJDL |
| 2003-04 | 40 | 30 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 187 | 116 | 61 | 2nd OHAJDL |
| 2004-05 | 39 | 27 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 174 | 126 | 57 | 2nd OHAJDL |
| 2005-06 | 37 | 21 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 191 | 126 | 48 | 7th OHAJDL |
| 2006-07 | 42 | 34 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 243 | 116 | 69 | 1st SOJHL |
| 2007-08 | 42 | 26 | 14 | ||||||
| 2 | 169 | 115 | 54 | 6th SOJHL | |||||
| 2008-09 | 40 | 19 | 17 | ||||||
| 4 | 131 | 137 | 42 | 6th SOJHL | |||||
| 2009-10 | 36 | 17 | 14 | ||||||
| 5 | 136 | 136 | 39 | 8th SOJHL | |||||
| 2010-11 | 35 | 26 | 6 | ||||||
| 3 | 160 | 91 | 55 | 1st SOJHL |
Playoffs
- 1983 Won league, Won OHA Championship
- Tavistock Braves defeated St. George DukesSt. George DukesThe St. George Dukes are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in St. George, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
4-games-to-2 in OHA final- 1987 Won league, Lost OHA final
- Lucan IrishLucan IrishThe Lucan Irish are a Junior ice hockey team based in Lucan Biddulph, Ontario. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
defeated Tavistock Braves 4-games-to-3 in OHA final- 2002 Lost league final
- Exeter HawksExeter HawksThe Exeter Hawks are a Junior ice hockey team based in Exeter, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
defeated Tavistock Braves 4-games-to-none in final- 2004 Lost league final
- Exeter HawksExeter HawksThe Exeter Hawks are a Junior ice hockey team based in Exeter, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
defeated Tavistock Braves 4-games-to-2 in final- 2006 Lost conference final
- Tavistock Braves defeated St. George DukesSt. George DukesThe St. George Dukes are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in St. George, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
4-games-to-2 in conf. quarter-final - Tavistock Braves defeated Wellesley ApplejacksWellesley ApplejacksThe Wellesley Applejacks are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Wellesley, Ontario. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
4-games-to-1 in conf. semi-final - Delhi TravellersDelhi TravellersThe Delhi Travellers are a Canadian junior hockey team based in Delhi, Ontario, Canada. The Travellers play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
defeated Tavistock Braves 4-games-to-none in conf. final- 2007 Lost conference final
- Tavistock Braves defeated Ayr CentennialsAyr CentennialsThe Ayr Centennials are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Ayr, Ontario. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
4-games-to-0 in conf. quarter-final - Tavistock Braves defeated Hagersville HawksHagersville HawksThe Hagersville Hawks are a Junior ice hockey team based in Hagersville, Ontario. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League and have been in existence since being granted a franchise in 1992. Hagersville won the league championship in 2005...
4-games-to-2 in conf. semi-final - Delhi TravellersDelhi TravellersThe Delhi Travellers are a Canadian junior hockey team based in Delhi, Ontario, Canada. The Travellers play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
defeated Tavistock Braves 4-games-to-3 in conf. final- 2008 Won McConnell Conference, Lost OHA Cup final
- Tavistock Braves defeated Hagersville HawksHagersville HawksThe Hagersville Hawks are a Junior ice hockey team based in Hagersville, Ontario. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League and have been in existence since being granted a franchise in 1992. Hagersville won the league championship in 2005...
4-games-to-0 in conf. quarter-final - Tavistock Braves defeated St. George DukesSt. George DukesThe St. George Dukes are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in St. George, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
4-games-to-1 in conf. semi-final - Tavistock Braves defeated Delhi TravellersDelhi TravellersThe Delhi Travellers are a Canadian junior hockey team based in Delhi, Ontario, Canada. The Travellers play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
4-games-to-3 in conf. final - Thamesford TrojansThamesford TrojansThe Thamesford Trojans are a Junior ice hockey team based in Thamesford, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
defeated Tavistock Braves 4-games-to-none in OHA Cup final- 2009 Lost conference final
- Tavistock Braves defeated Ayr CentennialsAyr CentennialsThe Ayr Centennials are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Ayr, Ontario. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
4-games-to-1 in conf. semi-final - Thamesford TrojansThamesford TrojansThe Thamesford Trojans are a Junior ice hockey team based in Thamesford, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
defeated Tavistock Braves 4-games-to-1 in conf. final- 2010 Lost conference final
- Tavistock Braves defeated Ayr CentennialsAyr CentennialsThe Ayr Centennials are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Ayr, Ontario. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
4-games-to-1 in conf. semi-final - Thamesford TrojansThamesford TrojansThe Thamesford Trojans are a Junior ice hockey team based in Thamesford, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
defeated Tavistock Braves 4-games-to-3 in conf. final
Notable alumni
Jeff ZehrJeff Zehr
Jeff Zehr is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger currently playing for the Flint Generals of the International Hockey League. Zehr was drafted 31st overall by the New York Islanders in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft...
played for the Tavistock Braves during the 1993/94 season.