Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League
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The WOAA Senior AA Hockey League is an amateur senior 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...
league governed by the Western Ontario Athletic Association
Western Ontario Athletic Association
The Western Ontario Athletic Association, abbreviated as WOAA, is the governing body of minor and senior sports in a region encompassing Grey County, Bruce County, Perth County, Huron County, northern Middlesex County, and northern Wellington County...
.
Format
The league uses Hockey CanadaHockey Canada
Hockey Canada, formally known as the Canadian Hockey Association, is the national governing body of ice hockey in Canada and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Hockey Canada controls a vast majority of ice hockey in Canada, with a few exceptions...
playing rules but is not operated under the jurisdictions 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...
or Hockey Canada. The league is based in the Georgian Triangle
Georgian Triangle
The Georgian Triangle is the name of a geographic region in Southern Ontario containing the counties surrounding Georgian Bay, mostly Nottawasaga Bay, in particular. The main urban centers in the region are Collingwood, Owen Sound, and situated on Lake Simcoe Barrie...
and Southwestern Ontario
Southwestern Ontario
Southwestern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario, centred on the city of London. It extends north to south from the Bruce Peninsula on Lake Huron to the Lake Erie shoreline, and east to south-west roughly from Guelph to Windsor. The region had a population...
. The league has been in existence since 1943, one year after the WOAA itself was established, and has entertained large crowds with local former Junior Hockey players and the odd former professional player. The league is rather large and features teams of both Senior "AA" and Senior "A" calibre. None of these teams could financially compete with the Senior "AAA" teams that compete for the Allan Cup
Allan Cup
The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men’s ice hockey champions of Canada. It has been competed for since 1909. The current champion is the Clarenville Caribous hockey club of Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:...
, but all garner enough skill to match the excitement.
The league is divided into two division that do not interlock until the playoffs. The WOAA consists of 22 teams, compared to the next biggest Ontario league, Major League Hockey
Major League Hockey
Allan Cup Hockey is the top tier Canadian Senior ice hockey league in the province of Ontario. As a member of the Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada, the league contends for the famed Allan Cup. The league came to its latest incarnation when it lost several teams leaving it with two...
, who has 6.
Intermediate B Era
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 TigersArthur Tigers
The Arthur Tigers were a Canadian senior hockey team based in Arthur, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League.-History:...
, Thornbury, Harriston Blues, Milverton Four Wheel Drives
Milverton Four Wheel Drives
The Milverton Four Wheel Drives are a senior hockey team based out of Milverton, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League.-History:...
, Plattsville Combines, Seaforth, Durham 72's
Durham Thundercats
The Durham Thundercats, originally the Durham 72's, are a senior hockey team based out of Durham, Ontario, Canada. The Thundercats date back to the towns Centennial, 1972, and have been an extremely successful team in all loops of the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior "AA" Hockey...
, Listowel, Lucknow, Crediton, Atwood, Ripley, Belgrave, and Kurtzville. The league 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.
Intermediate A Era
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 the Durham 72'sDurham Thundercats
The Durham Thundercats, originally the Durham 72's, are a senior hockey team based out of Durham, Ontario, Canada. The Thundercats date back to the towns Centennial, 1972, and have been an extremely successful team in all loops of the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior "AA" Hockey...
, Arthur Tigers
Arthur Tigers
The Arthur Tigers were a Canadian senior hockey team based in Arthur, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League.-History:...
, Brussels Crusaders, Lion's Head Northstars, Woodford Royals, Ripley Roosters
Ripley Wolves
The Ripley Wolves are a senior hockey team based out of Ripley, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League.-Championships:...
, Drayton Comets
Drayton Icemen
The Drayton Icemen are a senior hockey team based out of Drayton, Ontario, Canada. They played six seasons in the WOAA Senior Hockey League.-The Comets:Drayton previously had a WOAA Sr. Hockey Team, the Drayton Comets, who folded after the 1997-98 season...
, St. Clements Saints, Teeswater Falcons, Lucknow Lancers
Lucknow Lancers
The Lucknow Lancers are a senior hockey team based out of Lucknow, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League.-Championships:...
, Kincardine Kings, Dundalk Flyers, Monkton Wildcats
Monkton Wildcats
The Monkton Wildcats are a senior hockey team based out of Monkton, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League.-Championships:...
, Mitchell Red Devils, and Tara Cyclones. As the league grew, they bought many smaller local senior leagues like the Central Ontario Hockey League
Central Ontario Hockey League
The Central Ontario Hockey League was a highly competitive Intermediate ice hockey league in the central Grey County area of Ontario, Canada until the late 1970s...
, Central Grey-Bruce Hockey League and the Bruce Rural Hockey League, integrating many of their teams. In 1991, the 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
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...
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 the Durham Thundercats
Durham Thundercats
The Durham Thundercats, originally the Durham 72's, are a senior hockey team based out of Durham, Ontario, Canada. The Thundercats date back to the towns Centennial, 1972, and have been an extremely successful team in all loops of the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior "AA" Hockey...
, 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.
Senior AA Era
With the collapse of Ontario Hockey AssociationOntario 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...
Senior hockey, the WOAA made the move to declare itself one level below Allan Cup
Allan Cup
The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men’s ice hockey champions of Canada. It has been competed for since 1909. The current champion is the Clarenville Caribous hockey club of Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:...
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
Durham Thundercats
The Durham Thundercats, originally the Durham 72's, are a senior hockey team based out of Durham, Ontario, Canada. The Thundercats date back to the towns Centennial, 1972, and have been an extremely successful team in all loops of the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior "AA" Hockey...
proved to be 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
Tavistock Royals
The Tavistock Royals are a senior hockey team based out of Tavistock, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League.-Championships:...
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, the Milverton Four Wheel Drives
Milverton Four Wheel Drives
The Milverton Four Wheel Drives are a senior hockey team based out of Milverton, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League.-History:...
reemerged as a powerhouse in the WOAA, dominating the league in 1999, 2000, and 2002. The Palmerston 81's
Palmerston 81's
The Mapleton-Minto 81's are a senior hockey team based out of Palmerston, Harriston, and Drayton, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League.-Championships:...
and Elora Rocks
Elora Rocks
The Elora Rocks are a senior hockey team based out of Elora, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League.-Championships:...
also emerged as dominant forces along with Tavistock as the Thundercats stranglehold on the league has loosened in recent years.
Southern Expansion
As the league grows in popularity and proves itself with stability like no other Senior league in Ontario's history, the further South the league has been receiving applications for expansion. Despite Ilderton having a WOAA franchsie in the 1950s, the league hadn't been that far south in a long time. In 2004, the WOAA allowed for the recreation of the famed Lucan-Ilderton JetsLucan-Ilderton Jets
The Komoka Classics are a senior ice hockey team based out of Komoka, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League.-History:...
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
Thedford Dirty Dogs
The Thedford Dirty Dogs are a senior hockey team based out of Thedford, Ontario, Canada. They have played three seasons in the WOAA Senior Hockey League.-2006-07 Dirty Dogs Season:...
. In 2007, the WOAA turned down Eastern expansion to the Cooks Bay Canucks
Coldwater/Orillia Tundras
Orillia Tundras are a Canadian senior ice hockey team from Orillia, Ontario, Canada. They play in the four team Major League Hockey. They compete for the Allan Cup.-History:...
as that was not where the league was interested in going. In 2008, 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...
was rocked by the defection of three of its five Major League Hockey
Major League Hockey
Allan Cup Hockey is the top tier Canadian Senior ice hockey league in the province of Ontario. As a member of the Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada, the league contends for the famed Allan Cup. The league came to its latest incarnation when it lost several teams leaving it with two...
Senior AAA teams. Two of them applied successfully for expansion into the WOAA, the Tillsonburg Vipers
Tillsonburg Vipers
The Tillsonburg Thunder are a Senior ice hockey team based in Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League.-History:...
and the two-time Allan Cup
Allan Cup
The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men’s ice hockey champions of Canada. It has been competed for since 1909. The current champion is the Clarenville Caribous hockey club of Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:...
champion Petrolia Squires
Petrolia Squires
The Petrolia Squires are a Canadian Senior ice hockey team based in Petrolia, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League and are two-time Allan Cup National Champions.-History:...
. Also, 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 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
Major League Hockey
Allan Cup Hockey is the top tier Canadian Senior ice hockey league in the province of Ontario. As a member of the Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada, the league contends for the famed Allan Cup. The league came to its latest incarnation when it lost several teams leaving it with two...
which carries a "AAA" designation. Also the league 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 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.
Teams and standings
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x-denotes playoff berth
Past teams
- Arthur TigersArthur TigersThe Arthur Tigers were a Canadian senior hockey team based in Arthur, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League.-History:...
- Brussels Crusaders
- Dundalk Flyers
- Durham HuskiesDurham Huskies----The Durham Huskies are an ice hockey franchise based in the town of Durham, Ontario, Canada. The team is actually a series of teams that have spanned nine decades and through an uncountable series of leagues. The Huskies have existed under of couple short lived monikers before finding their...
- Drayton Comets
- Drayton IcemenDrayton IcemenThe Drayton Icemen are a senior hockey team based out of Drayton, Ontario, Canada. They played six seasons in the WOAA Senior Hockey League.-The Comets:Drayton previously had a WOAA Sr. Hockey Team, the Drayton Comets, who folded after the 1997-98 season...
- Exeter MohawksExeter MohawksThe Exeter Mohawks are a senior hockey team based out of Exeter, Ontario, Canada. The team was previously known as the Hensall Sherwoods, but relocated to Exeter in the summer of 2007...
- Grand Valley Tornados
- Kincardine Kings
- Lakeshore Winterhawks
- Lion's Head Northstars
- Listowel Jets
- Mildmay MonarchsMildmay MonarchsThe Mildmay Monarchs were a senior hockey team based out of Mildmay, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League.-Championships:...
- Mitchell Red Devils
- Mount Forest Rams
- Nottawasaga River Rats
- Wellesley Merchants
- Wiarton Redmen
- Wingham BullsWingham BullsThe Wingham Bulls were a senior hockey team based out of Wingham, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League.-Championships:...
- Woodford Royals
Senior "AA" playdowns
Senior "A" playdowns
Round Robin
| Senior A Finals |
WOAA Senior Champions (1995-Present)
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Late Intermediate Era (1978-1994)
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Middle Intermediate Era (1970-1977)
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Early Intermediate Era (1949-1969)
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Other WOAA-sanctioned Championships
Central Grey-Bruce- 1982 Tara
- 1981 Williamsford
- 1980 Desboro
- 1978 Chesley
Bruce County
- 1978 Chepstow
Central Ontario Hockey League
- 1982 Markdale Majors
- 1981 Honeywood
- 1980 Dundalk Flyers