- Petrolia Squires
Hockey team
team = Petrolia Squires
logosize = 105px
city =Petrolia, Ontario
league =Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League
founded = 1960s
arena =Greenwood Recreation Centre
colours =Green , Gold,Black , andWhite
coach =Craig Prudom
GM =Kent Helps
parentclub =
farmclub =
name1 = Petrolia Chiefs
dates1 = 1960s-1973
name2 = Petrolia Squires
dates2 = 1973-Present
|The Petrolia Squires are a Canadian Seniorice hockey team based in Petrolia,Ontario ,Canada . They play in theWestern Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League and are two-timeAllan Cup National Champions.History
The Petrolia Chiefs were founded in the 1960s as members of the Tri-County Intermediate League. In 1973, the Chiefs won their league, but lost the Intermediate C provincial final to a team from
Bracebridge, Ontario 4-games-to-none. Also in 1973, they changed their name to the Petrolia Squires as their league became the Western Intermediate C Hockey League.In 1976, the Western Intermediate C Hockey League merged with the Seaway Intermediate C Hockey League to create the Seaway-Western Intermediate C Hockey League. The Squires played one season with the league and then moved up to the Continental Senior A Hockey League. In that one season, the Squires won the 1977 league championship as well as the provincial championship by defeating the
Bradford Comets 4-games-to-1.In the Continental League, the Squires found strong competition, with early feuds with the
Durham Huskies and theLucan-Ilderton Jets . As well, the Continental League was in competition for theAllan Cup , the National championship. In their second season in the league, the Squires won the league championship. They went on to meet the OHA Senior A championThunder Bay Twins in theOntario Hockey Association final. The Squires won the series 4-games-to-2 and also won the Eastern Canadian senior championship as well, earning them a berth into the 1979Allan Cup final. In the National final, the Squires met theSteinbach Huskies . The Squires won game one 6-5 in overtime, then game two 7-3. The Huskies took game three 5-4, before the Squires came alive won the next two 6-1 and 7-1 to win their first national title. To top off this feat, the Squires were invited to play in the World Senior Hockey Championships. During the event, the Squires lost toHC Kladno of the CSSR 5-3 and then tied theSoviet Union powerhouse Khimik Voskresensk 3-3.In 1980, the Squires were defeated in the league final by a new foe, the
Cambridge Hornets . The Squires and Hornets would meet in five straight league championships. Three would be won by Cambridge, two would be won by Petrolia, but each would walk away with anotherAllan Cup . In 1980, the Continental Senior A Hockey League was renamed theOHA Senior A Hockey League , as the original folded in 1979.In 1981, the Squires won the OHA championship by defeating the Hornets 4-games-to-1, they also gained a berth to the
Allan Cup . The Squires traveled all the way toThunder Bay, Ontario to compete in a first-time round robin tournament for the prestigious trophy. Their first game saw the Squires get embarrassed by theThunder Bay Twins 8-3. Game two had the Squires defeat theSt. Boniface Mohawks 6-4 and in game three the Squires beat the Grand Falls Cataracts 6-3. In the semi-final, the Squires drew Grand Falls again, while the Twins drew the Mohawks whom they just defeated 5-4 in overtime. The Squires repeated their 6-3 performance over the Cataracts, but the Twins were shocked by the Mohawks with a 4-3 loss. Petrolia beat St. Boniface 5-1 to win their second Allan Cup.The 1982 playoffs ended a little tougher than 1981, with the Squires requiring all seven games to defeat the Hornets. The Squires were also Eastern Canadian champions. Petrolia qualified for their third
Allan Cup , but were up against a toughCranbrook Royals team atCranbrook, British Columbia . The Royal won games one and two easily and the Squires made game three interesting but still lost. It took until game four until the Squires woke up and won 6-1, but it was too late as the Royals took game five 7-3 and the series to win the national championship.In 1986, the OHA Senior A Hockey League was reduced in size and declared Senior AAA. The Squires dropped to their local Seaway-Cyclone Senior B Hockey League. After two seasons in the league, the Squires seemingly took a one year leave from the
Ontario Hockey Association for the 1988-89 season and returned in for the 1989-90 Seaway-Cyclone Senior B season. In a time where all Senior teams systematically disappeared and never came back, the Squires refused to disband and came right back to action.In 1990, the Seaway Cyclone Senior B Hockey League merged with the Southern Senior A Hockey League to create the Southwestern Senior A Hockey League. The Squires are the only remaining team from the founding of the Southwestern League to still exist in modern hockey. Throughout the 1990s, the Southwestern League, led by Petrolia, struggled to stay alive and fought for recognition from the OHA and
Hockey Canada to be declared the top level of senior hockey in the Province ofOntario .The Petrolia Squires and the city ofSarnia, Ontario were awarded the 2001Allan Cup . In the first game, the Squires defeated theStony Plain Eagles 3-1. They then met and were massacred by the home-province rivalDundas Real McCoys 8-0. In their final round robin game, a 2-2 tie with theLloydminster Border Kings earned them a semi-final berth over the McCoys. In the semi-final, the Squires defeated Stony Plain 3-0, but fell to Lloydminster in the Allan Cup final by a score of 7-2.In 2002, the Southwestern Senior A Hockey League was recognized as the
Ontario Hockey Association 'sAllan Cup representative and was renamed the OHA Senior AAA Hockey League. In 2004, the league was renamedMajor League Hockey .The Petrolia Squires were the only
Ontario Hockey Association Senior level team to have been founded prior to 2000, were the only team to still exist from theOHA Senior A Hockey League without ever disbanding, and were the only Intermediate level team to have survived and still play in the OHA (not includingWestern Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League teams, who are not affiliated with the OHA). As of 2008, the Petrolia Squires have been a franchise for 38 seasons and only sat on the sidelines for one of those years.In the summer of 2008, the Squires left the MLH and joined the
Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League . [ [http://www.theobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1099209 The Sarnia Observer - Ontario, CA ] ]eason-by-season standings
"Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout Loses*, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Notable Alumni
*
Todd Bidner
*Steve Stoyanovich References
External links
* [http://www.sarniasports.com/PetroliaSquires.html Official Squires Website]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.