Saugeen Shores Winterhawks
| Saugeen Shores Winterhawks | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City | Saugeen Shores, Ontario |
| League | WOAA Senior Hockey League |
| Division | North |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Home arena | Saugeen Shores Community Complex |
| Colours | Blue, Black, Grey |
| General manager | Don Matheson |
| Head coach | Jim Grieve |
| Captain | Greg Thede |
| Website | winterhawks.net |
The Saugeen Shores Winterhawks are a senior hockey team in the WOAA Senior Hockey League based out of 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 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 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 Winterhawks won their first ever game, defeating 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 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 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.
...
Wikipedia