The WOAA Senior AA Hockey League is a Canadian senior

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

league governed by the

Western Ontario Athletic Association The Western Ontario Athletic Association (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. The W ...

. The league operates in Southwestern Ontario.

History

Format

The league uses Hockey Canada playing rules but is not operated under the jurisdictions of the

Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) 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 As ...

or Hockey Canada. The league is based in the Georgian Triangle and Southwestern Ontario. 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. It is generally accepted that none of these teams could financially compete with the Senior "AAA" teams that compete for the

Allan Cup The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men's ice hockey champions of Canada. It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal, and has been competed for since 1909. The current champions are th ...

. The league is divided into two division that do not interlock until the playoffs. The WOAA consists of 17 teams, compared to the next biggest Ontario league, Major League Hockey, which has 5.

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 Tigers, Thornbury,

Harriston Blues Harriston may refer to: * Harriston, Cumbria, England * Harriston, Ontario, Canada *Harriston, Missouri Harriston is an unincorporated community in Cooper County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. The community was located along the Missouri–Kansa ...

, Milverton Four Wheel Drives, Plattsville Combines, Seaforth, Durham 72's, 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's, Arthur Tigers, Brussels Crusaders, Lion's Head Northstars,

Woodford Royals Woodford may refer to: Places Australia *Woodford, New South Wales *Woodford, Queensland, a town in the Moreton Bay Region * Woodford, Victoria Canada *Woodford, Ontario England *Woodford, Cornwall *Woodford, Gloucestershire *Woodford, Greater ...

, Ripley Roosters, Drayton Comets, St. Clements Saints, Teeswater Falcons, Lucknow Lancers,

Kincardine Kings Kincardine may refer to: Places Scotland *Kincardine, Fife, a town on the River Forth, Scotland **Kincardine Bridge, a bridge which spans the Firth of Forth *Kincardineshire, a historic county **Kincardine, Aberdeenshire, now abandoned **Kincardi ...

Dundalk Flyers Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

Monkton Wildcats The Monkton Wildcats were a senior hockey team based in Monkton, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League, and closed prior to the 2014-15 hockey season. Championships The Monkton Wildcats w ...

Mitchell Red Devils Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) * Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territ ...

, and

Tara Cyclones Tara may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tara'' (1992 film), an Indian film directed by Bijaya Jena * ''Tara'' (2001 film), an American film, also known as ''Hood Rat'', directed by Leslie Small * ''Tara'' (2010 film), a ...

. As the league grew, they bought many smaller local senior leagues like the

Central Ontario Hockey League The Central Ontario Hockey League (COHL) was a highly competitive Intermediate ice hockey league in the central Grey County area of Ontario, Canada until the late 1970s. The league was originally sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association, but ...

Central Grey-Bruce Hockey League Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and the

Bruce Rural Hockey League The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has be ...

, 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

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 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 town's Centennial, 1972, and have been an extremely successful team in all loops of the Western O ...

, 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

Senior hockey, the WOAA made the move to declare itself one level below

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

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 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 The Tavistock Royals have won three WOAA "AA" Championships, as they ...

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 reemerged as a powerhouse in the WOAA, dominating the league in 1999, 2000, and 2002. The Palmerston 81's and

Elora Rocks The Elora Rocks are a senior hockey team based out of Elora, Ontario, Canada. They play in the WOSHL, the Western Ontario Super Hockey League presented by Sleeman Breweries. History In the early 1990s, the Elora Rocks were members of the Nort ...

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 The Saugeen Shores Winterhawks are a senior hockey team in the WOAA Senior Hockey League based in Saugeen Shores, Ontario, Canada. History With the construction of the Saugeen Shores Community Complex in 2000, there was considerable pressure to ...

, based out of Port Elgin, have become the perennial team to beat since entering the league in 2007/08, winning the "AA" championship in 2009, 2011 and 2012.

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 franchise in the 1950s, the league had not been that far south in a long time. In 2004, the WOAA allowed for the recreation of the famed

Lucan-Ilderton Jets The Komoka Classics were a senior ice hockey team based out of Komoka, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League. They folded in 2014 after winning the WOAA Sr. AA championship. History The ...

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, 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

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 The 2014-2015 Champion Tillsonburg Thunder are a Senior ice hockey, Senior ice hockey team based in Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western Ontario Super Hockey League. History The Tillsonburg Vipers were founded in 2001 as a Senio ...

and the two-time

champion

Petrolia Squires The Petrolia Squires are a Canadian senior ice hockey team based in Petrolia, Ontario. They play in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League and are two-time Allan Cup National Champions. History The Petrolia Chiefs were f ...

. 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 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.

Back to One Division

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 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 The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, resulting in no champion being crowned for 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 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 the Radars in five games to capture the Sr. AA Championship.

Teams

Regular season was halted January 4, 2022 due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Upon resumption of play, the season advanced directly to the playoffs

Past teams

* Arthur Tigers *Brussels Crusaders *Dundalk Flyers *

Durham Huskies The Durham Huskies were 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 o ...

*Drayton Comets * Drayton Icemen *

* Exeter Mohawks *

Goderich Pirates The Goderich Pirates are a senior hockey team based out of Goderich, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League. Championships Goderich has won two WOAA Championship, back in the 1953-54 season a ...

*Grand Valley Tornados *Kincardine Kings * Komoka Classics * Lakeshore Winterhawks *Lion's Head Northstars * Listowel Jets *

* Mildmay Monarchs *Mitchell Red Devils *Monkton Wildcats *Mount Forest Rams * Nottawasaga River Rats * Palmerston 81's * Thedford Dirty Dogs * Tillsonburg Thunder *

Walkerton Capitals The Walkerton Capitals were a senior hockey team based out of Walkerton, Ontario, Canada. The Capitals played in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League for four seasons. 2008-09 Walkerton began their inaugural season in t ...

*Wellesley Merchants *Wiarton Redmen * Wingham Bulls *Woodford Royals

Championships

WOAA Senior AA Champions

''League Champion is Bolded.''

WOAA Senior A & B Champions (1995–Present)

Late Intermediate Era (1978–1994)

Middle Intermediate Era (1970–1977)

Early Intermediate Era (1949–1969)

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

References

External links

Western Ontario Athletic Association (WOAA)WOAA Senior Hockey LeagueClintonDraytonExeterGeorgian BayGoderichLucan-IldertonMilvertonMonktonPalmerstonRipleySaugeen ShoresShallow LakeShelburneThedfordTillsonburgWalkertonWinghamInternet Hockey Database
{{WOAA Teams 2 Senior ice hockey