Mount Forest Patriots

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mount Forest Patriots

City:	Mount Forest, Ontario
League:	Western Junior C Hockey League
Founded:	1987
Home Arena:	Mount Forest District Community Centre
Colours:	Black, Green, Yellow, and White
Head Coach:	Joe Pawlick

The Mount Forest Patriots are a Junior "C" ice hockey team based out of Mount Forest, Ontario. They play out of the Western Junior C Hockey League.

[edit] History

With their expansion into the Ontario Hockey Association in 1987, the Patriots served as a catalyst for the genesis of the Grey-Bruce Junior "C" Hockey League into the Western Junior "C" Hockey League. Until 1987, all teams in the GBJHL were all from Grey County and Bruce County. Mount Forest, at the Southern border of Grey County, is actually a part of Wellington County and therefore rendered the GBJHL inadequate. The expansion of the Pats came soon after the folding of the Markdale Mohawks and the Arthur Eagles, two very local Junior "D" teams.

After nine years of Hanover Barons dominating the WJCHL, the Patriots came into their own. Winning three straight league titles from 1994 until 1996, the Patriots could not get past the likes of the Belle River Canadiens (1994 and 1995) or the Paris Mounties (1996) in the early rounds of the All-Ontarios to win the Clarence Schmalz Cup. In 1998, the Patriots became the farm team of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League's Durham Huskies. This relationship resulted in the Patriots fielding the first ever Russian to play in the WJCHL, Valentine Lidvanov. The affiliation was severed in 2001 when the Huskies left the OPJHL to join the WJCHL. The Huskies were granted leave from the OPJHL, but were voted out of the WJCHL before they could play a game.

The last few years have not been good to the Pats, as they have struggled to obtain their first winning season since 1998. The community of Mount Forest stands firmly behind them none-the-less, more than often filling the arena at most home games.

[edit] Season-by-Season Standings

Season	GP	W	L	T	OTL	GF	GA	P	Results	Playoffs
2002-03	35	10	24	-	1	92	168	21	5th WJCHL
2003-04	33	10	22	1	0	127	154	21	5th WJCHL	Lost Semi-final
2004-05	40	8	28	4	0	140	225	20	5th WJCHL	DNQ
2005-06	38	4	32	2	0	83	232	10	6th WJCHL	Lost Quarter-final