Wingham Ironmen

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Wingham Ironmen
City:	Wingham, Ontario[1]
League:	Western Junior C Hockey League[2]
Founded:	Circa 1975[3]
Home Arena:	North Huron Wescast Community Complex
Colors:	Blue, Yellow, and White
Head Coach:	Louie Livingston
General Manager:	Steve Coulter[4]

The Wingham Ironmen are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Wingham, Ontario, Canada^[5]. They play in the Western Junior C Hockey League^[6].

[edit] History

Founded in 1975, the Ironmen started out in Northern Junior D Hockey League^[7]. After some success at the Junior D level, the Ironmen joined the Central Junior C Hockey League in 1979^[8].

In 1980, the league changed its name to the Grey-Bruce Junior C Hockey League to reflect the centralization of the league in Grey-Bruce counties region^[9]. In 1988, the league allowed the Mount Forest Patriots to join the league. A year later the league was renamed the Western Ontario Junior C Hockey League^[10].

In 2003-04, the Ironmen won the Western league title and went on to compete in the All-Ontario Clarence Schmalz Cup Final. Their competition was the Niagara Junior C Hockey League's Grimsby Peach Kings who swept the Ironmen to win the provincial title^[11].

The 2004-05 season saw the Ironmen take first place in the league. In the league semi-final, the played against the fourth seeded Goderich Sailors and defeated them 4-games-to-none. In the league final, the Ironmen drew their most common foe, the Kincardine Bulldogs. In a hard fought battle, the Ironmen found themselves down 3-games-to-2 to the Bulldogs. In Game 6, the Ironmen came to play and defeating the Bulldogs 5-1. The decisive Game 7 ended with a 4-2 victory for Wingham. As Western league champions, the Ironmen found themselves competing for the Schmalz Cup again. In the provincial quarter-final, the Ironmen drew the Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League's Erin Shamrocks. The Ironmen defeated them 4-games-to-2. In the semi-finals, the Ironmen drew the challenging Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League's Essex 73's. The 73's were too much for the Ironmen to handle and they swept Wingham 4-games-to-none.^[12]

In 2005-06, the Ironmen finished in first place again. They received a bye to the league semi-final. In the semi-final, the Ironmen were up against the Walkerton Hawks, whom they swept 4-games-to-none. In the league final, the Ironmen mixed it up with the Kincardine Bulldogs but were eliminated 4-games-to-1.^[13]

The 2006-07 regular season ended with the Ironmen in second place. They again had a bye to the league semi-final. In the semi-final, the Ironmen ran into a surging, red-hot Walkerton Hawks squad who put the boots to Ironmen. The third seeded Hawks beat the Ironmen 4-games-to-none.^[14]

[edit] Season-by-Season Standings

(*) The 1999-00 Season was altered drastically due to the folding of the Lakeshore Pirates. As a disproportionate amount of games had been played by each team against Lakeshore, all history of these games were erased.^[15]

• 1979-1981 & 1982-1996^[16]
• 1981-1982^[17]
• 1996-2004^[18][19]
• 2004-Present^[20]

[edit] Clarence Schmalz Cup Appearances

2004: Grimsby Peach Kings defeated Wingham Ironmen 4-games-to-none^[21]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Ironmen Webpage