Owner(s) Adam Maracle Location Deseronto, Canada | General manager Adam Maracle Date founded 2006 | |
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City Deseronto, Ontario, Canada League Empire B Junior C Hockey League Home arena Deseronto Community Recreation Centre Colours Orange, Black, and White | ||
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The Deseronto Storm is a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Deseronto, Ontario. They play in the Empire B Junior C Hockey League but are former original members of the Greater Metro Junior 'A' Hockey League.
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2006-07
The Thunder filled a gap left since 1998 in the Deseronto community. The Quinte Hawks of the Metro Junior A Hockey League left a troubled legacy in the town of Deseronto. The team moved to Bancroft, Ontario after the Metro folded in 1998. In early 2006, it became quite apparent that hockey was coming back to the town. As a member of the new renegade GMHL, the Thunder hope to bring junior hockey back to Deseronto for good.
The Deseronto Thunder's first ever game took place on September 9, 2006 against the South Muskoka Shield in Deseronto, Ontario. The Thunder were victorious, romping the Shield by a score of 8-1. The first goal scored in Thunder history was scored by Mitchell Wood. Brad Mallen picked up the historical first victory in net.
So far, the 2006-07 season has drawn an enthusiastic response from the Deseronto community. Large crowds have been attending the games. The Thunder have been putting up decent results. At the Christmas break of the 2006-07 season, the Thunder are sitting at a slightly better than .500 record and are looking good for a decent playoff seed at this point. On January 21, 2007, the Thunder ended the Bradford Rattlers record 31 game streak of games without a regulation loss with a 6-5 victory.
The Thunder finished the 2006-07 season in fourth place. They drew the South Muskoka Shield in the playoff quarter-final. The Thunder swept the Shield 4-games-to-none and summoned the resting first place Bradford Rattlers. The Rattlers drew a bye in the quarter-final and showed considerable rust in the semi-final versus the Thunder. The Thunder shocked the Rattlers and the entire league by taking an early 2-games-to-none lead in the series. The Rattlers regained their legs in game three and battled through 4 extremely tight games to end the Thunders first trip to the playoffs with a 4-games-to-2 series win. The Rattlers went on to win the Russell Cup as league champions and the Alliance Cup as NJHA champions.
2007-08
On June 10, 2007, it was announced that the Deseronto Thunder would not be returning to the GMHL. The Thunder became the first team in GMHL history to fold. Despite having some of the best crowds in the GMHL, the Thunder seemed to have suffered from financial difficulties. Many players were traded away before the announcement, but with the folding all carded players were officially released. On June 15, 2007, GMJHL President Bob Russell announced that the ownership of the team had been transferred to the Town of Deseronto and that the team will return in 2007-08, but under a new name. In late June, it was announced that the team would now be called the Deseronto Storm.
On January 1, 2008, the Storm hosted the Moscow Selects All-star team in an exhibition game. The Selects won the game by a score of 7-1. This was the seventh and final game that the Moscow team played against different GMJHL clubs.
The Bradford Rattlers were at a 28-game streak of games without a regulation loss (from the start of a season) on January 6, 2008, closing in on their record of 31. For the second season in a row Deseronto dug their heals into the ground and stopped the Rattlers' streak cold with a 5-3 win. As of that date, the Rattlers were given only their second regulation loss in 76 regular season games.
2008-09
After three years of playoff contentions the Deseronto Storm clinched the South Division Title and made their way to the Russell Cup Finals with a 4-3 overtime win over the Innisfil Lakers.
The Deseronto Storm would go on to play the South Muskoka Shield in the 2009 Russell Cup Finals. The Storm lost to the Shield in 6 games.