Mount Forest Patriots

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 (GBJHL) into the WJCHL. Until 1987, all teams in the GBJHL were 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 local Junior "D" teams.

Following nine years of WJCHL domination by the Hanover Barons, the Patriots came into their own. The team won three consecutive league titles from 1994 until 1996, but could not surpass the Belle River Canadiens (1994), Bowmanville Eagles (1995), or the Paris Mounties (1996) in the early rounds of the All-Ontario Championship to win the Clarence Schmalz Cup. In 1998, the Patriots were designated the farm team of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League's Durham Huskies. This relationship resulted in the Patriots fielding the first Russian to play in the WJCHL, Valentine Lidvanov, however the teams' 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 Pats have struggled to obtain their first winning season since 1998. None-the-less, the community of Mount Forest stands firmly behind them, often filling the arena at home games.

The 2004-05 season ended with the Mount Forest Patriots on the outside looking in. At the very end of the season, the upstart Goderich Sailors jumped ahead of the Patriots to take control of the fourth playoff seed and leaving the Patriots eliminated from the playoffs.

In 2005-06, the Patriots finished in last place overall but took advantage of an expanded playoff format introduced that season. The playoffs did not last long though as the Hanover Barons swept the Patriots in the league quarter-final 2-games-to-none.

The 2006-07 season ended with the Patriots back up in the fifth seed. They challenged the Hanover Barons in the league quarter-final and were defeated 3-games-to-1.

During the summer of 2016 the eight junior "C" leagues in Southern Ontario came together as the Provincial Junior Hockey League. The former leagues became divisions and assigned to one of four conferences. For the Patriots it means they will compete in the Western Conference and the Pollock Division.

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. If they had been included, the Patriots' record against the Pirates was 4-0-0.