The Lakeshore Winterhawks were a senior hockey team based out of Southampton, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League and the Northern Senior A Hockey League. From 1967 until the mid-1980s, the team was known as the Port Elgin Sunocos from Port Elgin, Ontario and spent some of their time in the Major Intermediate A Hockey League and in for contention for the Hardy Cup.
History The Port Elgin Sunocos began play in the Central Intermediate B Hockey League in 1967. In the early 70s, the Sunocos were moved down to the more local Central Intermediate C Hockey League. After dominating the local league for a few seasons, the Sunocos were moved up to the Georgian Bay Intermediate A Hockey League and into contention for the Hardy Cup. The Hardy Cup was the Canadian grand championship of Intermediate hockey. The Sunocos would win the 1979 GBIAHL championship, but lose the OHA title to the Georgetown Raiders. In 1983, the Sunocos dropped from Intermediate A when their league was disbanded and into the Northern Intermediate B Hockey League with the Durham Huskies and Shelburne Muskies. In 1985, the Sunocos went on hiatus.
In 1989, the team was reformed in Southampton as the Lakeshore Winterhawks. The Winterhawks returned to the Sunoco's old league, known a season later as the Northern Senior A Hockey League. The Winterhawks left the Ontario Hockey Association in 1993 when the NSAHL folded from beneath their feet. In 1993-94, the Winterhawks found themselves in the WOAA Senior Hockey League. They played three seasons in the WOAA until 1996, when increasing departure of jobs due to the shutdown of the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station "A" caused many players to leave the area and financial difficulties, causing the team to fold.
In 2007, after eleven years without senior hockey, the Saugeen Shores Winterhawks were formed in Port Elgin. The name pays homage to the original team.
Season-by-season record Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T= Tie, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Season GP W L T OTL GF GA PTS Finish Playoffs1968-69 18 5 13 0 - -- -- 10 8th CIBHL DNQ1973-74 23 19 4 0 - 137 60 38 1st CICHL 1976-77 28 24 4 0 - 182 117 48 1st CICHL 1978-79 35 24 10 1 - 216 140 49 2nd GBIAHL Won League, lost OHA Final1979-80 36 13 23 0 - 149 199 26 6th GBIAHL 1980-81 34 5 29 0 - 134 332 10 6th GBIAHL 1981-82 36 20 15 1 - 186 173 41 3rd MIAHL 1982-83 30 14 16 0 - 150 175 28 3rd MIAHL 1984-85 24 13 9 2 - 116 91 28 3rd NIBHL Lost semi-finalTeam is on hiatus from 1985 until 19891989-90 26 12 9 5 - 162 115 29 5th NSBHL 1990-91 24 15 8 1 - 152 94 31 1st NSAHL Lost semi-final1991-92 25 11 10 4 - -- -- 25 3rd NSAHL Lost semi-final1993-94 20 10 7 3 - -- -- 23 5th WOAA Sr. A Lost "A" Final1994-95 22 17 4 1 - -- -- 35 3rd WOAA Sr. A
See also Saugeen Shores Winterhawks
External links WOAA Website WOAASHL Website