South Muskoka Shield
Encyclopedia
The South Muskoka Shield are a Canadian Junior
ice hockey
team based in Gravenhurst, Ontario
. They are members of the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League
.
from 1980 until 1987 and 1994 until 2000 respectively. The Shield also draw their fan support from other centres in the area, such as Bracebridge, Port Carling, Bala, Washago and Orillia.
The first game in the Shield's history was on September 9, 2006 against the Deseronto Thunder
in Deseronto, Ontario
. The end result was a not-so-glorious 8-1 loss. While Frank Agostino started their first-ever exhibition game in net, it was 16-year-old Steve Brown from Port Carling, ON
who played the club's first ever competitive game wearing number 30. Midway through the third and final period, the Shield used its first ever import, when 18 year old Briton
Nick Rowe took over from Brown in net. The scorer of the Shield's first goal was scored by Dustin Curran and at the time he was wearing number 77 when he scored it.
Their first home game took place on September 15, 2006 against the eventual league, playoff and national champion Bradford Rattlers
. The result was a 10-1 blowout loss. The Shield's first win came on October 13, 2006 against the struggling Toronto Canada Moose
. The final score of the game was 9-6.
On November 21, 2006, Shield left winger and captain Garrett Hamel was heavily injured in a head-on collision. He was flown to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, Ontario and required surgery to repair his broken talus
, knee cap, femur
, radius
, pinky finger, and a shattered pelvis. The next game, on November 22 against the Nipissing Alouettes
, was cancelled out of respect of the Hanmer, Ontario native. After extensive rehab, Garrett rejoined the team in November 2008. On January 11, 2009 Garrett returned to the ice against the Nipissing Alouettes
and scored a goal in a 9-5 victory for the Shield.
The Shield finished their inaugural season in dead last with a 4-34-0-4 record. Seventh place out of seven teams, the Shield were forced to face the fourth-place Deseronto Thunder
in the league quarter-final. In game one, the Thunder blew out the Shield 7-1, but in game two the Shield showed a different side to their game. The close back and forth game went all the way to overtime where the Thunder again came out victorious 5-4. Game three saw the Shield on a mission early, leading after the first period 3-1 and the second 5-3. In the third, the Shield fell apart and the Thunder outscored them in the third 6-1. The game was called early due to violence breaking out at the game with both the Shield bench and the crowd involved; final score 9-6 Thunder. Game four was redemptive for the Shield, pushing the game into another overtime showdown. Again the Shield lost, 5-4 in overtime, to complete the four-game sweep for the Deseronto Thunder.
On January 3, 2008, the Shield hosted the Moscow Selects All-star team in an exhibition game. The Selects won the game by a score of 5-1. This was the fifth game of seven that the Moscow team played against different GMJHL clubs.
The 2007-08 season saw a vastly improved South Muskoka Shield take the ice. At times, the Shield were ranked amongst the top of the GMJHL, but faltered slightly late in the season to drop to a record of 19 wins, 18 losses, and 5 losses in overtime. The Shield had the best season-to-season record improvement of any of the seven clubs that also participated in the 2006-07 season. The Shield elected to take a bye in the first round of the playoffs, and found themselves in the quarter-finals with the defending champions Bradford Rattlers
. The Shield, who managed to be one of the few teams to defeat the Rattlers over the course of the last two seasons, fought a tough series. They kept each game rather tight, but ended up being eliminated 4-games-to-1.
On December 29, 2008, the South Muskoka Shield played an exhibition game against Kazakhstan
's Torpedo UST-Kamenogorsk Under-18 squad. The Shield won the game 5-4 despite a late rally by the Torpedo. The Shield finished the 2008-09 season with a record of 38 wins, 4 losses, and 1 overtime loss, to finish first in the entire league and win the John Klinck Award.
On April 2,2011, the South Muskoka Shield lost the Russell Cup championship in game 7 to the Elliot Lake Bobcats, 8-5.
Junior ice hockey
Junior hockey is a catch-all term used to describe various levels of ice hockey competition for players generally between 16 and 20 years of age...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team based in Gravenhurst, Ontario
Gravenhurst, Ontario
Gravenhurst is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located approximately south of Bracebridge, Ontario. The mayor is Paisley Donaldson...
. They are members of the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League
Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League
The Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League is a Canadian Developmental Junior "A" ice hockey league. The GMHL is not affiliated with the Canadian Junior Hockey League or a member by Hockey Canada...
.
History
The Shield are a community-based team with a number of corporate sponsors helping the team to be a viable club. Based on the attendance at the home opener and since, this club has been successful from a fan support standpoint. Gravenhurst is a proud hockey town that is rich in hockey history. The Shield follow in the tradition of the Gravenhurst Indians and the Gravenhurst Cubs who played out of the Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey LeagueGeorgian Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League
The Georgian Mid Ontario Junior C Hockey League is a Junior "C" ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association...
from 1980 until 1987 and 1994 until 2000 respectively. The Shield also draw their fan support from other centres in the area, such as Bracebridge, Port Carling, Bala, Washago and Orillia.
Deseronto Thunder
The Deseronto Storm is a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Deseronto, Ontario. They played in the Greater Metro Junior 'A' Hockey League.-2006-07:...
in Deseronto, Ontario
Deseronto, Ontario
Deseronto is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, in Hastings County, located on the shore of the Bay of Quinte. The town had a population of 1,824 in the Canada 2006 Census.The town was named for Capt...
. The end result was a not-so-glorious 8-1 loss. While Frank Agostino started their first-ever exhibition game in net, it was 16-year-old Steve Brown from Port Carling, ON
Port Carling, Ontario
Port Carling is an unincorporated community in the Township of Muskoka Lakes in the Canadian province of Ontario.It has been the municipal seat of the township since 1971...
who played the club's first ever competitive game wearing number 30. Midway through the third and final period, the Shield used its first ever import, when 18 year old Briton
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
Nick Rowe took over from Brown in net. The scorer of the Shield's first goal was scored by Dustin Curran and at the time he was wearing number 77 when he scored it.
Their first home game took place on September 15, 2006 against the eventual league, playoff and national champion Bradford Rattlers
Bradford Rattlers
The Bradford Rattlers are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based out of Bradford, Ontario. They play out of the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League...
. The result was a 10-1 blowout loss. The Shield's first win came on October 13, 2006 against the struggling Toronto Canada Moose
Toronto Canada Moose
The Toronto Canada Moose are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based out of Thornhill, Ontario. They play in the Greater Metro Junior 'A' Hockey League.-History:...
. The final score of the game was 9-6.
On November 21, 2006, Shield left winger and captain Garrett Hamel was heavily injured in a head-on collision. He was flown to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, Ontario and required surgery to repair his broken talus
Talus bone
-External links:* *...
, knee cap, femur
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
, radius
Radius
In classical geometry, a radius of a circle or sphere is any line segment from its center to its perimeter. By extension, the radius of a circle or sphere is the length of any such segment, which is half the diameter. If the object does not have an obvious center, the term may refer to its...
, pinky finger, and a shattered pelvis. The next game, on November 22 against the Nipissing Alouettes
Nipissing Alouettes
The Nipissing Alouettes were a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based out of Sturgeon Falls, Ontario. They played in the Greater Metro Junior 'A' Hockey League.-History:...
, was cancelled out of respect of the Hanmer, Ontario native. After extensive rehab, Garrett rejoined the team in November 2008. On January 11, 2009 Garrett returned to the ice against the Nipissing Alouettes
Nipissing Alouettes
The Nipissing Alouettes were a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based out of Sturgeon Falls, Ontario. They played in the Greater Metro Junior 'A' Hockey League.-History:...
and scored a goal in a 9-5 victory for the Shield.
The Shield finished their inaugural season in dead last with a 4-34-0-4 record. Seventh place out of seven teams, the Shield were forced to face the fourth-place Deseronto Thunder
Deseronto Thunder
The Deseronto Storm is a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Deseronto, Ontario. They played in the Greater Metro Junior 'A' Hockey League.-2006-07:...
in the league quarter-final. In game one, the Thunder blew out the Shield 7-1, but in game two the Shield showed a different side to their game. The close back and forth game went all the way to overtime where the Thunder again came out victorious 5-4. Game three saw the Shield on a mission early, leading after the first period 3-1 and the second 5-3. In the third, the Shield fell apart and the Thunder outscored them in the third 6-1. The game was called early due to violence breaking out at the game with both the Shield bench and the crowd involved; final score 9-6 Thunder. Game four was redemptive for the Shield, pushing the game into another overtime showdown. Again the Shield lost, 5-4 in overtime, to complete the four-game sweep for the Deseronto Thunder.
On January 3, 2008, the Shield hosted the Moscow Selects All-star team in an exhibition game. The Selects won the game by a score of 5-1. This was the fifth game of seven that the Moscow team played against different GMJHL clubs.
The 2007-08 season saw a vastly improved South Muskoka Shield take the ice. At times, the Shield were ranked amongst the top of the GMJHL, but faltered slightly late in the season to drop to a record of 19 wins, 18 losses, and 5 losses in overtime. The Shield had the best season-to-season record improvement of any of the seven clubs that also participated in the 2006-07 season. The Shield elected to take a bye in the first round of the playoffs, and found themselves in the quarter-finals with the defending champions Bradford Rattlers
Bradford Rattlers
The Bradford Rattlers are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based out of Bradford, Ontario. They play out of the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League...
. The Shield, who managed to be one of the few teams to defeat the Rattlers over the course of the last two seasons, fought a tough series. They kept each game rather tight, but ended up being eliminated 4-games-to-1.
On December 29, 2008, the South Muskoka Shield played an exhibition game against Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
's Torpedo UST-Kamenogorsk Under-18 squad. The Shield won the game 5-4 despite a late rally by the Torpedo. The Shield finished the 2008-09 season with a record of 38 wins, 4 losses, and 1 overtime loss, to finish first in the entire league and win the John Klinck Award.
On April 2,2011, the South Muskoka Shield lost the Russell Cup championship in game 7 to the Elliot Lake Bobcats, 8-5.
Season-by-season standings
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | P | Results | Playoffs |
| 2006-07 | 42 | 4 | 34 | |||||||
| 4 | 110 | 299 | 12 | 7th GMJHL | Lost Quarter-final | |||||
| 2007-08 | 42 | 19 | 18 | |||||||
| 5 | 207 | 207 | 43 | 7th GMJHL | Lost Quarter-final | |||||
| 2008-09 | 43 | 38 | 4 | |||||||
| 1 | 303 | 128 | 77 | 1st GMJHL | Won League | |||||
| 2009-10 | 42 | 35 | 5 | |||||||
| 2 | 228 | 121 | 72 | 2nd GMJHL | Lost Final | |||||
| 2010-11 | 42 | 36 | 5 | |||||||
| 1 | 280 | 151 | 73 | 2nd GMJHL | Lost Final |
Playoffs
- 2007 Lost quarter-final
- Deseronto ThunderDeseronto ThunderThe Deseronto Storm is a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Deseronto, Ontario. They played in the Greater Metro Junior 'A' Hockey League.-2006-07:...
defeated South Muskoka Shield 4-games-to-none in quarter-final- 2008 Lost quarter-final
- Bradford RattlersBradford RattlersThe Bradford Rattlers are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based out of Bradford, Ontario. They play out of the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League...
defeated South Muskoka Shield 4-games-to-1 in quarter-final- 2009 Won League
- South Muskoka Shield defeated Brock BucksBrock BucksThe Bobcaygeon Bucks are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Bobcaygeon, Ontario. They play in the Greater Metro Junior 'A' Hockey League.-History:The Douro Dukes were one of six expansion teams for the 2007-08 GMHL season....
3-games-to-none in division quarter-final - South Muskoka Shield defeated Nipissing AlouettesNipissing AlouettesThe Nipissing Alouettes were a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based out of Sturgeon Falls, Ontario. They played in the Greater Metro Junior 'A' Hockey League.-History:...
3-games-to-none in division semi-final - South Muskoka Shield defeated Elliot Lake BobcatsElliot Lake BobcatsThe Elliot Lake Bobcats are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based out of Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League.-History:...
4-games-to-1 in division final - South Muskoka Shield defeated Deseronto Storm 4-games-to-2 in final
- 2010 Lost Final
- South Muskoka Shield defeated King WildKing WildThe Lefroy Wave are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Lefroy, Ontario. The team is in the Greater Metro Junior 'A' Hockey League .-History:...
3-games-to-none in quarter-final - South Muskoka Shield defeated Bradford RattlersBradford RattlersThe Bradford Rattlers are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based out of Bradford, Ontario. They play out of the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League...
4-games-to-1 in semi-final - Deseronto Storm defeated South Muskoka Shield 4-games-to-3 in final
- 2011 Lost Final
- South Muskoka Shield defeated Oro-Medonte 77'sOro-Medonte 77'sThe Oro-Medonte 77's were a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based out of Oro-Medonte, Ontario, Canada. Their arena was in the community of Guthrie, Ontario. They played in the Greater Metro Junior 'A' Hockey League.-History:...
3-games-to-none in quarter-final - South Muskoka Shield defeated Bradford RattlersBradford RattlersThe Bradford Rattlers are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based out of Bradford, Ontario. They play out of the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League...
4-games-to-3 in semi-final - Elliot Lake BobcatsElliot Lake BobcatsThe Elliot Lake Bobcats are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based out of Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League.-History:...
defeated South Muskoka Shield 4-games-to-3 in final
League award winners
- Norm Clark Award
- An annual award "to the forward who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest ability at the position" Travis Saltz 2009 Nikita Jevpalovs 2011
- Dan Garneau Award
- An annual award "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the GMHL" Nikita Jevpalovs 2011
- Sportsmanship Award
- An annual award "to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability" Dylan Sontag 2009 Dylan Sontag 2010
- Naz Marchese Award
- An annual award "to the forward who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest ability at the position of defensive forward" Chad Meagher 2009 Chad Meagher 2010
- Mark Trost Award
- An annual award "to the defenseman who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest ability at the position" Adam MacBeth 2010
- Ken Girard Award
- An annual award "to the GMHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success" Dallyn Telford 2010
- Gerry St.Onge Award
- An annual award "to the goaltender adjudged to be the best at his position" Mark Wardell 2010 Rob Sutherland 2011