Alliston Hornets

The Alliston Hornets are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Alliston, Ontario, Canada. Starting with the 2016-17 hockey season the Hornets will be members of the Provincial Junior Hockey League. Prior to the change they played in the Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League.
==History==
The Alliston Hornets were founded in 1971 as a member of the South-Central Junior D Hockey League. In 1973, that league was promoted and renamed the Central Ontario Junior C Hockey League and then the Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League in 1976.
Despite training multiple National Hockey League alumni, the Hornets were in tough in the Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League with teams like the Bradford Bulls and the Orangeville Crushers. The Hornets won the Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League crown 6 times, but never got past the Clarence Schmalz Cup semi-final in the All-Ontario championships.
In 1994, the Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League merged with the Georgian Bay Junior C Hockey League to create the Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League. From 1994 until 2007, the Hornets have failed to win a league title. Other than a blip in the radar in 2001-02 that resulted in a 2nd place league finish but no playoff glory, since 1994 the Hornets were not up to par with their competition. In 2004, something changed. Since 2004, the Hornets have been putting up excellent winning seasons with a first-place finish and two third-place finishes.
The 2005-06 season saw the Hornets finish off in third place. In the league quarter-final they drew the sixth seeded Stayner Siskins. In what many though would be a cakewalk, the Siskins had another shocking conclusion in mind. The Hornets went up on the Siskins 3-games-to-none with little problem. Game 4 saw the Siskins avoid the sweep with a win. The Siskins had gained enough momentum to take game 5 as well. Eventually, in the end, the Siskins won four straight games to make the ultimate comeback and take the series 4-games-to-3 over the Alliston Hornets.
The 2006-07 season saw the Hornets leading the standing for the first half of the season and then fall away to both the Fergus Devils and Penetang Kings. Finishing with the third seed, the Hornets battled the Schomberg Cougars and made quick work of them with a 4-games-to-none sweep of the series. In the semi-final, the Hornets drew the Goliath Clarence Schmalz Cup (CSC) defending Champion Penetang Kings. The second seeded Kings won the series 4-games-to-2 in a drawn out seesaw battle. The Kings went on to win their second straight league and provincial title.
==Glory years (2007–present)==
Since the beginning of the 2007-08 season, the Alliston Hornets finished the Penetang Kings successful run of two straight GMOHL titles and 2 Clarence Schmalz Cups with six consecutive GMOHL titles and two Schmalz Cups of their own. In six regular seasons (2007-08 to the end of 2012-13), the Hornets have amassed a record of 213 wins, 23 losses, 3 ties, and 7 losses in overtime to win five GMOHL regular season banners. In each of these six years, the Hornets have managed to win the GMOHL playoff championship and advance into the Ontario Hockey Association playdowns.
===Success versus Walkerton===
The OHA has pinned up the winner of the GMOHL against the Champion of the Western Ontario Junior C Hockey League every year in the provincial quarter-final since the GMOHL was formed in 1994. From the 1995 playoffs until 2004, the Western League champion never failed in defeating the GMOHL champion. In their twelfth year of competition, the Penetang Kings snapped that steak against the Kincardine Bulldogs and did it again in 2007 against the same team. In the Western League, a new power was rising - the Walkerton Hawks, for years a basement dweller, had surged in recent years and took over the reins from the Bulldogs and like the Hornets won the Western League for six consecutive years. The Hawks and Hornets would meet in the quarter-final of the OHA in each of those six years and it would prove to be a disaster for the Hawks. Despite fielding competitive teams, the Hornets would win every series against the Hawks with a combined record of 24 wins and 9 losses.
===Success versus the Empire B League===
The OHA chooses semi-final opponents based on closest proximity to each other. From 2008 until 2013, the Empire B Junior C Hockey League's champion has defeated the Central Ontario Junior C Hockey League's champion and has been inline to face the Hornets. From 2008 until 2012 the Hornets did not lose a series to the Empire B League champion. In 2008, the Hornets defeated the Napanee Raiders in 5 games, in 2009 the Amherstview Jets in 5 games, in 2010 the Raiders in 6 games, in 2011 the Picton Pirates in 4 games, and in 2012 the Hornets came back from a 3-games-to-none deficit to defeat the Campbellford Rebels in 7 games. In five years, the Hornets recorded a record of 20 wins and 7 losses against the champions of the Empire B League.
In 2013, the tides changed, as the Picton Pirates returned to the Schmalz Cup semi-final. The Pirates would sweep the Hornets in 4-straight-games to end Alliston's reign of dominance over the Empire B League.
==Season-by-season standings==
Season 	GP 	W 	L 	T 	OL 	GF 	GA 	P 	Results 	Playoffs 	 	
1971-72	29 	16 	10 	3 	- 	132 	111 	35 	2nd SCJDHL 	Lost Final 	 	
1972-73	29 	12 	12 	6 	- 	136 	117 	31 	4th SCJDHL 	Lost Semi-final 	 	
1973-74	30 	13 	14 	3 	- 	141 	147 	29 	4th Central G1 	Lost Semi-final 	 	
1974-75	32 	16 	16 	0 	- 	145 	146 	32 	4th Central G1 	Lost Semi-final 	 	
1975-76	32 	22 	9 	1 	- 	183 	124 	45 	2nd Central G1 	Won League, Lost CSC QF 	 	
1976-77	30 	20 	9 	1 	- 	199 	149 	41 	2nd Central G1 	Won League, Lost CSC SF 	 	
1977-78	32 	20 	5 	7 	- 	209 	110 	47 	1st MOJCHL 	Won League, Lost CSC SF 	 	
1978-79	31 	27 	1 	3 	- 	-- 	-- 	57 	1st MOJCHL 	Won League, Lost CSC QF 	 	
1979-80	40 	26 	13 	1 	- 	214 	169 	53 	2nd MOJCHL 	Lost Semi-final 	 	
1980-81	36 	27 	9 	0 	- 	208 	134 	54 	1st MOJCHL 	Lost Semi-final 	 	
1981-82	40 	34 	5 	1 	- 	292 	163 	69 	1st MOJCHL 	Won League, Lost CSC QF 	 	
1982-83	36 	22 	14 	0 	- 	231 	193 	44 	2nd MOJCHL 	Lost Semi-final 	 	
1983-84	34 	20 	12 	2 	- 	209 	158 	42 	3rd MOJCHL 	Won League, Lost CSC QF 	 	
1984-85	36 	21 	13 	2 	- 	250 	188 	44 	3rd MOJCHL 	Lost Semi-final 	 	
1985-86	34 	7 	27 	0 	- 	139 	277 	14 	9th MOJCHL 	Lost Quarter-final 	 	
1986-87	34 	17 	16 	1 	- 	183 	156 	35 	5th MOJCHL 	Lost Semi-final 	 	
1987-88	34 	10 	23 	1 	- 	150 	194 	21 	6th MOJCHL 	Lost Quarter-final 	 	
1988-89	36 	12 	23 	1 	- 	135 	224 	25 	5th MOJCHL 	Lost Quarter-final 	 	
1989-90	34 	10 	24 	0 	- 	146 	211 	20 	6th MOJCHL 	Lost Semi-final 	 	
1990-91	34 	13 	21 	0 	- 	-- 	-- 	26 	5th MOJCHL 	Lost Quarter-final 	 	
1991-92	34 	17 	13 	4 	- 	184 	171 	38 	3rd MOJCHL 	Lost Quarter-final 	 	
1992-93	39 	14 	22 	2 	1 	183 	210 	31 	6th MOJCHL 	 	 	
1993-94	40 	15 	24 	1 	- 	217 	239 	31 	6th MOJCHL 	 	 	
1994-95	36 	16 	17 	3 	- 	-- 	-- 	35 	7th GMOHL 	 	 	
1995-96	44 	24 	20 	0 	- 	215 	207 	48 	4th GMOHL 	 	 	
1996-97	36 	13 	22 	1 	- 	164 	192 	27 	8th GMOHL 	 	 	
1997-98	36 	12 	23 	1 	- 	145 	191 	25 	9th GMOHL 	 	 	
1998-99	36 	16 	20 	0 	- 	177 	196 	32 	6th GMOHL 	 	 	
1999-00	36 	10 	24 	2 	- 	136 	198 	22 	7th GMOHL 	 	 	
2000-01	36 	7 	27 	2 	0 	98 	227 	16 	7th GMOHL 	 	 	
2001-02	36 	23 	12 	0 	1 	134 	129 	47 	2nd GMOHL 	 	 	
2002-03	36 	10 	24 	1 	1 	117 	178 	22 	7th GMOHL 	Lost Quarter-final 	 	
2003-04	36 	9 	25 	1 	1 	115 	181 	20 	7th GMOHL 	 	 	
2004-05	40 	26 	9 	5 	0 	170 	114 	57 	1st GMOHL 	 	 	
2005-06	42 	26 	12 	4 	0 	215 	141 	56 	3rd GMOHL 	Lost Quarter-final 	 	
2006-07	42 	27 	13 	1 	1 	198 	131 	56 	3rd GMOHL 	 	 	
2007-08	42 	36 	3 	3 	0 	255 	98 	75 	1st GMOHL 	Won League, Won CSC 	 	
2008-09	42 	40 	2 	- 	0 	310 	71 	80 	1st GMOHL 	Won League, Lost CSC Final 	 	
2009-10	42 	38 	2 	- 	2 	239 	98 	78 	1st GMOHL 	Won League, Won CSC 	 	
2010-11	40 	32 	5 	- 	3 	234 	102 	67 	1st GMOHL 	Won League, Lost CSC Final 	 	
2011-12	40 	32 	8 	- 	0 	236 	113 	64 	2nd GMOHL 	Won League, Lost CSC Final 	 	
2012-13	40 	35 	3 	- 	2 	256 	89 	72 	1st GMOHL 	Won Quarters - 4-0 - (Otters)Won Semi's - 4-1 - (Kings)Won League Final - 4-1 - (Flyers)Won CSC Quarters - 4-2 (Walkerton)Lost CSC Semi's - 0-4 - (Picton) 	 	
2013-14	40 	30 	9 	- 	1 	156 	93 	61 	2nd GMOHL 	Won Quarters - 4-0 - (Devils)Won Semi's - 4-0 - (Siskins)Lost League Final - 2-4 - (Kings) 	 	
2014-15	40 	32 	6 	- 	2 	203 	100 	66 	1st GMOHL 	Won Quarters - 4-0 - (Devils)Won Semi's - 4-1 - (Terriers)Won League Finals - 4-0 - (Cougars)Won CSC Quarters - 4-3 - (Walkerton)Lost CSC Semi's - 0-4 (Port Hope) 	 	
2015-16	40 	35 	2 	3 	- 	206 	60 	73 	1st of 9 GMOHL 	Won Quarters - 4-0 - (Cougars)Won Semifinals - 4-2 -(Shamrocks)Won League Finals, 4-0 (Kings)Won CSC Quarters 4-1 (Kincardine)Lost CSC Semifinals, 2-4 (Port Hope) 	 	
2016-17	42 	36 	5 	1 	- 	248 	109 	73 	2nd of 8Carruthers Div-PJHL 	Won Div Quarters - 4-1 - (Cougars)Won Div Semifinal 4-1 (Kings)Won Div Finals, 4-0 (Siskins)Won Conf. Finals, 4-1 (Patriots)Lost Schmalz Cup Semifinal 1-4 (Port Hope) 	 	
2017-18	42 	31 	10 	0 	1 	257 	137 	63 	2nd of 8Carruthers Div-PJHL 	Won Div Quarters - 4-0 - (Cougars)Won Div Semifinal 4-2 (Golden Hawks)Lost Div Finals, 1-4 (Siskins) 	 	
2018-19	42 	29 	9 	2 	2 	191 	133 	62 	2nd of 8Carruthers Div-PJHL 	Won Div Quarters, 4-0 (Otters)Won Div Semifinals, 4-1 (Golden Hawks)Won Div Finals , 4-0 (Kings)Won North Conf. Finals, 4-2 (Patriots)Lost, Schmalz Cup Semifinals, 0-4 (Raiders)	 	
2019-20	42 	34 	4 	1 	3 	198 	114 	72 	1st of 8Carruthers Div-PJHL 	Division Final cancelled with series tied 1 game each 	 	
2020-21	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic 	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021-22	30 	20 	8 	1 	1 	155 	85 	42 	3rd 	Lost Division Semifinals 	 	
2022-23	40 	30 	7 	1 	2 	203 	118 	63 	2nd 	Lost Semifinals 	 	
2023-24	42 	36 	6 	0 	0 	233 	83 	72 	1st 	Lost Conference Finals 	 	
*2000-2004http://www.ohahockey.org/ Provided by GMO League statistician
*2004–Presenthttp://www.ohahockey.org/
==Clarence Schmalz Cup appearances==
:2008: Alliston Hornets defeated Essex 73's 4-games-to-3
:2009: Essex 73's defeated Alliston Hornets 4-games-to-none
:2010: Alliston Hornets defeated Belle River Canadiens 4-games-to-2
:2011: Grimsby Peach Kings defeated Alliston Hornets 4-games-to-1
:2012: Grimsby Peach Kings defeated Alliston Hornets 4-games-to-1
==Notable alumni==
*Perry AndersonLegends of Hockey - NHL Player Search - Player - Perry Anderson
*Manny LegaceLegends of Hockey - NHL Player Search - Player - Manny Legace
*John MaddenLegends of Hockey - NHL Player Search - Player - John Madden
*Darrin ShannonLegends of Hockey - NHL Player Search - Player - Darrin Shannon
*Darryl ShannonLegends of Hockey - NHL Player Search - Player - Darryl Shannon
==References==
==External links==
*Hornets' OHA Webpage
Category:Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League teams
Category:Ontario Hockey Association
Category:Canadian ice hockey teams
Category:Established in 1971