Maritime Junior A Hockey League
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| Maritime Junior A Hockey League | |
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| Official Website | MJAHL.com |
| Current Champion | Woodstock Slammers |
| Head Office | Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island |
| President | Vernon Doyle |
| Chairman | Rory Beck |
| Founded | 1967 |
| League Sponsor | Kent Building Supplies |
| Provinces | New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia |
The Maritime Junior A Hockey League is a Tier II Junior A ice hockey league under Hockey Canada, a part of the Canadian Junior A Hockey League. It consists of 4 teams from New Brunswick and 2 teams from PEI, which make up the Roger Meek Division, and 6 teams from Nova Scotia which make up the Maurice Bent Division. The winner of the MJAHL playoffs competes for the Fred Page Cup against the winners of the Quebec AAA Junior Hockey League and the Central Junior A Hockey League. The winner of the Fred Page Cup then moves on to compete for the Canadian National Junior A Championships, the Royal Bank Cup.
- For the Eastern Regional playoffs, please go to the Fred Page Cup.
- For the National Championship, please go to the Royal Bank Cup 2007.
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[edit] History
Originally known as the Metro Valley Junior Hockey League, the league was founded in 1967 by Fred McGillivray and Louie Lewis of Halifax, Nova Scotia and Don Stewart of Berwick, Nova Scotia as a Junior "B" level hockey league. Originally an exclusively Nova Scotia hockey league, it included 6 teams: East Hants, Halifax, Dartmouth, Windsor, Kentville, and Berwick. 1968 saw the expansion of Truro and Amherst. The 1970s involved teams from New Glasgow, Pictou, and Stellarton.
In 1977, still known as the "Metro Valley", the league entered into the Tier II Junior "A" level. The jump to Junior "A" was, in theory, to be a catalyst for the development of the league. The Cole Harbour Colts (Scotia Colts), who entered the league in 1976, became the first team in league history to host the national championship, then known as the Centennial Cup, in 1980.
The 1983 season saw the expansion of the Moncton Midland Hawks of Moncton, New Brunswick, the league's first non-Nova Scotia team. The Hawks later became the Moncton Beavers. In 1986, the league expanded to Antigonish and the Scotia Colts, again, hosted the Centennial Cup. The Summerside Western Capitals of the Island Junior Hockey League, Prince Edward Island's junior hockey league, hosted the 1989 Centennial Cup.
In 1991, Summerside and Charlottetown of Prince Edward Island left the IJHL and joined the newly dubbed "Maritime Junior A Hockey League". The IJHL is still PEI's premier Junior league, but now is only a Junior "B" league. The winner of the IJHL's playoffs compete for the Don Johnson Cup, the Maritime Junior "B" Championship.
In 1996-97 the league consisted of the Amherst Ramblers, Antigonish Bulldogs, Charlottetown Abbies, East Hants Penguins, Dartmouth Oland Exports, Moncton Gagnon Beavers, Saint John Alpines, and Summerside Western Capitals. At the begining of the season the league welcomed the Cape Breton Islanders and Restigouche River Rats but unfortunately the Saint John Alpines did not survive the season. The league should have pride in this season as the Summerside Western Capitals won the leagues first ever National Title. The Summerside Western Capitals hosted the Royal Bank Cup and on the home ice of the Cahill Stadium, won the 1997 Royal Bank Cup championship game by a score 4-3 agaist the South Surrey Eagles.
The Truro Bearcats joined the league in 1997-98 but this was overshadowed by the failure of the Cape Breton Eagles which had become the Glace Bay Miners. With the arrival of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, they folded part way through the season leaving the league with nine teams again.
During the 1998-99 season two teams changed their names. The first was the Dartmouth Oland Exports when they moved to the Halifax Forum to become the Halifax Oland Exports. The second was the 1998-99 MJAHL champions, Restigouche River Rats, as they changed their name to the Campbellton Tigers.
A tenth team was added for the 2000-2001 season, the Miramichi Timberwolves. At the same time the East Hants Penguins moved to Dartmouth and became the Scotia Dairy Queen Blizzard. At the end of the 2001-02 season the league approved the transfer of the Blizzard to Yarmouth, NS. The Yarmouth Motormart Mariners began play in September of 2002. In early 2003 the league governors approved expansion into Woodstock, N.B. with the Slammers beginning play in the 2003-04 season.
The league got their secong national Championship when the Halifax Oland Exports won the 2002 Royal Bank Cup on home ice. One year later, after financial trouble with Oland Brewery, the franchise's name was changed to Halifax Team Pepsi. In the spring of 2004 the Weeks Hockey Organization bought the club, moved it to New Glasgow and renamed it the Crushers. On that same day Halifax got a new team as they were granted an expansion franchise, the Halifax Wolverines.
The current MJAHL has a 12 healthy teams and hired its first professional full time League President in 2003, Vernon Doyle. The MJAHL has hosted the Royal Bank Cup and Centennial Cup 7 times, winning twice. MJAHL teams have also won 3 Fred Page Cups as the Junior "A" Eastern Canadian Champions to earn the right to compete for the Royal Bank Cup.
[edit] Teams
- Sorted in alphabetic order
| Maurice Bent Division | |||
| Team | Centre | 2005-06 Record | Finish |
| Amherst Ramblers | Amherst, Nova Scotia | 33-18-3-2 | 1 |
| Antigonish Bulldogs | Antigonish, Nova Scotia | 30-22-3-1 | 3 |
| Halifax Wolverines | Halifax, Nova Scotia | 16-34-4-2 | 6 |
| Truro Bearcats | Truro, Nova Scotia | 28-20-4-4 | 4 |
| Weeks Crushers | New Glasgow, Nova Scotia | 31-19-5-1 | 2 |
| Yarmouth Mariners | Yarmouth, Nova Scotia | 28-23-1-4 | 5 |
| Roger Meek Division | |||
| Team | Centre | 2005-06 Record | Finish |
| Charlottetown Abbies | Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island | 20-34-1-1 | 5 |
| Miramichi Timberwolves | Miramichi, New Brunswick | 16-37-2-1 | 6 |
| Moncton Beavers | Moncton, New Brunswick | 27-24-3-2 | 4 |
| Restigouche Tigers | Campbellton, New Brunswick | 30-21-2-3 | 3 |
| Summerside Western Capitals | Summerside, Prince Edward Island | 36-14-4-2 | 2 |
| Woodstock Slammers | Woodstock, New Brunswick | 41-10-3-2 | 1 |
[edit] Kent Cup Champions
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[edit] Defunct Teams
- Cape Breton Islanders / Glace Bay Miners
- Dartmouth Pepsis
- Saint John Alpines
| Maritime Junior A Hockey League |
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| Current Teams: Amherst Ramblers | Antigonish Bulldogs | Charlottetown Abbies | Halifax Wolverines | Miramichi Timberwolves | Moncton Beavers | Restigouche Tigers | Summerside Western Capitals | Truro Bearcats | Weeks Crushers | Woodstock Slammers | Yarmouth Mariners
Canadian Junior A Hockey League | Fred Page Cup | Royal Bank Cup |
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| Maritime Junior A Hockey League Arenas |
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| Roger Meek Division | Maurice Bent Division | |
|---|---|---|
| MacLaughlin Arena • Miramichi Civic • Tim Horton's 4 Ice Centre • Memorial Civic Center • Sumerside Wellness Centre • Carleton Civic Center • | Amherst Stadium • Antigonish Arena Halifax Forum • Colchester Legion Stadium • John Brother MacDonald Stadium • Mariners Centre • | |
