TEAM – HOCKEY – INDUCTED IN 2009
Between 1972 and 1981, the Georgetown Raiders won six Ontario Hockey Association championships. But for all their success, one prize eluded them – the Hardy Cup.
The Raiders finally won the Canadian Intermediate A championship in 1982, sweeping British Columbia’s Quesnel Kangaroos in three games.
After going 32-3-1 in 1980/81, Georgetown still came up short of the Canadian final but went all-in the following year. Led by league MVP Bill Hamilton, Georgetown went 32-4-0 and bolstered its lineup by acquiring standout defenceman Jack Smith and signing goalie Wayne Wood, the previous season’s American Hoc The key League playoff MVP.
The OHA final against Timmins – who eliminated Georgetown the previous season – went to overtime of the third and deciding game before Joe Ens’ goal gave the Raiders a 2-1 victory.
Georgetown swept Thunder Bay to reach the Eastern Canadian Championship where they faced Cap Pele in a best-of-five series. Despite outshooting their opponents 38-18 in the opener, the Raiders lost 3-2. Georgetown rebounded with decisive 7-1 and 9-2 wins and clinched the series when Gary McFadyen broke a 2-2 tie with eight minutes left in Game 4.
In the Hardy Cup opener, Ens scored 62 seconds in and Ron Twiss had two goals as the Raiders won 4-2.
The Raiders overcame a 2-0 deficit in Game 2, tying it on John Cook’s goal with 14 seconds left. Ens completed the comeback with the overtime winner.
With 1,500 fans at the Gordon Alcott Arena for Game 3, series MVP Ens and captain Steve Lyon gave the Raiders a 2-1 lead. Juri Kudrasovs scored shorthanded and McFadyen’s last-minute goal sealed a 4-1 victory as the Raiders became the first OHA team to win the Hardy Cup.
In 2000, the Georgetown Raiders were named one of the Ontario Hockey Association’s teams of the decade.
Team members: John Cook, Doug Dragasevich, Joe Ens, Gary Ford, Doug Fry, Bill Hamilton, Rick Kessel, Juri Kudrasovs, Gary Landry, Steve Lyon, Gary McFadyden, Scott McKenzie, John Saunders, Jack Smith, Les Smith, Peter Sturgeon, Ray Tonelli, Ron Twiss, Steve Wicklum, John Winder, Wayne Wood, Gerry Inglis (coach), Bob Hooper (president), Finn Poulstrup (1st vice-president), Dave Kentner (2nd vice-president), Don Fendley (3rd vice- president, manager), Wilf Brownlow, Jack Handy (assistant general manager), Stan Lorusso (assistant general manager), Mike Coffey, Terry Harlow (trainers).