Parry Sound Islanders

Parry Sound Islanders
CityParry Sound, Ontario, Canada
LeagueGreater Metro Junior A Hockey League
Founded2008; 16 years ago (2008)
Folded2017; 7 years ago (2017)
Home arenaBobby Orr Community Centre
ColoursBlack, orange, and teal
     
Owner(s)Jack Sports Group
(Andy Palfrey; Mike Kolarik)
General managerKen Thomas (2016–17)
Head coachDoug Raymond (2016–17)
MediaMCTV
Franchise history
2008–2009Ville-Marie Dragons
2009–2011Powassan Dragons
2011–2014Powassan Eagles
2014–2017Parry Sound Islanders

The Parry Sound Islanders were a Junior ice hockey team based out of Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League.

History

[edit]
Powassan Eagles logo used from 2011 to 2014

In 2007, Ville-Marie first attempted to form a team in one of the established Ontario junior hockey leagues, making offers to both the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League and the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. The GMHL turned down the offer due to their acceptance of a Temiscaming franchise that would have been compromised due to proximity. The NOJHL looked like they were going to accept the organization but the deal fell through in late summer. The NOJHL claimed that the Ville-Marie franchise would probably join in 2008.

In summer 2008, the NOJHL made no mention of interest in a Ville-Marie franchise but courted the already established Temiscaming Royals of the GMHL. Temiscaming accepted the offer to join the NOJHL and Ville-Marie reapplied for GMHL membership. On June 23, 2008, the GMHL officially announced the expansion of the Ville-Marie Dragons for the 2008–09 season.

Ville-Marie played their first ever game on September 12, 2008, at home against the Nipissing Alouettes. The Alouettes, who were entering their third season in the GMHL, dominated the expansion club 17–4. On October 16, 2008, the Dragons won their first game, defeating the Oro-Medonte 77's by a score of 4–3 at home.

On January 16, 2009, the Oro-Medonte 77's posted on their website that the upcoming game between the 77's and the Dragons had been cancelled as the Dragons had folded for the season.[1][2] This marks the first time that a GMHL team has folded mid-season.

On April 8, 2009, it was announced that the team had been moved to Powassan, Ontario, and became the Powassan Dragons. On September 11, 2009, the Dragons played their first game in Powassan, a 6–3 victory over the Minden Riverkings. In December 2009, Dragons goalie Martijn Oosterwijk played as the starting goaltender for the Netherlands in the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships – Division II. He finished with a 4–1 record, leading his team to second place in their tournament and just missing promotion to Division I.

In May 2011, the team was sold and renamed the Powassan Eagles prior to the 2011–12 season.[3] The new Czech-based ownership was planning on bringing up to 25 players from Europe to make up the team. However, the organization ran into work visa issues with several players and were unable to file a complete team at the start of the season. The organization went on hiatus for the 2011–12 season.[4] The team returned to the GMHL in 2012.

In 2014, the Ontario Hockey League's North Bay Battalion elected to place a farm team in Powassan, called the Powassan Voodoos, as part of the NOJHL. The ownership of the Eagles chose to relocate and became the Parry Sound Islanders.[5]

Prior to the start of the 2017–18 season, the owners announced that they would be merging the Islanders with one of their other teams, the Seguin Huskies, and playing out of the Seguin facilities. The ownership would also make Islanders' head coach Doug Raymond the new head coach of the Huskies.[6]

Season-by-season records

[edit]
Season GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts Regular Season Finish Playoffs
Ville-Marie Dragons
2008–09 26 2 24 0 71 286 4 Folded midseason
Powassan Dragons
2009–10 42 8 32 2 139 271 18 11th GMHL Lost qualifier
2010–11 42 15 24 3 195 274 33 10th GMHL Lost quarter-finals
Powassan Eagles
2011–12 Did not participate
2012–13 42 25 13 2 2 194 171 54 5th GMHL Lost Division Semi-finals
2013–14 42 14 27 1 155 253 29 15th GMHL Lost Division Quarter-finals
Parry Sound Islanders
2014–15 42 16 24 2 175 258 34 3rd of 10, North Div.
14th of 22, GMHL
Lost div. semi-finals
2015–16 42 32 9 0 1 288 147 65 4th of 10, North Div.
8th of 30, GMHL
Lost div. semi-finals
2016–17 42 34 7 0 1 273 114 69 2nd of 10, North Div.
3rd of 21, GMHL
Lost League Finals

Playoffs

[edit]
  • 2010
Algoma Avalanche defeated Powassan Dragons 6–2 in the Last Minute Qualifier
  • 2011
Powassan Dragons defeated Sturgeon Falls Lumberjacks 2-games-to-1 in qualifier round
Elliot Lake Bobcats defeated Powassan Dragons 3-games-to-none in quarter-finals
  • 2013
Powassan Eagles defeated Rama Aces 3-games-to-none in division quarter-finals
Temiscaming Titans defeated Powassan Eagles 3-games-to-none in division semi-finals
  • 2014
Temiscaming Titans defeated Powassan Eagles 3-games-to-none in division quarter-finals
  • 2015
Seguin Huskies defeated Parry Sound Islanders 3-games-to-none in division quarter-finals
  • 2016
Parry Sound Islanders defeated Seguin Huskies 3-games-to-none in division quarter-finals
South Muskoka Shield defeated Powassan Eagles 3-games-to-2 in division semi-finals
  • 2017
Parry Sound Islanders defeated Bradford Bulls 3-games-to-none in division quarter-finals
Parry Sound Islanders defeated South Muskoka Shield 3-games-to-1 in division semi-finals
Parry Sound Islanders defeated New Tecumseth Civics 4-games-to-3 in division finals
Niagara Whalers defeated Parry Sound Islanders 4-games-to-0 in league finals

Head coaches

[edit]
Nat From To Regular Season Playoffs
G W L OTL T G W L
Gary Astalos United States 2012 2013 42 25 13 2 2 6 3 3
Brandon Contratto United States 2013 2015 84 30 51 3 - 6 0 6
Ken Thomas Canada 2015 2016 42 32 9 1 0 8 5 3
Doug Raymond United States 2016 42 34 7 1 - 18 10 8

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Game cancelled". Oro-Medonte 77's. January 16, 2009. Archived from the original on October 6, 2011.
  2. ^ "Sturgeon back in GMHL". Nugget.ca. April 29, 2010.
  3. ^ "Powassan Dragons sold to Czech's". Bay Today. May 2, 2011.
  4. ^ "Hockey team stalls out". Cottage Country Now. August 25, 2011. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  5. ^ "Islanders face Huskies in exhibition play this weekend". ParrySound.com. August 29, 2014.
  6. ^ "RAYMOND NAMED HC OF HUSKIES". Seguin Huskies. September 1, 2017.
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