Tavistock Braves
The Tavistock Braves are a Junior ice hockey team based in Tavistock, Ontario, Canada. They currently play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.
| Tavistock Braves | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Tavistock, Ontario |
| League | Provincial Junior Hockey League - Doherty Division (formerly Midwestern Junior C Hockey League) |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Home arena | Tavistock & District Recreation Centre |
| Colors | Black, Yellow, and White |
| General manager | Jordan Zehr (2017-18) |
| Head coach | Dan Kalbfleisch (2016-17) |
| OHA Cups | 1983 |
History
During the 1981-82 season Tavistock finished first overall in regular season league play for the first time in franchise history. In 1982-83 the feat was repeated and was upstaged with the first and only OHA Cup in franchise history. In 1986-87 and 1987-88 Tavistock would once again post back-to-back first overall regular season finishes. However, in both seasons they would fall short of the OHA Cup.
After suffering relative mediocrity through the 1990s Tavistock would return as a power in the 2000s. In the early 2000s Tavistock was consistently held just short of a championship by a pair of Hawks. Both Exeter and Hagersville took turns ending Tavistock's postseason runs a little earlier than expected.
As the decade progressed Tavistock would encounter a new rival. In the spring of 2006 the Delhi Travellers would be responsible for eliminating the Braves in the conference finals in four games. In 2006-07 Tavistock finished first place overall during the regular season. The league's top two scorers, Jeff Roes and Joe Voll played for the Tavistock Braves during the 06-07 season, Voll set a team and conference record tallying 122 points in 42 games. However come playoff time the Braves again found themselves in a battle for the conference title with Delhi. This time falling short in a dramatic game seven double overtime loss. In 2007-08 Tavistock would again meet the rival Travellers in the McConnell Conference final, however unlike the previous two years the Braves managed to come back from a 3-1 series deficit to take the Conference title. Twenty-five years after their previous OHA Cup Championship the Braves were unable to duplicate the accomplishment and fell to a strong Thamesford Trojans team in four games.
With the restructuring of the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League for the 2008-09 season Tavistock found themselves in a conference with longtime local rivals the Ayr Centennials and Wellesley Applejacks as well as a newly formed foe in Thamesford. Due to an imbalanced schedule Tavistock and Thamesford would play each other eight times during the regular season. The two heavy weights of the division battled it out for the conference title until January when Thamesford began to pull away. As expected the two teams breezed through their first rounds and met up in the conference finals. Tavistock came out with the short end of the stick losing an extremely close series four games to one with no games were decided by more than a goal.
In the Summer of 2013, the Ontario Hockey Association realigned and the Braves ended up in the Midwestern Junior C Hockey League.
For the 2016-17 season the eight Ontario Junior "C" hockey leagues amalgamated into one league, the Provincial Junior Hockey League. The Midwestern League was placed in the South Conference and re-branded the Pat Doherty division.
Season-by-season standings
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | P | Results | Playoffs |
| 1970-71 | 34 | 17 | 12 | 5 | - | 210 | 177 | 39 | 2nd WJDHL | |
| 1971-72 | 30 | 7 | 22 | 1 | - | 138 | 210 | 15 | 7th WJDHL | |
| 1972-73 | 29 | 4 | 22 | 3 | - | 114 | 202 | 11 | 8th WJDHL | |
| 1973-74 | 34 | 6 | 27 | 1 | - | 141 | 269 | 13 | 8th WJDHL | |
| 1974-75 | 32 | 12 | 18 | 2 | - | 168 | 198 | 28 | 7th WJDHL | |
| 1975-76 | 28 | 16 | 8 | 4 | - | 173 | 131 | 36 | 3rd WJDHL | |
| 1976-77 | 31 | 21 | 8 | 2 | - | 216 | 150 | 44 | 3rd WJDHL | |
| 1977-78 | 34 | 8 | 25 | 1 | - | 149 | 239 | 17 | 8th WJDHL | |
| 1978-79 | 34 | 9 | 21 | 4 | - | 158 | 236 | 21 | 8th WJDHL | |
| 1979-80 | 33 | 10 | 19 | 4 | - | 148 | 182 | 24 | 8th WJDHL | |
| 1980-81 | 34 | 19 | 10 | 5 | - | 217 | 150 | 43 | 4th WJDHL | |
| 1981-82 | 38 | 27 | 7 | 4 | - | 260 | 165 | 58 | 1st WJDHL | |
| 1982-83 | 38 | 31 | 5 | 2 | - | 278 | 147 | 64 | 1st WJDHL | |
| 1983-84 | 34 | 15 | 17 | 2 | - | 220 | 186 | 32 | 5th WJDHL | |
| 1984-85 | 34 | 23 | 9 | 2 | - | 230 | 158 | 48 | 2nd of 5 North Div. 3rd of 10 WJDHL | |
| 1985-86 | 42 | 20 | 15 | 7 | - | 206 | 195 | 47 | 3rd of 6 North Div. 5th of 12 WJDHL | |
| 1986-87 | 40 | 28 | 8 | 4 | - | -- | -- | 60 | 1st of 6 SJDHL | Won League Lost OHA Cup Final, 3-4 (Irish) |
| 1987-88 | 31 | 24 | 4 | 3 | - | -- | -- | 51 | 1st of 5 SJDHL | |
| 1988-89 | 36 | 19 | 16 | 1 | - | 238 | 194 | 39 | 4th of 7 North Div. 10th of 19 WJDHL | |
| 1989-90 | 35 | 9 | 21 | 5 | - | 133 | 183 | 23 | 5th of 6 North Div. 14th of 18 WJDHL | |
| 1990-91 | 40 | 16 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 181 | 209 | 35 | 7th of 9 Eastern Div. 12th of 18 WJDHL | |
| 1991-92 | 34 | 16 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 162 | 172 | 34 | 5th of 8 Eastern Div. 12th of 17 OHAJDL | |
| 1992-93 | 39 | 13 | 17 | 7 | 2 | 141 | 164 | 35 | 7th of 9 Eastern Div. 12th of 18 OHAJDL | |
| 1993-94 | 40 | 12 | 22 | 6 | - | 179 | 225 | 30 | 6th of 9 Eastern Div. 12th of 18 OHAJDL | |
| 1994-95 | 39 | 21 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 189 | 172 | 49 | 3rd of 9 Eastern Div. 5th of 18 OHAJDL | |
| 1995-96 | 40 | 17 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 181 | 198 | 36 | 3rd of 4 Bauer Div. 4th of 8 McConnell Conf. 11th of 18 OHAJDL | |
| 1996-97 | 39 | 20 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 196 | 176 | 43 | 2nd of 4 Bauer Div. 3rd of 8 McConnell Conf. 7th of 18 OHAJDL | |
| 1997-98 | 37 | 8 | 28 | 1 | 2 | 115 | 168 | 17 | 4th of 4 Bauer Div. 6th of 8 McConnell Conf. 14th of 18 OHAJDL | |
| 1998-99 | 37 | 15 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 126 | 148 | 32 | 3rd of 4 Bauer Div. 5th of 8 McConnell Conf. 14th of 18 OHAJDL | |
| 1999-00 | 38 | 15 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 145 | 188 | 32 | 3rd of 4 Bauer Div. 5th of 8 McConnell Conf. 12th of 18 OHAJDL | Won Div. SF, 4-3 (Centennials) Won Div. Final, 4-2 (Wellesley) Lost Conf. Final, 1-4 (Bulldogs) |
| 2000-01 | 40 | 29 | 9 | 2 | 0 | -- | -- | 60 | 1st of 4 Bauer Div. 1st of 9 McConnell Conf. 2nd of 18 OHAJDL | Won Div. SF, 4-0 (Dukes) Lost Div. Final, 3-4 (Applejacks) |
| 2001-02 | 40 | 28 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 213 | 112 | 61 | 1st of 4 Bauer Div. 1st of 9 McConnell Conf. 2nd of 19 OHAJDL | Won Conf. QF, 4-0 (Dukes) Won Conf. SF, 4-0 (Travellers) Won Conf. Final, 4-1 (Applejacks) Lost OHA Cup Final, 0-4 (E. Hawks) |
| 2002-03 | 40 | 21 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 158 | 145 | 46 | 3rd of 4 Bauer Div. 4th of 9 McConnell Conf. 6th of 18 OHAJDL | Won Conf. QF, 4-3 (Centennials) Lost Conf. SF, 2-4 (Applejacks) |
| 2003-04 | 40 | 30 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 187 | 116 | 61 | 1st of 4 Bauer Div. 2nd of 9 McConnell Conf. 2nd of 18 OHAJDL | Won Conf. QF, 4-0 (Centennials) Won Conf. SF, 4-1 (Applejacks) Won Conf. Final, 4-2 (H. Hawks) Lost OHA Cup Final, 2-4 (E. Hawks) |
| 2004-05 | 39 | 27 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 174 | 126 | 57 | 1st of 4 Bauer Div. 2nd of 9 McConnell Conf. 2nd of 18 OHAJDL | Won Conf. QF, 4-0 (Bulldogs) Won Conf. SF, 4-1 (Travellers) Lost Conf. Final, 2-4 (H. Hawks) |
| 2005-06 | 37 | 21 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 191 | 126 | 48 | 3rd of 4 Bauer Div. 5th of 9 McConnell Conf. 7th of 18 OHAJDL | Won Conf. QF, 4-2 (Dukes) Won Conf. SF, 4-1 (Applejacks) Lost Conf. Final, 0-4 (Travellers) |
| 2006-07 | 42 | 34 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 243 | 116 | 69 | 1st of 4 Bauer Div. 1st of 8 McConnell Conf. 1st of 19 SOJHL | Won Conf. QF, 4-0 (Centennials) Won Conf. SF, 4-2 (H. Hawks) Lost Conf. Final, 3-4 (Travellers) |
| 2007-08 | 42 | 26 | 14 | - | 2 | 169 | 115 | 54 | 2nd of 4 Bauer Div. 3rd of 8 McConnell Conf. 6th of 16 SOJHL | Won Conf. QF, 4-0 (H. Hawks) Won Conf. SF, 4-1 (Dukes) Won Conf. Final, 4-3 (Travellers) Lost OHA Cup Final, 0-4 (Trojans) |
| 2008-09 | 40 | 19 | 17 | - | 4 | 131 | 137 | 42 | 2nd of 4 Bauer Div. 6th of 14 SOJHL | Won Div. SF, 4-1 (Centennials) Lost Div. Final, 1-4 (Trojans) |
| 2009-10 | 36 | 17 | 14 | - | 5 | 136 | 136 | 39 | 4th of 5 Bauer Div. 8th of 15 SOJHL | Won Div. SF, 4-1 (Centennials) Lost Div. Final, 3-4 (Trojans) |
| 2010-11 | 35 | 26 | 6 | - | 3 | 160 | 91 | 55 | 1st of 8 McConnell Div. 1st of 15 SOJHL | Won Div. QF, 4-0 (Sailors) Won Div. SF, 4-3 (Travellers) Lost Div. Final, 2-4 (Centennials) |
| 2011-12 | 35 | 21 | 11 | - | 3 | 141 | 97 | 45 | 3rd of 8 McConnell Div. 6th of 15 SOJHL | Lost Div. Quarter-final, 3-4 (Dukes) |
| 2012-13 | 38 | 17 | 18 | - | 3 | 151 | 129 | 37 | 5th of 7 McConnell Div. 10th of 15 SOJHL | Won Div. QF, 4-2 (Bulldogs) Lost Div. SF, 1-4 (Centennials) |
| 2013-14 | 40 | 16 | 22 | - | 2 | 110 | 160 | 34 | 6th of 9 MWJCHL | Lost Quarter-final, 2-4 (Firebirds) |
| 2014-15 | 40 | 17 | 21 | 2 | - | 117 | 127 | 36 | 7th of 9 MWJCHL | Lost Quarter-final, 1-4 (Firebirds) |
| 2015-16 | 40 | 19 | 20 | 1 | - | 131 | 151 | 39 | 5th of 9 MWJCHL | Lost Quarter-final, 1-4 (Applejacks) |
| 2016-17 | 40 | 18 | 22 | 0 | - | 153 | 153 | 36 | 7th of 9 Doherty Div. PJHL | Lost Div. QF, 3-4 (Mounties) |
| 2017-18 | 40 | 29 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 215 | 115 | 63 | 2nd of 9 Doherty Div. PJHL | Won Div. QF, 4-1 (Firebirds) Won Div. SF, 4-0 (Navy-Vets) Won Div. Final, 4-3 (Centennials) Lost Conf. Final, 0-4 (Rangers) |
| 2018-19 | 40 | 32 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 209 | 79 | 67 | 1st of 9 Doherty Div. PJHL | Won Div. QF, 4-0 (Travellers) Won Div. SF, 4-3 (Mounties) Lost Div. Final, 1-4 (Applejacks) |
Playoffs
- 1983 Won league, Won OHA Championship
- Tavistock Braves defeated St. George Dukes 4-games-to-2 in OHA final
Notable alumni
Jeff Zehr played for the Tavistock Braves during the 1993/94 season.