The Penetang Kings are a junior ice hockey team based in Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada.[1] They play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) in the Carruthers division in the Ontario Hockey Association.[4]
The first chapter of current Penetanguishene junior hockey history came in 1973. The Penetang Hurons joined up with the Central Ontario Junior C Hockey League, a league recently promoted from the Junior D level. The Hurons lasted only two seasons before folding.[3]
In 1977, two years after the demise of the Hurons. The Penetang Kings were created as members of the Georgian Bay Junior C Hockey League.[1]
In 1983-84, the Penetang won the Georgian Bay league championship to move into the All-Ontario playdowns. They made it all the way to the Clarence Schmalz Cup finals, where they played against the Niagara Junior C Hockey League champions, the Woodstock Navy-Vets. The Kings brushed them off with a 4-game-sweep to clinch their first ever provincial championship.[5] The Kings were led to the Cup by local player and future National Hockey Leaguer Brian McReynolds, who the next year won the Manitoba Centennial Cup National Junior A Championship with the Orillia Travelways of the OHA Junior A Hockey League.[6]
In 1994, the Georgian Bay league merged with the Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League to create the Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League.[1] Although the Kings were rather competitive in the league, success has not come until recently.
The 2005-06 season saw the Kings finish the regular season in first place. In the league quarter-finals, the Kings were placed against the eighth place Midland Flyers and swept them 4-games-to-none. The semi-final was against the sixth seeded Stayner Siskins. The Kings dispatched them 4-games-to-1 to move on to the Georgian Mid-Ontario finals. The Kings were up against the powerhouse Fergus Devils, but it in surprising fashion swept the second seeded Devils 4-games-to-none to win their first ever Georgian Mid-Ontario championship. The Kings found themselves in the All-Ontario playdowns for the first time possibly twenty-two years. Their quarter-final match up was against the Kincardine Bulldogs of the Western Junior C Hockey League. In their hardest challenge yet, they bested the Bulldogs 4-games-to-2. In the semi-finals, the Kings ran into the Central Junior C Hockey League's Port Perry Mojacks. The Kings dispatched the Mojacks 4-games-to-2 to reach their first Clarence Schmalz Cup final in twenty-two years. The Kings were up against a heavily favoured Essex 73's squad. The 73's had torn up the Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League and swept the Niagara Junior C Hockey League's Simcoe Storm to reach the final. Penetang's goalie, Dan Earles, took over and post three 1-0 shutouts in a 4-games-to-1 series victory over the 73's.[7]
The 2006-07 season was more of a challenge than ever. After coming in second place in the regular season to the Fergus Devils, the Kings again had to face the Midland Flyers in the quarter-finals and again swept them 4-games-to-none. In the semi-final, the Kings were challenged by a tough Alliston Hornets squad. After going up 3-games-to-none in the series, the Hornets battled back to make the series 3-games-to-2 before the Kings finally won a tight game 6 and kill the Hornet surge thanks to 2 late game points. This set up a rematch of the 2006-07 GMO Final. Fergus came out tough, but were beaten in the first two games both in double overtime, both times by a 3-2 score. The Devils came back and won game 3 and game 4 just to have the Kings win game 5 and then game 6 4-3 in overtime. Four of the six games played in the Final were finished in overtime. In the semi-final, the Kings again ran into the Kincardine Bulldogs of the Western Junior C Hockey League. By game 4, the Bulldogs had the Kings against the wall with a 3-games-to-1 series lead. To the Bulldogs dismay, the Kings won game 5 2-1, game 6 3-1, and then game 7 with a crushing 5-0 victory. In the semi-final, the Kings drew the Central Junior C Hockey League's Lakefield Chiefs and in an extremely close series, swept the Chiefs 4-games-to-none to reach the All-Ontario Final for the second straight year. Again, their opponent was the Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League's Essex 73's. In the Final, the 73's got the one-up on the Kings in game 1, taking it 4-3. From that point on, with again excellent backstopping from Dan Earles, the Kings dismantled the 73's. They won the next 4 games straight to win the series 4-games-to-1 and clinch their second straight Clarence Schmalz Cup.[8]
(*) Standings Incomplete.