August 1, 2019
The Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) today announced its 650-game schedule for the 2019-20 regular season.
With the return of the Caledonia Corvairs after a one-year absence, the league once again consists of 26 teams split into three conferences; Golden Horseshoe (9 teams), Midwestern (8), and Western (9). Other changes include the Lockport Regals renamed as the Buffalo Regals, and the Brantford 99ers now known as the Brantford Bandits.
The campaign kicks off with the annual Showcase Weekend September 6-8 in Fonthill with each of the 26 teams playing two inter-conference games at the Accipiter and Duliban rinks in the Meridian Centre (home of the Pelham Panthers). The event starts Friday at 10:30am with a ‘battle of the hawks’ as the Thorold Blackhawks take on the Cambridge RedHawks. Games continue through Sunday, with the final match-up at 8:00pm featuring the defending GOJHL Sutherland Cup champion Waterloo Siskins taking on the Leamington Flyers, defending Western Conference regular season champions. After the inter-conference games of the Showcase Weekend, each team will complete their 50-game regular season with 48 games against teams in their conference.
In the following week of Sep.9-16, 22 of the 26 teams will have their home-openers as the season gets into full swing.
After a slate of six games on Sunday, December 22, the league schedule takes a 10-day holiday break, resuming with a pair of games on Thursday, January 2. During that pause in the schedule, the league will hold its annual Future Stars / Top Prospects doubleheader on Saturday, December 28 at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex in Waterloo The event will open at 12:00pm with the Future Stars game featuring the league’s top 2003-born players. Then at 3:00pm, the league’s best 2001 and 2002-born player will participate in the Top Prospects game.
Family Day (Monday, February 17, 2020) represents the single busiest day on the schedule, with 24 of the 26 teams participating in 12 games. The next busiest nights are Sunday, November 10 and Saturday, December 14; with nine games scheduled.
The season concludes with four games on Sunday, February 23; after which 24 teams qualifying for the post-season will begin the quest for the 2020 GOJHL Sutherland Cup.
For more information, contact GOJHL Deputy Commissioner Mark Tuck at mtuck3@cogeco.ca
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