Paris Sports Heroes: Back to back OMHA Champions

2002/03 BANTAM 'C' OHMA CHAMPIONS

Ted Attlebery

Paris Independent Sports Reporter

#1 Paris Optimist Peewee Wolfpack 2001/2002

The Paris Optimist Peewee Wolfpack hockey team of 2001/2002 had an incredible season and greatly impressed anyone involved with minor hockey in the earliest part of the 21st century. This team had an outstanding regular season in Southern Counties League play with an impressive 17-4-1 record. Paris also earned gold medals at both the Glencoe and Huntsville tournaments.

The pinnacle of this team’s accomplishments came after an unbeaten 15-0 record in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) playdowns, with three of those wins coming in double overtime. No Paris team had won an OMHA championship since 1978, and the fan support over the winter months was a throwback to “Old Time Hockey” at the Syl Apps Community Centre.

Coaches Doug Stewart and Paul Dalpe steered this group of 12- and 13-year-olds like a well-built ship. The Paris boys defeated Mount Brydges in the finals to win the Sam Currie Memorial Trophy. They could beat you in many different ways, as they were a collection of good athletes and born competitors. Captain Phil Dalpe was a true "Leader of the Pack." They never slowed down, they never stopped wanting more, and they fed off each other... like a Wolfpack.

#2 Sibbick Fuels Bantam Wolfpack 2002/2003

The Sibbick Fuels Bantam Wolfpack hockey team of 2002/2003 had a challenging but rewarding season, which involved an “age change” in minor hockey where players literally “skipped” a year. Bantam players were now to be 13 and 14 years of age, and many of these players missed having their second year of Peewee hockey—a pivotal development year for most kids. This squad was made up of the previous year’s OMHA champions with four new players added.

This team went 15-5-2 in a tough Southern Counties League. The Wolfpack took three gold medals at tournaments in Huntsville, Wainfleet, and New Hamburg. The Huntsville win was particularly competitive, with Paris defeating the hometown Huntsville Blues in double overtime. At the Silver Stick Tournament in Forest, the Wolfpack took silver, losing to Mount Brydges—their playoff rivals from the previous season. What a difference a year can make.

In the OMHA playdowns, the Wolfpack swept their opponents in the first three playoff series, eliminating Smithville, Langton, and Shelburne, but a strong team was waiting in the semifinal round. Lakefield handed Paris their first playoff loss in a wild Saturday afternoon game in Paris. The Wolfpack showed great resilience to defeat Lakefield in five games. Paris was on a roll now, but the Mount Brydges Cougars presented a tough challenge in the finals. These two teams knew each other, and although the fans were civil, this was a Bantam series played at a Midget level. The Syl Apps Community Centre was packed to the rafters, and there seemed to be even more expectation for success than the previous year. The Wolfpack simply outskated the Cougars three successive nights to sweep the series and win the Fred C. Waghorne Memorial Trophy.

Coaches Paul Dalpe and Doug Stewart navigated this team very well through tournaments, injuries, bus rides, and many off-ice team events: Sunday morning practices out in Plattsville, bottle drives, skating parties, and dances with girls. This team had a following and attracted big crowds to both their home and away games. Captain John Barrett Jr. was the “Alpha” both on and off the ice. The maturity and stamina displayed by this squad in the final series was a direct result of the fun these boys had all season long. They never seemed to lose their stride, like a hungry Wolfpack.

Scoop Stewart

Paris Independent Sports Reporter

Legacy of the Pack 

These back-to-back OMHA championship teams certainly had talent. They featured future NHLer Zac Dalpe, his hard-nosed brother Phil, and a couple of future Junior B general managers in JJ Barrett and Wes Consorti. But they also had great role players, starting with everyone’s favorite person, Joey Pickering. A skilled goal scorer, Joey would have won any popularity contest hands down; to know him was to love him (RIP).

Nobody could "dog a biscuit" like Pat Bailey. There was big hitter Baxter Attlebery, the booming shot of Chad McGivern, and Mike "Okay Coach" Frommer, who would do anything you asked of him. Everyone else did their part with no complaints. These were true teams—the classic "run through a wall for you" types who sponged up all the life and hockey info they could soak in. These boys earned these back-to-back titles and their place in Paris hockey lore!

Keep your stick on the ice. Always a pleasure, Scoop Stewart