CORNWALL, Ontario — The Cornwall Colts are one of the leading hockey clubs in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) that, for many years, has remained relevant in the league and has shown to possess all it takes to maintain its position as one of the best teams in the league.

The team was founded in 1988 and was initially known as the Massena Turbines, then later Massena Americans. But in 1992, the club’s name was changed to Cornwall Colts when they moved to the town of Cornwell in Ontario.

They play their home games in the Ed Lumley Arena, an arena located inside the Cornwall Civic Complex. It was built in 1976 and has a capacity of 5,000.

The Colts are very popular in the town of Cornwall. Their popularity rose like wildfire immediately after joining the league in 1992. They finished second with 33 wins in 57 games. Two years later, they placed first in the CCHL after winning 37 of their 54 games and losing only 12. They also won their first Art Bogart Cup in the same season (1994-95 season).

In the 1995-96 season, they maintained their form, winning 45 out of 54 games and losing only six games. This loss remains their lowest loss in a season since the club joined the CCHL. They won their second league title that season and the Art Bogart Cup for the second time in a row after beating Gloucester Rangers 4-3 in the Cornwall Civic Complex.

From 1996 to the 1999 season, the Colts came second twice in the regular season and won the league once. Unfortunately, they lost their first Art Bogart Cup in the same season they won the league. However, they repeated history in the 1999-2001 season by winning the league and the Art Bogart Cup two consecutive times, thereby bringing their league title total to five and their Art Bogart Cup total to four.

The Colts made history again by recording their most wins (46) in the 2001-02 season. That season, they won their sixth league title but lost in the finals of the Art Bogart Cup for the second time in their history. Their seventh league title came in the 2004-05 season, but they could only make it to the semifinals of the Art Bogart Cup.

In the 2010-12 season, they won the league title twice in a row, just as they had done two other times, but could not win the Art Bogart Cup on those two occasions. Notwithstanding, the Colts could boast of being one of the highest holders of the league title in the CCHL.

After 12 years, the Colts were finally able to get ahold of their much-anticipated fifth Art Bogart Cup Championship. It came in the 2012-13 season and was the only time the Colts won the championship without winning the league.

Aside from winning several trophies, the Colts have hosted some big tournaments. They hosted the 2003 Fred Page Cup but only made it to the semifinals. They also hosted Canada’s prestigious Junior A Hockey Tournament in 2008.

To date, the Colts are still making a significant impact in the league under the leadership of head coach Ian Maclnnis, although the impact may not be as much as it was in the old days where they were winning many trophies back-to-back. Nonetheless, the Colts have continued to make significant progress in growing some of the best hockey players in Cornwall. One of such players is Josh Barnes, who was recruited in 2019.

“He was a good scorer then and he hasn’t changed,” Will McKinley, a forward for the Colts, said, referencing the years he played against Barnes. “For sure he’ll help us.”

The Colts have shown fans far and near that they are one of the biggest and best hockey teams in the CCHL.

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