The Waterloo Warriors men's ice hockey team is an active ice hockey program representing the Waterloo Warriors athletic department of the University of Waterloo. The team originally played as an intermediate program but transition to the senior level in 1961, where it had remained ever since.[1]
History
It's unclear exactly when Waterloo played its first ice hockey game but the men's program was one of five founding members of the Ontario Intercollegiate Athletic Association ice hockey conference in 1958. Three years later, Waterloo, along with McMaster, Ontario Agricultural (now known as Guelph) all promoted their teams to senior hockey and joined the Quebec–Ontario Athletic Association.[2] For the first few years, Waterloo finished at or near the bottom of the standings but the program experienced a dramatic turnaround in 1966 when they posted their first winning season. The next year, the Warriors finished second in the conference and made its first postseason appearance as well. Waterloo had swiftly turned itself into a major player in the conference but they could not overcome the dominant power of the time, Toronto, and finished as league runners-up four years in a row.[3] Waterloo looked poised to finally get over the hump in 1971 when they won their first regular season championship but the Warriors proceeded to lose their semifinal match and squander their opportunity.
In 1971, the four extant conferences that shared teams in Quebec and Ontario were broken up and rearranged into two provincial leagues. Waterloo now found itself with twice as many conference opponents and had a difficult time adjusting in the first season. Fortunately, the Warriors soon resolved their issues and returned to being a top team in 1973. The very next year, Waterloo won its first league championship and made its first University Cup appearance. The Warriors downed Calgary in straight sets to advance to the championship game and got into a close battle with Sir George Williams. Waterloo had to come back from a 2–4 deficit in the third to force overtime and then scored twice in the extra session (sudden-death rules were not in effect) to secure a 6–5 victory to win the National Championship.[4]
Waterloo's championship defense was ended the following year thanks to Toronto. Afterwards, the team slipped from their perch and began to yo-yo up and down the standings. The nadir came in 1983 with the program's worst season but it seemed to spark a resurgence in the Warriors and the club soon regained some consistency. Through the late 80's Waterloo was able to make the playoffs every year, finally winning a round in 1990 before managing to earn a second trip to the national tournament in 1991. The team sagged slightly over the succeeding few years but came roaring back in 1996, winning their first conference championship since 1974 and making their second championship game appearance. Unfortunately, the team was unable to recapture the same magic they had in 1974 and fell to Acadia 2–3.[5]
After their second run to the title game, Waterloo slowly tumbled down the standings and eventually bottomed out in the early 21st century. Again, after hitting rock-bottom, the team rebounded and eventually climbed back to the top of the heap in 2007. However, playoff success eluded the Warriors. By the 2010s, Waterloo had slipped back to being a middling team but they still had some gas left in the tank. In 2013, the Warriors went on a run in the postseason, defeating three higher-seeded teams en route to a runner-up finish and a trip to the national tournament. Despite being heavy underdogs, Waterloo beat Canada West champion Alberta before the clock struck 12 on their Cinderella season. The surprising appearance turned out to be a one-off for the Warriors and over the next decade, the team sank to the bottom of the conference standings.
Season-by-season results
Senior collegiate play
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout Losses, Pts = Points
