Two Huron Heat teams win gold at Windsor Wild Winter Classic
BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN
Over the weekend in Windsor, the U15 B and Senior Huron Heat teams both won gold in the 2026 Windsor Wild Winter Classic.
Play began on Friday, Jan. 2 when the Senior Heat beat the Southpoint Stars by a score of 3-1 and the U15 B Heat bested the St. Catharines Badgers by a score of 5-2.
The next day, the locals kept chugging along. The Senior team tied the Lakeshore Lightning at two before beating the Windsor Wildcats by a score of 4-2. That day, the U15 B Heat first tied the Oakland Junior Grizzlies at one before losing to the host Windsor Wildcats by a score of 1-0.
The next day, in the quarter-finals, the Senior Heat shutout the Lakeshore Lightning by a score of 5-0 before beating the South County Predators by a score of 5-2 in the semi-finals and, ultimately, the Southpoint Stars in the finals by a score of 5-2.
Also on Jan. 4, the U15 B Heat found themselves in the semi-finals, where they beat the Oakland Junior Grizzlies by a score of 3-1, before heading to the finals and beating the host Windsor Wildcats by a score of 3-2 to bring home the gold.
Further northeast, the U18 BB Huron Heat made their presence known as part of the regional Silver Stick Tournament in Sarnia, making their way to the finals, but ultimately falling to the Woodstock Wildcats by the heartbreaking score of 2-1.
The team’s path to the finals began on New Year’s Day with a 4-2 loss to the same Wildcats they’d lose to in the finals a few days later. The team then bounced back on Jan. 2 with a 7-0 win over the Idaho Falls Eagles and then a Jan. 3 win over the Whitby Wolves by a score of 5-2, followed by a 1-1 tie with the Bluewater Hawks later that night.
Then, on Sunday, Jan. 4, the team beat the Haldimand Rivercats in the semi-finals by a score of 2-1, punching their ticket to the finals with the Woodstock Wildcats, which they lost by a score of 2-1.
Also in Sarnia for the Silver Stick Tournament, the U13 A Huron Heat didn’t find the level of success that their U18 BB counterparts did, opening with a 6-2 loss to the Southpoint Stars on Jan. 1, followed by a Jan. 2 loss to the Lambeth Lancers by a score of 5-3.
The next day, the team beat the Belle Tire 12U Girls by a score of 2-0 and then lost to the Whitby Wolves by a score of 3-2, ending the tournament for the Heat.
In regular season action over the weekend, on Sunday, the U9 C and HL teams played a pair of Stratford Aces teams in Clinton and the U9 B Heat played the Devilettes in London, but scores were not kept for those games.
The U15 BB Heat tied the Wallaceburg Lakers at two and the U11 A Heat beat the Lambton Attack by a score of 2-1, both in Clinton. The U11 HL Heat shutout the West Oxford Inferno in Brussels by a score of 4-0, the U15 A Heat beat the Lambton Attack on the road by a score of 5-2 and the game between the U15 C Heat and the Stratford Aces in Clinton ended in a scoreless draw.
The U13 C Heat played the Wilmot Wolverines on the road and the Senior C team played the Upper Maitland Mustangs in Brussels, but scores were not available for those games at press time.
On Saturday, Jan. 3, the U9 B Heat played the Kitchener Lady Rangers on the road, the U7 Heat played the Devilettes in London and the U9 C and HL teams played a pair of Mooretown Lady Flags teams on the road, but scores were not kept for those games.
The U11 A Heat tied the Lambeth Lancers at one in Goderich, the U11 HL team beat the Lambeth Lancers by a score of 4-0 on the road, the U11 C Heat beat the Wolverines in Wilmot by a score of 1-0 and the U18 B Heat beat the London Devilettes by a score of 3-1 in Clinton.
In the lone regular season game on Friday, Jan. 2, the U18 C Heat lost to the South Huron Sabres by a score of 2-0 in Hensall.
On Tuesday, Jan. 6, the U11 B Heat played the Wilmot Wolverines in Seaforth and on Thursday, Jan. 8, the U18 C Heat played the South Huron Sabres in Hensall and the U11 C Heat played the South Huron Sabres in Seaforth, but scores for those games were not available at press time.
Looking ahead, two Heat teams are heading for tournament action, with the U11 B Heat making their way to New Tecumseth for the ODR Winter Classic and the U13 HL team destined for Wilmot for the Kyla Kowalik Memorial Tournament.
Tonight, Friday, Jan. 9, the U11 B Heat will open their tournament with games against the Nepean Wildcats and the Durham West Lightning, while the U13 HL team will take on the Brantford Ice Cats and the Lakeshore Lightning.
The next day, the U11 B Heat are due to play the Ottawa Thunder and the Haldimand River Cats, while the U13 HL Heat have a game scheduled against the South County Predators Blue team.
In regular season action, the lone game tonight sees the U15 B Heat host the Woodstock Wildcats in Seaforth.
The next day, the U9 C and HL Heat teams will play a pair of Mooretown Lady Flags teams and the U11 A Heat will play the Lambeth Lancers, all in Seaforth. On the road, the U9 B Heat will play the Grand River Mustangs, the U11 C Heat will take on the Walkerton Capitals, the U13 B Heat will play the Bluewater Hawks, the U15 A Heat will play the Sarnia Lady Sting, the U13 A Heat will play the Bluewater Hawks and the U13 B Heat will take on the Lambton Attack.
The next day, in Clinton, the U7 Heat will host their annual Huron Heat Jamboree, welcoming teams from all over the region to Huron County for a fun day of play.
In regular season action, the U9 HL team will play the South Huron Sabres on the road, the U9 B Heat will play the London Devilettes and the U13 B Heat will play the London Devilettes, both in Brussels, while the U11 HL Heat will play the Irish in Lucan and the U11 A Heat will play the Panthers in St. Thomas. The U15 B Heat will play the West Oxford Inferno on the road, the U18 B Heat will play the St. Thomas Panthers in Seaforth and the Senior C team will host Milverton in Brussels.
Through the week, the U11 B Heat will host the Twin Centre Hericanes in Seaforth on Tuesday, Jan. 13.