On Sunday, hockey fans from the Owen Sound area enjoyed some exciting on-ice action, rubbing shoulders with other fans in the crowd of 2,700 as they watched their team down the visiting Windsor Spitfires 5-2. While arenas across the continent are left empty and echoing in the wake of the NHL lockout, small-town hockey fans can still head down to their local rinks, and those lucky enough to have high calibre junior hockey in town can get a real fix.

The JD McArthur Arena in Owen Sound, less than half an hour from Meaford Haven, is home to the Owen Sound Attack, of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and Canadian Hockey League (CHL). While it plays in the smallest market in the OHL and the second smallest in the CHL (next to the Swift Current Broncos), the Attack boasts one of the most passionate and knowledgeable fan bases in the country.

Back in 1989, the Guelph Platers relocated to Owen Sound, and for the next 11 seasons played as the Owen Sound Platers. In the summer of 2000, the owners put the team up for sale, and Owen Sound fans feared the loss of their beloved team to another city. Fortunately, a group of local business people decided they couldn’t let that happen, and they pitched into a bidding war and a legal battle with a competing group to acquire the team and keep them in the Scenic City.

Reborn as the Attack, the Owen Sound team continues to attract a loyal and enthusiastic group of fans from around the area, and a little over a year ago, they rewarded those fans even more by winning their first OHL Championship.

Check out this CTV London profile of this year’s team and its early success this season.