Cornwall Comets
 |
| Cornwall Comets | |
_logo.jpg){kind=logo}
| |
| City | Cornwall, Ontario |
| League | Quebec Senior AA Hockey League (LHSPAA) |
| Founded | 2004 By Joel LaPalme |
| Folded | 2006 |
| Home Arena | Ed Lumley Arena (Cornwall Civic Complex) |
| Capacity | 4,000 |
| Coach and General Manager | Pierre Rochefort |
| Colours | Maroon, White and Black |
| Championships | 1 (2005–06) |
| Finals | 2 (lost in 2004-05; won in 2005-06) |
The Cornwall Comets were a Quebec Senior AA Hockey League (LHSPAA) team based in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, who play at the Ed Lumley Arena inside the Cornwall Civic Complex.
2004-05: The Inaugural Season
[edit]The franchise was granted to Joel LaPalme of Cornwall, Ontario in Winter of 2004, and the team's play began in September 2004. Their first game in history was in Sainte-Tite, Quebec against "Les Mustangs de Saint-Tite", on October 1, 2004 which they lost 4-2. Their first home game was Saturday, October 9, 2004, an 8-2 loss against the Laval Rebels. Their first win in history was a 6-5 OT winner against their eventual arch-rivals St Jean Aigles (now Saint-Jean Chiefs of the LNAH) in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec.
The turning point for the Comets was on November 27, 2004 when they won 5-3 against St. Jean, and began a 9-game winning streak.
They made the playoffs and swept the Soulanges Pirates 3 games to None. In round 2 they beat Saint-Jean in 5 games with the series at 3-2 to go to the Championship finals against Louiseville Canadel. However they lost to the Canadel in Game 7.
2005-06: The Championship Season
[edit]After a successful inaugural season, the Comets were back for a second season. Their first game was an 8-7 win against St. Jean Aigles in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec on September 16, 2005. They played their Home opener the next night at the Cornwall Civic Complex, a 5-2 win over the Soulanges Pirates. Their longest winning streak was from November 12 to December 29, with an 11-game winning streak.
At the beginning of the season, the League had 8 teams. By the playoffs, there were only 4. The Comets beat "Les Marquis de Sagueney" in 7 Games of the first round, and advanced into the Finals for the 2nd year in a row. Their opponents were their arch-rivals, St. Jean.
The 1st game of the series was in St. Jean, and the Comets won by a score of 3-1. Game 2 in St. Jean was 5-3 for the Comets, with Cornwall leading the series 2-0 heading back to the Complex. Game 3 was a 4-3 win for the Comets in front of a nearly sold-out loud and pumped up home crowd. Word had spread all over the City of Cornwall that their team was just 1 win away from capturing the championship, and tickets sold out very fast. Game 4 was a 4000-plus Saturday night crowd ready to see the Comets win the title. The score ended up a 6-3 win for the Champion Cornwall Comets. Comets fan favourite and tough-guy Pat Allard won his 1st championship.
Now that the Comets won the Championship, the off-ice drama in the city of Cornwall began.
The end of the League
[edit]The Aigles moved up into the LNAH, and the Canadel folded, so the LHSPAA suspended operations for the 2006-07 season, which left the Comets without a league to play in. The team then moved to Cowansville Que. to play in another semi pro league for 1 yr. Then disbanded.