For the 7th time in eight years the Walkerton Hawks and Alliston Hornets meet in the Schmalz Cup quarter finals. Unfortunately Alliston has a bit of an edge heading in after winning all 6 meetings between the two teams from 2008-2013. Walkerton's record over that span is 9 wins and 24 losses.
While recent results sit in favour of the Hornets, historically it was the other way around. From 1995-2004, the Western Junior C champion had little trouble with the Georgian Bay Mid Ontario League Champs, winning every series over that time. Since then, Alliston has became a powerhouse team, winning 7 league titles and 2 provincial championships.
Walkerton is not the only team to be constantly stung by the Hornets. Alliston had similar good fortunes in the Schmalz Cup semis against the Empire B league. The division spanning from Port Hope to Kingston fell in five straight playoffs against the Hornets. The Picton Pirates would be the team to put an end to the streak, sweeping Alliston in the 2013 playdown.
Picton's sweep of the Hornets gives some hope to the Hawks. Streaks can be made to be broken and while Alliston has the edge, Walkerton has had their chances. In 2010 the Hawks forced a 7 games series with their historic foes from Simcoe County, eventually going down 6-3 in game 7.
One advantage the Hawks have this year is home ice. By winning the All-Star game, the Western Junior C champ earned home ice for the playoff round. The Hawks Nest has been a fortress for Walkerton this season, losing only 3 times in their home barn.
The Hawks have also been playing much tougher competition as of late. They battled rivals Hanover to a 5 game series win before a 7 game thriller with top seeded Wingham to capture the league title. Stiff tests have gave Walkerton the chance to fine tune against the best, with no chances to be complacent. On the other side, Alliston coasted to series victories against 8th placed Fergus, 7th seeds Orillia and 6th ranked Schomberg. The Hornets were beat only once over 13 playoff games as they captured their 13th league title.
What it comes down to is the next two weeks as the best of seven series begins in Walkerton Tuesday night. While history sits in the favour of Alliston, it is Walkerton who have proven themselves in 2015 playoffs. If they can continue to build and improve, the 7th crack at the Hornets could be the one.
