The Cornwall Colts are a Junior A ice hockey team based in Cornwall, Ontario. The Colts compete in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) as a member of the Yzerman Division. The team plays its home games at the Ed Lumley Arena, which is located inside the Cornwall Civic Complex. They are the first Junior A hockey team in Cornwall; the others were either major junior or minor professional teams.
Founded in 1988, the Colts were known as the Massena Americans, and moved to Cornwall in 1992 when the Cornwall Royals were sold and moved away from the city. Following this initial grace period, the franchise struggled between the 1990s and 2000s, where playoff appearances and successes were infrequent. The team enjoyed huge success after 2010, where they made the Bogart Cup Final three times, and winning the Bogart Cup in 2013.
The team was unable to duplicate that success in the years that followed, and entered into another period of mediocrity. After a team rebuild in 2014, the Colts thrived, missing the playoffs just three times between then and 2025. Between 2010 and 2025, they made it to the Bogart Cup playoffs 10 times.
History
The Cornwall Colts quickly became CJHL powerhouses winning Art Bogart Cups in 1995 and 1996. Game 7 of the 1996 Bogart Cup Finals between the Gloucester Rangers was played at the Ed Lumley Arena in front of a franchise record crowd of over 4,000 people, which saw the Colts defeating the Rangers 4–3 in overtime. In 1998, Cornwall was swept 4 games to 0 by the Brockville Braves. Cornwall went on to claim the Art Bogart Cup over the Brockville Braves two years later, and went on to defeat the Halifax Oland Exports to win the Fred Page Cup. Despite going win-less at the
Centennial Cup in
Fort McMurray,
Alberta, the entire City of Cornwall stood right behind the Colts every step of the way. Cornwall would continue their winning ways in 2000–01 as the Colts whitewashed the Ottawa Jr. Senators 7–0 during Game 7 at the Si Miller Arena. However, they suffered a heart-breaking overtime loss to the St. Jérôme Panthers in the final game of the Fred Page Cup.
2003 Fred Page Cup
The Cornwall Colts and the City of Cornwall was awarded the Fred Page Cup for 2003. The tournament was originally awarded to the Ottawa Jr. Senators, but backed out due to arena trouble and accommodations. The tournament was played inside the Ed Lumley Arena instead of the Si Miller Arena, because the venue was too small. The tournament was a success, despite that the Colts bowed out in the semi-finals with a double-overtime loss to the
Nepean Raiders.
2008 Royal Bank Cup
In fall 2005, the City of Cornwall and the Cornwall Colts were awarded Canada's most prestigious Junior A hockey tournament for 2008. The runner-up for the tournament were their long-time rival Pembroke Lumber Kings. For the 2007–08 season, the Cornwall Colts shifted over to the Cornwall Civic Complex and left the Si Miller Arena for good. The Colts now had the biggest arena in the league, despite that attendance figures were surprisingly low. The Colts finished 6th place in the CCHL and lost the quarter-finals. The Colts rested for several weeks and entered the tournament with expectations of winning the Royal Bank Cup. But, a 7–0 loss to the
Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League in the opening contest wasn't the start they were looking for. The Colts managed to win the next two games against the
Oakville Blades (5-4) and
Weeks Crushers (6-1), but lost in the semi-finals to the eventual champion Humboldt Broncos. Captain Darcy Findlay received the MVP award for the tournament.
Arenas
The Ed Lumley Arena inside the Cornwall Civic Complex became the permanent home for the Cornwall Colts in 2007. It has a seating capacity of 5,800 people, being the largest rink in the league.
Before, the Colts played their home games at the now-demolished Si Miller Arena. The Cornwall Colts played their games at the Ed Lumley Arena since 1992, but moved into the Si Miller in 1997. The Ed Lumley Arena was used to host the 2003 and 2015 Fred Page Cup tournaments. In the fall of 2025, Colts' home games were played at the Benson Centre during renovations of the Ed Lumley Arena.
Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
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| Playoffs |
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| |
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| |
| |
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| Won League |
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| |
| |
| Won League, won FPC |
| Won League |
| Lost final |
| Lost quarter-final |
| Lost semi-final |
| Lost semi-final |
| Lost semi-final |
| Did not Qualify |
| |
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|
|
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
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| Did not qualify |
Won quarterfinals, 4-1 (Bears)
Lost semifinals, 0-4 (Jr. Senators) |
| Lost quarterfinals, 3-4 (Hawkesbury Hawks) |
| Did not qualify |
|
5th of 6 in Yzerman
11th of 12 CCHL || Did not qualify>
| Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions |
| Did not qualify |
| Lost quarterfinals, 1-4 (Jr. Senators) |
Won quarterfinals, 4-1 (Hawkesbury Hawks)
Lost semifinals, 1-4 (Bears) |
| Lost quarterfinals, 0-4 (Nationals) |
Fred Page Cup
Eastern Canada Championships
MHL - QAAAJHL - CCHL - Host
Round robin play with 2nd vs 3rd in semi-final to advance against 1st in the finals.
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| Gold Medal Game |
| n/a |
| n/a |
| OTL, St. Jerome Panthers 3-4 |
W, Halifax Oland Exports 6-3
Fred Page Cup Champs
advance to Royal Bank Cup |
| n/a |
| L, Joliette Nationals ?-? |
* 2003 Tournament Host
Royal Bank Cup
CANADIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Dudley Hewitt Champions - Central, Fred Page Champions - Eastern, Western Canada Cup Champions - Western, Western Canada Cup - Runners Up and Host
Round robin play with top 4 in semi-final and winners to finals.
Championships
- CJHL Bogart Cup Championships: 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2013
- Eastern Canadian Fred Page Cup Championships: 2000
- CJAHL Royal Bank Cup Championships: None
Notable alumni
External links
