1995–96 OPJHL season explained

1995–96 OPJHL season
Color:	007AC2
Color Text:	FFFFFF
League:	Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League
Sport:	Hockey
Duration:	Regular season 1995-09 – 1996-02 Playoffs 1996-02 – 1996-04
Finals Champ:	Newmarket 87's
No Of Teams:	22
Seasonslistnames:	OPJHL
Prevseason Year:	1994–95
Nextseason Year:	1996–97

The 1995–96 OPJHL season is the third season of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League (OPJHL). The twenty-two teams of the MacKenzie, MacKinnon, Phillips, and Ruddock Divisions competed in a 50-game schedule. The top 4 teams of each division make the playoffs.

The winner of the OPJHL playoffs, the Newmarket 87's, won the 1996 Buckland Cup as OHA Champions and the Dudley Hewitt Cup as Central Canadian Champions, but failed to win the 1996 Royal Bank Cup.^[1]

Changes

League jumps from 2 to 4 divisions.
Barrie Colts leave OPJHL for Ontario Hockey League.
Markham Waxers leave OPJHL for MetJHL.
Bramalea Blues, St. Michael's Buzzers, Mississauga Chargers, and Kingston Voyageurs join OPJHL from MetJHL.
Stouffville Clippers join OPJHL.
Trenton Sting and Bowmanville Eagles join OPJHL from COJCHL.

Final standings

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime losses; SL = Shootout losses; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; PTS = Points; x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched division title; z = clinched conference title

MacKenzie Division
Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	P
Bramalea Blues	50	37	10	3	292	142	77
Brampton Capitals	50	33	12	5	258	181	71
Mississauga Chargers	50	30	15	5	258	203	65
Streetsville Derbys	50	22	23	5	221	209	52
St. Michael's Buzzers	50	21	26	3	212	205	47
	50	9	39	2	181	364	21
MacKinnon Division
Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	P
	50	27	16	7	243	172	64
	50	25	17	8	241	206	60
Oakville Blades	50	21	24	5	211	228	50
Burlington Cougars	50	20	28	2	184	199	43
Georgetown Raiders	50	6	41	3	165	357	19
Phillips Division
Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	P
	50	40	9	1	298	163	83
Collingwood Blues	49	28	16	5	237	193	61
	50	23	27	0	222	233	48
Lindsay Muskies	50	25	22	3	232	212	55
	50	13	35	2	182	288	30
Ruddock Division
Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	P
Kingston Voyageurs	50	37	10	3	247	135	82
Bowmanville Eagles	50	23	23	4	200	212	53
Trenton Sting	50	23	23	4	243	252	50
Cobourg Cougars	50	21	27	2	201	214	45
	50	14	35	1	185	254	31
Ajax Axemen	49	12	32	5	172	263	30

1995-96 OPJHL Playoffs

Division Semi-final

Bramalea Blues defeated Oakville Blades 4-games-to-1

Brampton Capitals defeated Streetsville 4-games-to-none

Mississauga Chargers defeated St. Michael's Buzzers 4-games-to-3

Milton Merchants defeated Hamilton Kiltys 4-games-to-2

Newmarket 87's defeated Cobourg Cougars 4-games-to-3

Kingston Voyageurs defeated Trenton Sting 4-games-to-none

Orillia Terriers defeated Collingwood Blues 4-games-to-3

Lindsay Muskies defeated Bowmanville Eagles 4-games-to-noneDivision Final

Bramalea Blues defeated Milton Merchants 4-games-to-none

Brampton Capitals defeated Mississauga Chargers 4-games-to-none

Newmarket 87's defeated Orillia Terriers 4-games-to-1

Lindsay Muskies defeated Kingston Voyageurs 4-games-to-3Semi-final

Brampton Capitals defeated Bramalea Blues 4-games-to-3

Newmarket 87's defeated Lindsay Muskies 4-games-to-3Final

Newmarket 87's defeated Brampton Capitals 4-games-to-2

OHA Buckland Cup and Dudley Hewitt Cup Championship

The 1996 Dudley Hewitt Cup was hosted by the Cobourg Cougars of Cobourg, Ontario. Both Newmarket and Brampton were granted entry into the event, Newmarket eventually won.

Round Robin

Thunder Bay Flyers (USHL) defeated Cobourg Cougars 5-3

Newmarket 87's defeated Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats (NOJHL) 4-3

Brampton Capitals defeated Thunder Bay Flyers (USHL) 5-2

Cobourg Cougars defeated Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats (NOJHL) 5-3

Brampton Capitals defeated Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats (NOJHL) 10-6

Newmarket 87's defeated Cobourg Cougars 3-1

Brampton Capitals defeated Newmarket 87's 6-3

Thunder Bay Flyers (USHL) defeated Newmarket 87's 3-2

Brampton Capitals defeated Cobourg Cougars 9-3

Semi-final

Brampton Capitals defeated Cobourg Cougars 5-2