The 2005 Allan was played in Lloydminster, AB/SK April 19th through 24th 2005.

THUNDER BAY TAKES ALLAN CUP TITLE

Canadian Press

4/24/2005 - LLOYDMINSTER, Sask. (CP) - The Allan Cup is going to Thunder Bay, Ont., for a record 10th time thanks to a team that didn't have a league to play in this season.

The underdog Thunder Bay Bombers rallied to defeat Les Sentinelles de Montmagny, winning a 4-3 thriller on Derek Levanen's overtime goal, in the Canadian senior hockey final Sunday.

The Allan Cup was last won by a team from the Lakehead in 1989, when the Thunder Bay Twins prevailed. Various Lakehead teams have won the title a total of 10 times now - one more than teams from Winnipeg and Toronto.

Les Sentinelles led 1-0 after one period on a goal by Ray Carrier. They outshot Thunder Bay 14-3 and would have been ahead by more but for the goaltending of Cory McEachran.

In the second, Barry McKinley tied it on a power play, and Vincent Boucher gave the Quebec champions a 2-1 lead, also on a power play.

Benoit Paris staked Montmagny to a 3-1 lead 10 seconds into the third period.

A short-handed Thunder Bay goal by Jeff Adduono at 9:20 set up a compelling finish.

Kevin Hoogsteen beat goalie Patrick Jomphe to tie it 3-3 at 18:36 and force sudden death.

Levanen, on an assist by Hoogsteen, got the winner 2:18 into extra play, sending his teammates into a stick-dropping, glove-tossing celebration in front of a Centennial Civic Arena crowd of 2,022.

The Bombers lost both their preliminary-round games, including a 5-2 decision to Montmagny, but got through the quarter-finals with a 5-0 win over the host Border Kings. They then upset the Horse Lake Thunder, who had ex-NHLers Theo Fleury and Gino Odjick in their lineup, 7-5 in a semifinal game Saturday.

Les Sentinelles had won three in a row before losing the final. They had a 32-26 shots advantage Sunday.

The Bombers, comprised of former pros and university players, played only four games all season. They successfully challenged the Aylmer Blues, the champions of the six-team southern Ontario senior league, for the right to represent Ontario at the annual national tournament. Coach Vern Ray did an impressive job of co-ordinating the effort that resulted in the championship.

It's the first time an Ontario team has won the Allan Cup since the Twins' 1989 triumph.