The Tornado moved onto the second round and faced the Scarborough Saints, and eventually fell in a 5-game series.

The long series was a sign of the beginning of the growth of a young and quickly developing Buzz team.

To the dismay of the Mountaineers, Barrie pulled themselves back together and won the next 3 games straight to earn a berth to the Conference final.

The thrilling series came to an end with Barrie Tornado claiming an 11–8 victory to win the Ontario title and the J.

A. MacDonald Trophy to earn a berth into the 2003 Founders Cup tournament in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia.

The result was indicative of a team playing their second game of the day, as they squashed Coquitlam by a score of 17–3.

In the end, Barrie pulled out a squeaker as they defeated Prince George by a close and low scoring 7-6 decision.

Although the final between Barrie and Coquitlam was a lot closer than their first meeting, the Tornado cruised to a 16–8 win to earn their first ever Founders Cup as National Junior "B" Champions.

However, the Tornado were upset in the quarter-finals by the Mimico Mountaineers, cutting down the dream of a second Founders Cup.