Thunder Bay, ON
November 2, 2020
For Immediate Release
The Superior International Junior Hockey League has received approval from Hockey Northwestern Ontario, The Thunder Bay District Health Unit and The Northwestern Health Unit to begin play on a modified basis.
Today, the league is announcing its pre-season exhibition schedule in anticipation of progressing towards the start of a regular-season schedule.
Kicking off the pre-season games will be will be the debut of the SIJHL’s newest franchise – the Kam River Fighting Walleye – competing against their fellow Thunder Bay-area rivals the Thunder Bay North Stars in a series of games for the newly-minted Teleco Cup. Other games will feature the Red Lake Miners, Dryden Ice Dogs and Fort Frances Lakers competing in an interlocking schedule as a tune-up for regular season competition.
The SIJHL’s two US-based franchises – the Wisconsin Lumberjacks and Thief River Falls Norskies – remain at the mercy of present US / Canadian border restrictions and are not scheduled to participate in pre-season activity at this time.
SIJHL Commissioner Darrin Nicholas calls the commencement of game action in the league a welcomed step in the right direction. “It’s great to be able to shift the focus for our league back where it belongs – on the ice. We certainly want to thank Hockey Northwestern Ontario for their advocacy and leadership to get us to this point, and we remain unified in our commitment to a safe return to hockey.”
On the status of the regular season, Nicholas elaborated: “While we are cleared to begin competition from a regulatory body standpoint, we still have some teams facing significant challenges with facility access and availability to host games. It is just not reasonable to expect a team to start their schedule on the road indefinitely.”
Nicholas continued: “Our on-ice product will need to be modified under present restrictions to minimize physical contact. As such, this is creating a bit of uncertainty as to how our games will look. So not only will an exhibition window afford the league some much-needed time to sort through the various facility issues, but it will also allow our players, coaches and officials to get accustomed to our in-game modifications before points start counting in the standings.”
“Finally, there is also a sense of optimism within our group that a safe return to competition may pave the way to having restrictions further loosened provided we continue to see relatively low levels of virus activity in our region.”
SIJHL Pre-Season Schedule
Friday November 6 – Thunder Bay North Stars at Kam River Fighting Walleye; 8:00pm (Nor West Rec Center).
Saturday November 7 – Kam River Fighting Walleye at Thunder Bay North Stars; 8:00pm (Nor West Rec Center).
Friday November 13 – Thunder Bay North Stars at Kam River Fighting Walleye; 8:00pm (Nor West Rec Center).
Friday November 13 – Red Lake Miners vs. Dryden Ice Dogs (location TBD).
Saturday November 14 – Kam River Fighting Walleye at Thunder Bay North Stars; 8:00pm (Nor West Rec Center).
Saturday November 14 – Red Lake Miners vs. Dryden Ice Dogs (location TBD).
Friday November 27 – Thunder Bay North Stars at Kam River Fighting Walleye; 8:00pm (Nor West Rec Center).
Saturday November 28 – Red Lake Miners vs. Fort Frances Lakers (location TBD).
Saturday November 28 – Kam River Fighting Walleye at Thunder Bay North Stars; 8:00pm (Nor West Rec Center).
Sunday November 29 – Red Lake Miners vs. Fort Frances Lakers (location TBD).
Friday December 4 – Thunder Bay North Stars at Kam River Fighting Walleye; 8:00pm (Nor West Rec Center).
Saturday December 5 – Kam River Fighting Walleye at Thunder Bay North Stars; 8:00pm (Nor West Rec Center).
Sunday December 13 – Dryden Ice Dogs vs. Fort Frances Lakers (location TBD).
Monday December 14 – Dryden Ice Dogs vs. Fort Frances Lakers (location TBD).
Please direct any inquiries to:
Darrin Nicholas
commissioner@sijhlhockey.com
807-472-7228