The Granite City Lumberjacks are a Tier III Junior A ice hockey team playing in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) and plays their home games at the Armadillo Deck Sports Arena, located in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota . The Lumberjacks play 48 regular season games, in addition to showcase and post-season tournament games.
14-681: The team was founded in 2007 as a member of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League (MnJHL). The Granite City Lumberjacks were the 2008–09 MnJHL regular season champions and qualified for the USA Hockey Tier III Jr. A National Championship Tournament, joining the 2009 playoff champions, the Minnesota Ice Hawks . The team won the MnJHL championship in the 2010–11 season with a 2-1 overtime win over
28-859: A junior ice hockey team and member of the United States Premier Hockey League 'Premier' level. The Oilers play home games at the Alice Noble Ice Arena in Wooster, Ohio . The franchise started in 2006 as an expansion team in the America East Hockey League (AEHL). After the 2007–08 season the team moved to the United Junior Hockey League (UJHL) for the 2008–09 season along with two other AEHL teams. The Wooster Oilers finished third overall in their first season in
42-477: A 2–1 game against the Metro Jets . The Lumberjacks have produced a number of alumni playing in higher levels of junior hockey, NCAA Division I , Division III , and ACHA college programs. Minnesota Junior Hockey League The Minnesota Junior Hockey League (MnJHL) was a USA Hockey -sanctioned Tier III junior ice hockey league operated out of Minneapolis-Saint Paul . Established in 1974,
56-548: The Central Division prior to the 2014–15 season. The league also expanded into southern Minnesota for 2012–13. Steele County Blades , based in Owatonna , were approved by the league board and play out of Four Seasons Centre. The United States Premier Hockey League announced on December 18, 2014, the formation of a Midwest Division to begin in the 2015–16 season by adding the entire Central Division of
70-901: The Rochester Ice Hawks . In 2011, the Lumberjacks and MnJHL rival, the Minnesota Flying Aces , announced a move from the MnJHL to the NA3HL as part of the league's expansion to 16 teams for the 2011–12 season. The two teams joined two expansion teams, the Twin City Steel and North Iowa Bulls , to form the NA3HL West Division. In the 2011–12 Season, the Lumberjacks claimed the West Division Title, West Division Playoff Title and
84-726: The 1990s. In 2012, the MnJHL expanded outside of the Minnesota and Wisconsin areas adding teams from the Great Lakes Junior Hockey League . The GLJHL switched from USA Hockey to the Amateur Athletic Union and eight of its teams refused to go with it. The eight Great Lakes Division teams formed their own division in the MnJHL while the original teams compete in the Minnesota Division . The Great Lakes Division would be renamed
98-675: The 2012 NA3HL Silver Cup Championship. However, they did not participate in the 2012 USA Hockey Tier III National Tournament. The Lumberjacks would also win the 2015 Silver Cup Championship over the North Iowa Bulls . The Lumberjacks only qualified for the Silver Cup Tournament as wildcard after losing in the Divisional Finals to the Bulls. In 2017, the Lumberjacks won their third Silver Cup Championship with
112-752: The 2015–16 season. In June, the Wooster Oilers would drop out of the USPHL and only field a team in the NA3HL using the Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks franchise it had purchased on February 12, 2015. Prior to starting their first season in the USPHL, the Ironwood Fighting Yoopers and Minnesota Owls announced they would go dormant for the 2015–16 season due to lack of players, the Crystal Lake Rampage were replaced with
126-931: The Chicago Cougars, the Fort Wayne Federals were replaced with the Indiana Attack but ceased operations prior to their first season, the Hudson Crusaders were renamed the SCV Magicians , the St. Louis Frontenacs were renamed the St. Louis Storm but ceased operations prior to their first season, and the Maple Grove Energy were relocated to become the Blaine Energy . Wooster Oilers The Wooster Oilers were
140-554: The MnJHL developed players 20 years old and younger for over 40 years. Many MnJHL players, coaches and officials alumni have moved on to college hockey and professional hockey leagues. Since the inaugural season, the MnJHL had expanded up to 17 teams in the 2014–15 season with teams in Minnesota , Wisconsin , Illinois , Indiana , Michigan , Missouri and Ohio . The league has a history of USA Hockey national championship teams. League members won national championships six times in
154-727: The MnJHL. By the end of the season most of the remaining teams in the MnJHL (all teams other than the Rochester Ice Hawks and the dormant Twin Cities Northern Lights ) had announced their intentions to join the USPHL Midwest. On April 29, 2015, it was announced that the league had disbanded for the 2015–16 season. On May 21, 2015, the Rochester Ice Hawks were approved to join the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) to begin playing in
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#1732793944316168-466: The Oilers for the 2015–16 season, allowing the Oilers to join the NA3HL. Originally the owners had planned to play two Tier III teams for the 2015–16 season, but by June it was reported that they had dropped their plans for the USPHL team and would only play in the NA3HL. However, after three seasons in the NA3HL, the Oilers left the league for the USPHL's Premier Division, now a non-sanctioned league, for
182-850: The UJHL. The following season after the UJHL collapsed, the Wooster Oilers, along with many other UJHL franchises, joined the Northern Junior Hockey League . After the 2009–10 season, the Oilers announced they would join the Tier III Great Lakes Junior Hockey League . The 2012–13 season brought changes again as the Oilers joined the USA Hockey -sanctioned Tier III Minnesota Junior Hockey League (MnJHL). The Oilers finished fifth overall in their inaugural season and made it to
196-485: The semifinals in playoffs. On December 18, 2014, the United States Premier Hockey League announced that it was adding the Central Division of the MnJHL teams to their new Midwest Division including the Oilers. However, on February 12, 2015, the North American 3 Hockey League announced that its board of governors had approved the sale and relocation of the Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks membership to owners of
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