The Sioux Lookout Bombers are a junior ice hockey team from Sioux Lookout , Ontario , Canada. They were a part of the Superior International Junior Hockey League . The Bombers mark a return of junior A hockey following the folding of the Sioux Lookout Flyers.
41-750: The Sioux Lookout Flyers were added to the Superior International Junior Hockey League for the 2008-09 season. The Flyers mark the first major level hockey in the town since the Intermediate leagues of the 1970s. The Flyers are Ontario Junior hockey's most Northerly club at 50° 06′ North. On September 19, 2008, the Flyers lost their first ever game to the Schreiber Diesels in Schreiber, Ontario by
82-484: A Winnipeg -based investor. The team went on hiatus for three games, but returned to action on November 19. The Flyers won their first ever game on January 2, 2009, defeating the Dryden Ice Dogs , on the road, 5-4 in overtime. The victory was Sioux Lookout's 30th league game. On October 3, 2012, the Flyers dropped out of the 2012-13 season after only three games. The Flyers cited being "unable to continue in
123-502: A competitive and professional manner for the season" as their reason for withdrawal. The Flyers claimed it was only going to be a one-year absence to restructure. In the spring of 2013, the team's official Facebook page reflected that the team was not returning. Sioux Lookout was awarded an expansion franchise in the Superior International Junior Hockey League for the 2022-23 season. The club
164-693: A head-to-head series to determine the Central Canadian seed in the Royal Bank Cup . In 2001, a new Thunder Bay -area league, called the Superior International Junior Hockey League , was founded. Late in the 2001–02 season the CJAHL informed all three leagues that instead of a series, the Dudley would be contested through a round-robin format. Initially, both the OPJHL and NOJHL threatened to boycott
205-726: A return to Marathon, the SIJHL did add the Sioux Lookout Flyers . In the 2008 off-season, the Thunder Bay Bulldogs elected to retract to embolden the Thunder Bay Bearcats . Despite a strong year from the Bearcats and the Schreiber Diesels , both teams elected to cease operation in the summer of 2009. The Fort Frances Jr. Sabres claimed that they would be back for 2009–10, but their owners sold
246-406: A score of 10-2. On September 26, the Flyers played their first home game and lost 6-2 to the defending SIJHL champion Dryden Ice Dogs . On November 12, 2008, sixteen games into a winless season, the ownership of the team pulled the plug on the franchise. Two days later, the town of Sioux Lookout held a town meeting in regards to the team and elected to save the team as a community with the help of
287-555: Is no BC representative. Round-robin play in two 5-team pools with top three in pool advancing to determine a Champion. Superior International Junior Hockey League The Superior International Junior Hockey League ( SIJHL ) is a junior A ice hockey league and a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) and Hockey Canada . The league operates in the Canadian province of Ontario and
328-791: The Duluth Clydesdales of their franchise. Then, after clinching their third regular season and playoff crowns, the Wilderness won the league's second ever Dudley Hewitt Cup as Central Canadian champions. Minnesota Wilderness became the first American team to win the Dudley Hewitt Cup and the first to gain berth into the Royal Bank Cup Canadian Junior A Championship. After winning the Central Canadian Championship, it
369-748: The Kirkland Lake Gold Miners . The 2017 Dudley-Hewitt Cup was awarded to Trenton - the same year the Royal Bank Cup was being hosted by the OJHL's Cobourg Cougars . The Trenton Golden Hawks became the ninth different OJHL team to win the Dudley-Hewitt Cup since 2003. The Aurora Tigers (2004 and 2007), Oakville Blades (2008 and 2010), and the Wellington Dukes (2003 and 2011) won the tournament twice. As of 2016,
410-579: The Minnesota Iron Rangers . Wisconsin was sold and relocated into the same market as Duluth and renamed the Minnesota Wilderness . Three games into the season, the Sioux Lookout Flyers ceased operations and eventually their franchise when a scandal over the carding of players by their new general manager and coach left them without enough players to continue. In early 2013, the league, after multiple cancelled games, stripped
451-669: The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League finished last in the round robin. At that point, no American team had made it to either the Centennial Cup or Royal Bank Cup round robin or final series. This changed on May 4, 2013 when the SIJHL 's Minnesota Wilderness defeated the OJHL 's St. Michael's Buzzers 4–3 in overtime to win the Dudley and gain entry into the 2013 Royal Bank Cup . Beforehand,
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#1732802178521492-809: The Ontario Hockey Association and are inductees of the Hockey Hall of Fame . The trophy was first awarded in 1971. From 1984 until 1995, the Thunder Bay Flyers of the United States Hockey League competed for the Dudley Hewitt Cup, winning four titles in 12 years. The 2002 Dudley-Hewitt Cup marked a new chapter in Ontario hockey history. Since the mid-1990s, the OPJHL and NOJHL had squared off in
533-493: The Superior International Junior Hockey League while the Soo Eagles represented the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League . Wellington Dukes defeated host Huntsville Otters in the final. Hosts from the OJHL , NOJHL and SIJHL go through a selection process with teams and centres bidding for the rights to host. Copeland-NcNamara Trophy champions of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League , Salonen Cup champion from
574-755: The Thief River Falls Norskies . In 2019, the league added another team in Spooner, Wisconsin, called the Wisconsin Lumberjacks for the 2019–20 season. After several seasons of ownership issues and lack of player recruitment, the Minnesota Iron Rangers ceased operations for the 2019–20 season, returning the league to six teams. The 2019–20 season was then curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic with one week left in
615-476: The Thunder Bay Flyers . The Flyers played their regular season games in the United States Hockey League (USHL), a USA Hockey junior A league, and returned to Canada for the playoffs. The Flyers won the Dudley Hewitt Cup as Central Canadian Junior Champions in 1989, 1991, 1992, and 1995. The Flyers were also National Champions in 1989 and 1992, winning the Centennial Cup . The Flyers folded after
656-675: The Wellington Dukes and the Toronto Lakeshore Patriots . Toronto won 2–1 advancing to the Royal Bank Cup in Vernon, British Columbia. The City of Sudbury and the Sudbury Nickel Barons were awarded the 2016 Dudley-Hewitt Cup, but in the spring of 2015 the city withdrew as a result of the Sudbury Nickel Barons moving to Rayside-Balfour. The tournament was awarded to Kirkland Lake, Ontario , and
697-440: The 1970s that the region has effectively supported a junior hockey league. In 2007, the SIJHL expanded east of Thunder Bay with the Schreiber Diesels and Marathon Renegades . A Wawa, Ontario , franchise was also in the works, but never came to fruition. On December 17, 2007, the Schreiber Diesels folded mid-season claiming lack of fan support. On December 21, the team was bought by a group of local fans in an effort to keep
738-701: The 1999–2000 USHL Season. The Northwestern Ontario region has also been represented in the past in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League . From 1968 until 1982, the city of Kenora , Ontario, was represented by the Kenora Muskies/Thistles and in the mid-1980s, Thunder Bay had an entry with the Thunder Bay Hornets . The folding of the Thunder Bay Flyers led to the rebirth of junior A hockey in
779-641: The City of Sudbury and the Sudbury Cubs were slated to host the 2013 tournament, but was soon allocated to the City of North Bay and the North Bay Trappers because the Cubs owners backed out. The 2011 Dudley Hewitt Cup made history as for the first time at the interleague level, more than one American team would be in direct contention for the Central Canadian crown. Wisconsin Wilderness represented
820-558: The DHC. The CJAHL announced that if the OPJHL and NOJHL did not send a champion, the SIJHL champion would move on by default to the national championship. The OPJHL did not budge, but the NOJHL gave in and in January announced that their champion would play the SIJHL champion for the DHC in a best-of-three series. The 2014 Dudley Hewitt Cup saw its fourth all-OJHL Dudley-Hewitt Cup final between
861-468: The Diesels alive. The Marathon Renegades at one point were as high as third place in the SIJHL during the 2007–08 season, but after 37 games played were forced to cancel the rest of its season citing a lack of players through injuries and player defections to other leagues. Al Cresswell, team president, claimed that the shortage of players had become a health risk. Although the 2008–09 season did not see
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#1732802178521902-648: The SIJHL also made a 20-game interleague setup with the Minnesota Junior Hockey League 's Wisconsin Mustangs to diversify the league's competition. The 2010–11 season was the tenth season of the SIJHL. The SIJHL received applications for expansion by two American teams: the Duluth Clydesdales and Wisconsin Mustangs . In June, the Thunder Bay Wolverines pulled out of the SIJHL. A few days later USA Hockey rejected
943-662: The Soo Thunderbirds appeared in their sixth tournament since 2004. Dryden, Ontario , and the Dryden Ice Dogs of the Superior International Junior Hockey League were hosts of the 2018 Dudley Hewitt Cup. The 2019 edition of the Dudley Hewitt Cup was hosted in Cochrane, Ontario , of the NOJHL, after the Cochrane Crunch and the Timmins Rock were the only teams to submit bids. In early January 2019,
984-642: The Thunder Bay region. The league started under the "Superior International" label in 2001 with five teams, including the Dryden Ice Dogs , First Nation Featherman Hawks , Fort Frances Borderland Thunder , Thunder Bay Bulldogs , and the Thunder Bay Wolves . In 2006, the Fort William North Stars won the Dudley Hewitt Cup with a 7–6 overtime win over the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League 's Sudbury Jr. Wolves to earn
1025-521: The U.S. state of Michigan . Winners of the SIJHL playoffs compete for the Centennial Cup , the Canadian Junior A championship. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the winner of each tier 2 junior A league across Canada shows up to the national championship. Founded in 2001, the SIJHL is successor of several former Thunder Bay junior A hockey leagues and teams. The Fort William War Veterans were
1066-406: The Wellington Dukes were awarded the 2020 Dudley-Hewitt Cup tournament, but shortly afterwards, Hockey Canada levied sanctions against the OJHL for trades made after the January 10 deadline. The OJHL was fined $ 50,000 and were banned from hosting the Dudley-Hewitt Cup and Royal Bank Cup tournaments for a period of five years. The 2020 tournament was then awarded to Fort Frances, Ontario , before it
1107-673: The branch championship. [REDACTED] Media related to Superior International Junior Hockey League at Wikimedia Commons Dudley Hewitt Cup The Dudley-Hewitt Cup is a championship ice hockey trophy awarded to the Central Canadian Junior A champion. The trophy is currently decided by round robin tournament format, at the conclusion of the playoffs of the Ontario Junior Hockey League , Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League , and Superior International Junior Hockey League , to determine
1148-597: The central representative at the Centennial Cup , the national Junior A championship. The current format includes the champions of the OJHL , NOJHL , and SIJHL and a pre-selected host city, but in the past has included the champions of the Central Canada Hockey League , Quebec Junior Hockey League , and even the champion of the Callaghan Cup . The trophy is named after George Dudley and W. A. Hewitt , who served as administrators for
1189-551: The first representatives of the Thunder Bay region, winning the 1922 Memorial Cup as Canadian National Junior A Champions. Although there is not abundant information on the subject, the Thunder Bay Junior Hockey League may date back to the War Veterans and existed until 1980. From 1980 until 2000, the region ( Hockey Northwestern Ontario ) was represented by a single team at the junior A level:
1230-634: The game 5–4 eliminating the Wilderness. With the Wilderness and Clydesdales gone, the Minnesota Iron Rangers were the remaining American team with membership in the league. In the spring of 2013, the SIJHL announced expansion to Ear Falls, Ontario , with the English River Miners and on July 11, 2013, admitted a new team in Spooner, Wisconsin , also called the Wisconsin Wilderness . The new Wilderness lasted one season. In
1271-615: The regular season and no postseason tournaments were held. The ongoing pandemic border-crossing restrictions caused the two American teams to withdraw from the 2020–21 season while the league added a new team called the Kam River Fighting Walleye . The five Canadian teams would play a few games in November and December 2020 along with two U18 minor teams , the Kenora Thistles and Thunder Bay Kings, to fill in
Sioux Lookout Bombers - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-598: The rights to their players to teams across Canada. In a last-ditch effort, the town of Fort Frances bought the team and renamed them the Fort Frances Lakers , but were forced to find all new players due to the actions of the previous ownership. The Thunder Bay Wolverines elected to apply for promotion to the SIJHL for 2009–10 fresh off of their silver medal performance at the Keystone Cup Canadian Jr. B Championships. Back up to five teams,
1353-796: The schedule before the season was cancelled entirely. In 2024, the Wisconsin Lumberjacks relocated from Spooner, Wisconsin , to Ironwood, Michigan , and were renamed the Ironwood Lumberjacks . The winners of the SIJHL Playoffs are awarded the Bill Salonen Cup. Although the Jack Adams Trophy is supposed to be awarded to the branch Junior A champion, Hockey Northwestern Ontario will not bring it out unless there are two leagues vying for
1394-461: The summer of 2014, commissioner and president Ron Whitehead was relieved of his post. Whitehead held his position from 2005 until 2014 and had been a member of the league executive since its inception in 2001. In 2011, Hockey Northwestern Ontario named Whitehead their Central Zone volunteer of the year. The league added a second team in Minnesota and their sixth franchise for 2016–17 season with
1435-625: The team and the league its first regional title and its first shot at the national title in the 2006 Royal Bank Cup . The North Stars were eliminated in the Royal Bank Cup semifinal in Brampton, Ontario , with a 3–2 overtime loss to the British Columbia Hockey League 's Burnaby Express led by eventual NHL player Kyle Turris . The presence of the SIJHL in Northwestern Ontario marks the first time since
1476-561: The team was sold to new ownership and became the Thunder Bay North Stars. The Wisconsin Wilderness jumped into the lead mid-season and won the regular season and playoff titles in their first season in the league. In the summer of 2011, the SIJHL elected to expand with the Iron Range Ironheads awaiting the permission of USA Hockey and Minnesota Hockey . USA Hockey again denied the league. The decision
1517-437: The transfer bid by the Wisconsin Mustangs to join the SIJHL and the expansion bid of the potential of Duluth, Minnesota , despite approval by Hockey Canada and the SIJHL. The league sat at four teams. The two teams appealed the decision and won, officially giving the league six teams and making the league an international league. The Fort William North Stars were dominant early in 2010–11, but due to financial difficulties,
1558-495: Was announced that the Wilderness would leave the SIJHL at the end of the Royal Bank Cup to join the North American Hockey League , a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier II league. The Wilderness finished fourth in the National Championship round-robin, earning a berth into the semi-final. Despite leading 4–2 in the third, the Wilderness took too many penalties and lost their lead with seconds to go in the third period. The Alberta Junior Hockey League 's Brooks Bandits scored in overtime to win
1599-457: Was appealed and on July 12, 2011, expansion was allowed by USA Hockey as well as the continuation of the Duluth and Spooner franchises. Wisconsin won their second straight league title, coming from behind in the final to beat the Fort Frances Lakers in seven games. The 2012–13 season was a season of decline for the league's American expansion. During the off-season, USA Hockey allowed the league to transfer Iron Range to new ownership and rename it
1640-458: Was branded the Bombers. Canadian Jr. A National Championships Maritime Junior Hockey League , Quebec Junior Hockey League , Central Canada Hockey League , Ontario Junior Hockey League , Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League , Superior International Junior Hockey League , Manitoba Junior Hockey League , Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League , Alberta Junior Hockey League , and Host . The BCHL declared itself an independent league and there
1681-402: Was cancelled entirely due to the coronavirus pandemic . In 1971, the Detroit Jr. Red Wings of the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League lost the inaugural championship in six games to the Charlottetown Islanders . In 1973, the St. Paul Vulcans of the Can-Am Junior Hockey League were mowed down by the Pembroke Lumber Kings in the Central semi-final. In 2007, the Soo Indians of