The Thunder Bay K&A Wolverines were a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Thunder Bay , Ontario. They were members of the Superior International Junior Hockey League . They played in the Thunder Bay Junior B Hockey League of Hockey Northwestern Ontario until 2009. The Wolverines were 4-time Thunder Bay Junior B and Northern Ontario Junior B champions, as well as 2009 Keystone Cup Western Canada silver medalists.
25-606: The Wolverines won their first Thunder Bay Junior B Hockey League title in 2005–06 in only their third year of existence. They finished first in the regular season with 22 wins, 5 losses, and 3 ties. In the first round, the Wolverines beat the Nipigon Elks with 3 wins, 0 losses, and a tie. The final series saw them in a thriller with the Thunder Bay Northern Hawks , with the Wolverines squeezing out
50-533: A 24–3–3 record. They moved directly into the league final against the highly competitive Thunder Bay Northern Hawks . The Hawks took Game 1 6–3, they tied the next game 2–2, and the third game was won by the Hawks 4–2. In this race to 8 points, the Hawks were leading 5–1. The Wolverines took the fourth game 3–2, but the Northern Hawks took Game 5 7–4 to take a 7-points-to-3 series lead. The Hawks could take
75-784: A 6-1 loss. They next played the Selkirk Fishermen , resulting in a 9-3 loss. In the third game, the Elks lost to the Spruce Grove Regals 11-2, then lost to the Richmond Sockeyes 5-1. In the fifth and final game of the round robin, the Elks lost to the host St. Claude Knights 5-1 to close out their tournament winless. Western Canadian Jr. B Championships (Northern Ontario to British Columbia) Six teams in round robin play. 1st vs 2nd for gold/silver; 3rd vs 4th for bronze. Keystone Cup The Keystone Cup
100-557: A championship between Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. There is no national championship for Junior B hockey in Canada, but similar championships are held in Southern Ontario ( Sutherland Cup ), Ottawa District ( Barkley Cup ), Quebec ( Coupe Dodge ), and Atlantic Canada ( Don Johnson Memorial Cup )—leaving five teams at the end of each year with a shared claim to being the best Junior B team in Canada. The Keystone Cup
125-813: A record of 16-6-2 and went on to win the league playoffs. The Elks defeated the Wawa Travellers of the North of Superior Junior B Hockey League to win the Northern Ontario Regional Junior B Hockey Championship for the right to compete at the 2003 Keystone Cup in St. Claude, Manitoba . The Elks first game of the Western Canadian Junior B championship was against the Assiniboia Southern Rebels ,
150-592: Is the Junior B ice hockey championship and trophy for Western Canada . From 1983 to 2017, the championship was the culmination of the champions of 12 hockey leagues in British Columbia , Alberta , Saskatchewan , Manitoba , and Northwestern Ontario . In 2018, citing costs for travel and accommodations, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan withdrew from competition for the Keystone Cup, making it
175-709: The Keystone Cup in Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan . They lost their first game to the Saskatoon Royals 4–1. In their second game, they were crushed by the Fort Qu'Appelle Fort Knox 7–1. Game 3 did not go well either, as they lost 8–2 to the Winnipeg Saints . The final game had the Wolverines lose to the Victoria Cougars 4–2. They exited the championship without a win. In 2007–08,
200-667: The Pacific International Junior Hockey League 's Richmond Sockeyes 3–1, then later beat the North Eastern Alberta Junior B Hockey League 's Lloydminster Bandits 7–3 to clinch a spot in the tournament's gold medal game. The Wolverines finished the tournament round robin with a perfect 5–0 record by defeating the Prairie Junior Hockey League 's Saskatoon Royals 3–0. The final round robin game
225-865: The William Ryan Trophy Championship for the Thunder Bay Junior B League, as their only competition, the North of Superior Junior B Hockey League , folded in 2004. For the 2018 edition of the tournament in Thunder Bay, Ontario , teams from British Columbia and Alberta pulled out of the event. NEAJBHL President Ned Graling cited economic concerns while Kamloops Storm general manager Barry Dewar made claims about playing conditions and accommodations in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. The Prairie Junior Hockey League followed British Columbia and Alberta and also withdrew from
250-655: The 2018 Keystone Cup bringing it to a cross-border clash between the Keystone Junior Hockey League and the Lakehead Junior Hockey League, won by the host Northern Hawks. In mid-November 2019 the teams of the Prairie Junior Hockey League of Saskatchewan decided to send their provincial champion as their representative to the 2020 Keystone Cup. However, the 2020 competition was cancelled as part of
275-552: The Junior C tournament in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2013 against comparable teams from across Western Canada. The Elks were also 2010 finalists. In 2008, the team changed their name from the Nipigon Elks to the Nip-Rock Elks. The name change, which was for just one season, had to do with an agreement with the neighboring town of Red Rock, Ontario . The Nipigon Elks finished off the 2002-03 season in first place with
SECTION 10
#1732802214240300-608: The Wolverines 6–5 and 6–3 respectively to win the Wolverines a third straight playoff title. The Wolverines moved on the Keystone Cup in Selkirk, Manitoba . They started off the tournament on a promising note—their first point in three years: the Wolverines tied the Pilot Butte Storm 3–3. The next game, the Wolverines fell to the Norway House North Stars 5–1. In the third game of the tournament,
325-611: The Wolverines lost 6–1 to the Sherwood Park Knights and later that night they lost 8–1 to the Grandview Steelers . They finished off their third Keystone Cup tournament with a 5–1 loss to the Selkirk Fishermen . In 2008 it was announced that the Wolverines would be the hosts of the 2009 Keystone Cup tournament. They finished the Thunder Bay Jr. B season in first place with a 25–5–0 record. In
350-532: The Wolverines lost to the Fort Frances Lakers 3–2. The next night, the Wolverines defeated the Lakers 4–3 to get their first ever Junior A victory. Mid-season, the Wolverines moved to Schreiber, Ontario . The entire league schedule was altered to reflect this and the league was informed of the move. After only a couple of games, the team was moved back to Thunder Bay and their website claimed that
375-485: The Wolverines may have had the best regular season in TBJBHL history, outside of the 2003–04 Thunder Bay Northern Hawks undefeated season. After going 24–1–5, the Wolverines found themselves, again, in the finals against the Northern Hawks. The Hawks won Game 1 5–1, but the Wolverines countered with 5–0 and 6–3 victories in the next two games. Game 4 was a 5–4 Hawks victory to even out the series, but games 5 and 6 went to
400-579: The best performance by a Thunder Bay Junior B team since the 1999 Fort William Hurricanes won the Keystone Cup championship. On June 14, 2009, the Thunder Bay Wolverines were promoted to Junior A as members of the Superior International Junior Hockey League . The Wolverines began their first season in the Junior A Superior International Junior Hockey League on September 18, 2009. At home,
425-883: The host Campbell River Storm of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League by a score of 8–2. The Saskatoon Royals of the North Saskatchewan Junior B Hockey League then beat them 5–2, followed by the Red Deer Vipers of the Heritage Junior B Hockey League shutting them down 6–0. The Wolverines finished their season with an 8–3 blowout loss to the Delta Ice Hawks of the Pacific International Junior Hockey League . The Wolverines won their second straight TBJBHL regular season crown in 2006–07 with
450-675: The league final, the Wolverines defeated the Thunder Bay Northern Hawks 4-games-straight to win the league. Both the Wolverines and the Northern Hawks advanced to the Keystone Cup, played at the Thunder Bay Tournament Centre in April 2009. The Wolverines started the tournament with a 6–1 win over the Northern Hawks. Later that night, they beat the Keystone Junior Hockey League 's St. Malo Warriors 5–4. The next day, they started by defeating
475-528: The move to Schreiber was never meant to be permanent. The Wolverines finished fourth in the league, but lost the league quarter-final to an underdog Fort Frances Lakers . On June 7, 2010, the Wolverines unceremoniously and without stated reason left the SIJHL. For owner Bill MacLaurin, this was the third time he had dropped ownership of a team in the SIJHL (first was the Featherman Hawks and second
500-407: The series with a win or tie. It was not to be, the Wolverines came together came back with a comeback, winning Game 6 4–1 and Game 7 6–1. With the series tied 7–7, Game 8 had to be a win for either team to take the playoff crown. The Wolverines competed the comeback winning the game 5–3 and the series 9-points-to-7. The Wolverines, as Northern Ontario Jr. B champions, received their second crack at
525-522: The win with 3 wins, 2 losses, and 2 ties. The final game resulted in a tie, but the Northern Hawks were extremely close to forcing an 8th and deciding game. The Wolverines were out classed at the 2006 Keystone Cup with 0 wins and 5 losses, failing to make the semi-final round. They started off the tourney against the North Winnipeg Satelites of the Keystone Junior Hockey League with a 6–4 loss. The Wolverines then were blown out by
SECTION 20
#1732802214240550-909: The winner of the Athol Murray Trophy in Saskatchewan , the Keystone Junior Hockey League , and the William Ryan Trophy in Northwestern Ontario . In previous years, the winner of the Keystone Junior B League would have had to go through the Manitoba Provincial Junior B Hockey Championship , but in 2004 their only competition, the Northwest Junior Hockey League , folded. The same thing happened in
575-833: Was donated to the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association by Keystone Sports from Selkirk, Manitoba . The inaugural tournament took place in 1983 in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba , and was won by the Selkirk Fishermen of the Manitoba Junior B Hockey League . The championship is determined through a round-robin of the winner of the Cyclone Taylor Cup in British Columbia , the winner of the Russ Barnes Trophy in Alberta ,
600-534: Was marred by a brawl late in the third period, instigated by the Royals. In the final, the Wolverines faced the Sockeyes again. The Wolverines led multiple times in the game, but the Sockeyes tied the game midway through the third period to force overtime. It took a second overtime frame, but the Wolverines eventually lost to the Sockeyes by a score of 6–5. The Silver Medal performance at the 2009 Keystone Cup marked
625-760: Was the Schreiber Diesels ). This was after a second season was announced by the club, that the team would be moving to the Fort William First Nation Arena , and tryout dates were given. Nipigon Elks The Nipigon Elks are a Canadian Junior B ice hockey team based in Nipigon , Ontario . They play in the Lakehead Junior Hockey League of Hockey Northwestern Ontario . The Elks are five-time Western Canadian Brewers Cup champions. They won
#239760