Wild ways in NOJHL West

Good winds of the north are steady and sweeping through a regional junior hockey league.

Yes, it is only three weekends into the 2020-2021 Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League regular season.

But four cohort counterparts from the league’s West Division have become formidable foes with three games that have already been decided by shootout.

Through three weekends of regular season play, Espanola Express is in first place in the NOJHL West with eight points from a record of 3-1-2.

After starting out with an 0-0-2 mark, Espanola has taken three of its last four meetings from the French River Rapids, including a weekend road sweep which produced 7-4 and 6-1 wins for first-year head coach Brent Hughes and the Express.

Blind River Beavers are right behind Espanola, having played two fewer games than the Express.

Well coached by seasoned bench boss Kyle Brick, the Beavers, who have been twinned with the Soo Thunderbirds, have six points from a record of 3-1-0.

French River also has six points, albeit in six games from a 3-3-0 record. And the Soo has three points via 1-2-1 record from four outings.

The fifth team from the West Division, Rayside Balfour Canadians, have been in cohort with the Timmins Rock of the East Division through six games.

Rayside has three points from a record of 1-4-1.

Just three teams from the East — Timmins, Hearst Lumberjacks and Cochrane Crunch — have seen action thus far.

Timmins and Hearst have identical 5-1-0 records while Cochrane has a 1-4-1 mark.

Kirkland Lake Gold Miners and Powassan Voodoos, from the East Division, have thus far been idle as they await word from their respective town officials as to a clearance to begin play.

And the Michigan Soo Eagles, from the West Division, are not on the schedule as of yet with the Canada-United States border still closed relative to the COVID-19 pandemic.