All posts by Randy Russon
Sault College lacks fan link
To be sure, there is a clear disconnect between the men’s hockey program at Sault College and the local fan base.
…[read more]Whiteduck, hockey & school
Pineshish Whiteduck says he is looking forward to the next chapter in his hockey career. It is a turning of a page that is poised to have him combine hockey and education at Sault College effective the 2022-2023 semester season.
…[read more]Thunderbird magic
On the cusp of being upset by a lower seeded team that had finished nine points behind them in the regular season standings, Soo Thunderbirds rallied from a three games to none deficit to edge the Hearst Lumberjacks for the 2022 Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff championship.
…[read more]Whiteduck lands at Sault College
Sault College Cougars have signed an energetic, speedster with prior experience in both the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League and Superior International Jr. Hockey League ahead of the looming 2022-2023 academic/athletic season.
…[read more]Pueblo to Sioux Lookout
Sioux Lookout Bombers of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League have a commitment from a goalie ahead of their 2022-2023 debut season.
…[read more]Cavallin in command
Soo Greyhounds have fired 114 shots at Flint Firebirds goalie Luke Cavallin through the first two games of their second round Ontario Hockey League playoff series.
…[read more]Spirit of the U18 Jr. Hounds
Saginaw Spirit has now had a top two pick at both the 2021 and 2022 Ontario Hockey League under 18 supplemental draft. And both times the Spirit has taken a right winger from the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League.
…[read more]Miners prep for May days
Red Lake Miners dug deep to clinch the 2022 Superior International Jr. Hockey League championship on April 30. Now, the Miners have until May 19 before playing again, which is when they will begin to represent the SIJHL at the 10 day, 10 team Centennial Cup national junior A hockey championship tournament in Estevan, Saskatchewan.
…[read more]New hire for Sudbury Cubs
Darryl Moxam has long been a fixture in Sudbury as a high level hockey coach of good repute with multiple affiliations in his home town. And now, the 45-year old Moxam is returning to the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League from the Ontario Hockey League without leaving Sudbury.
…[read more]Road hogs of Hearst
Playing in enemy territory has brought out the beast in the Hearst Lumberjacks this Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff season. Remarkably, Hearst has won eight of nine games away from home thus far in the playoffs.
…[read more]Red Lake flows through Superior
It was no easy ride. It took the Red Lake Miners six games to sideline the Dryden Ice Dogs and six more to overcome the Kam River Fighting Walleye to become 2022 champions of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Soo boys are OHL picks
Slender tender Charlie Burns, hulking defenseman Gage Evans and dogged defender Evan Roach of the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League all became Ontario Hockey League picks on Day 2 of the priority selections draft.
…[read more]Cochrane to West Virginia
The busiest goalie in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League during the 2021-2022 season has earned himself a Division 1, American Collegiate Hockey Association commitment.
…[read more]Martone is a first rounder
Porter Martone is following in big footsteps as an Ontario Hockey League draft pick. A six-foot-three, 180 pound right winger with a late 2006 birth date (October 26), Martone was selected in the first round, fifth overall, by the Sarnia Sting on Day 1 of the 2022 OHL priority selections draft.
…[read more]We have a Game 7
For the first time in the 2022 Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff season there will be a seventh and deciding game to finish a series.
…[read more]Great North to Superior
Bradley Moore, who led the Great North Under 18 Hockey League in goals scored during the 2021-2022 regular season, is poised to move up to the Superior International Jr. Hockey League effective the 2022-2023 campaign.
…[read more]Birds of prey and play
They may be the most overwhelming, yet underwhelming junior A hockey team in Canada. They finished the regular season with 18 straight victories and have won eight more in succession through two rounds of the playoffs.
…[read more]They are the Rangers!
It was championship game day on Saturday at Soo Pee Wee Arena. And in one particular thriller, it took a fourth overtime period to decide a memorable marathon in the Soo Pee Wee Hockey League’s under 11 A division.
…[read more]Red Lake on the take
Five straight road triumphs have the Red Lake Miners two victories away from winning the Superior International Jr. Hockey League playoff championship.
…[read more]Ready to Attack the playoffs
It posted a rousing record of 13-3-4 over its last 20 games. And such a strong finish to the 2021-2022 regular season lifted the Owen Sound Attack into sixth place in the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League with 76 points from a record of 34-26-8.
…[read more]New SIJHL team names coach
Sioux Lookout Bombers, who are poised to commence play in the Superior International Jr. Hockey League as an expansion team effective the 2022-2023 season, have confirmed their head coach.
…[read more]Birds up two in border battle
Soo Thunderbirds will take a two games to none cushion across the border when their best of seven playoff series resumes with the Soo Eagles on Friday night.
…[read more]Fuelled up in Flint
Ignited by a franchise-best regular season record of 42-21-5, the Flint Firebirds are motoring into the Ontario Hockey League playoffs as the no. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
…[read more]Beavers renew Brick contract
The most successful coach and general manager in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League history of the Blind River Beavers has had his contract extended for another three years.
…[read more]Hounds await the Storm
It is playoff season in the Ontario Hockey League! And we can use the exclamation mark since we have playoffs in the OHL for the first time since the 2018-2019 season when the Guelph Storm capped an improbable playoff run when it upset the Ottawa 67’s in the finals to win the league championship.
…[read more]Northern, Superior six pack
There are four teams in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League and two in the Superior International Jr. Hockey League that remain in pursuit of playoff championships in their respective loops.
…[read more]Red Lake and Kam River
The frozen stage is set for the Superior International Jr. Hockey League championship series. It will be the no. 1 seed Kam River Fighting Walleye and the no. 2 seed Red Lake Miners facing off in a best of seven series.
…[read more]Dogs of determination
Dryden Ice Dogs stared down the cold reality of elimination on Saturday and did not blink. Thus, the Ice Dogs have extended their Superior International Jr. Hockey League playoff season to at least another game.
…[read more]Kam River to Lakehead U
Standout defenseman Zach Fortin will be moving up from the Superior International Jr. Hockey League to Ontario University Athletics.
…[read more]Plaudits for the SIJHL
I have followed the Superior International Jr. Hockey League in a sporadic manner since its formation about 20 years ago. Mostly, any heed I indemnified towards the SIJHL was the championship squad that represented it at the annual Dudley-Hewitt Cup tournament that also included the title teams from the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League and Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Walleye hooks GM to extension
This only makes sense. That is, Kam River Fighting Walleye of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League has boosted the contract of highly regarded general manager and director of player personnel Kevin McCallum through to the end of the 2024-2025 season.
…[read more]Clarke clicks for Walleye
Kam River Fighting Walleye general manager Kevin McCallum hooked a big fish at this year’s trade deadline when he reeled in Dayton Clarke in an inter-league trade with the Elliot Lake Red Wings.
…[read more]How sweep it is!
Soo Thunderbirds and Timmins Rock have both advanced to their respective Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League divisional finals.
…[read more]Indigenous identity in Dryden
Quite clearly and with no doubt, the Dryden Ice Dogs of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League are leaders relative to an Indigenous and First Nations spirit and presence within their program that includes no less than seven players and an assistant coach.
…[read more]Greyhounds of ’80-81
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Another in a series of articles that celebrate the Soo Greyhounds 50th year as members of the Ontario Hockey League.)
The Greyhounds began the 1980s a lot better than the way they ended the 1970s. In fact, the Greyhounds would go from missing the OHL playoffs in both the 1978-1979 and 1979-1980 campaigns to finishing first overall during the 1980-1981 regular season.
…[read more]Along the playoff path
Three games were played in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League and another in the Superior International Jr. Hockey League as playoffs in both loops progressed on Friday.
…[read more]Ice Dogs and Thunderchief
Hard-toiling forward Nakoda Thunderchief — who was busted out of the Fort Frances cellar in a trade deadline deal with the Lakers — paid a two-goal dividend to help the visiting Dryden Ice Dogs steal the opener of their semi-final playoff series with the Red Lake Miners.
…[read more]Walleye in a whitewash
Austin Madge made 37 saves and 800 frenzied fans watched from inside the Norwest Arena fish tank as the Kam River Fighting Walleye began its best-of-seven semi-final set on Thursday with a 9-0 blanking of the cross-town Thunder Bay North Stars.
…[read more]Semi-final beginnings
Six of the eight teams that are still in the playoff picture saw action on Thursday as home teams took all three semi-final openers in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Beavers oust Wings
Patrick Boivin made 31 saves and a second period goal by Jake Kovacs stood up as the winner and the Blind River Beavers are off to the next round of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoffs.
…[read more]SIJHL final four forecast
Fanatical. Feisty. Fierce. Fiery. Frantic. Frenzied. The two semi-final sets in the Superior International Jr. Hockey League have the makings of being about any or all of the aforementioned synonyms.
…[read more]Elliot Lake battles back
A goal by Ethan Mercer just past the 5:00 minute mark of a second overtime session capped a frantic comeback for the Elliot Lake Red Wings who scored a 4-3 win over the Blind River Beavers to force a third and deciding game in their Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League preliminary round series.
…[read more]Roar of the Rapids
It has been a season of firsts for the small market French River Rapids. First, they qualified for the playoffs for the first time since entering the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League as an expansion team in 2015.
…[read more]Beavers over Wings
Gavin Disano made 20 saves and three players acquired in mid season trades had multiple point outings as the Blind River Beavers struck first in their Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League preliminary round series with the Elliot Lake Red Wings.
…[read more]NOJHL playoff procession
It is playoff season in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League. The playoff parade begins with best-of-three preliminary round sets between the no. 4 and no. 5 seeds in both divisions of the NOJHL.
…[read more]Three Dog Night for Dryden
Placing third in the regular season standings of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League with a .622 winning percentage from a record of 26-15-4, the Dryden Ice Dogs subsequently swept the opening round of the best of five playoffs against the sixth slotted Fort Frances Lakers.
…[read more]