A first for the Powassan Voodoos
Powassan Voodoos have inked an area defenceman as the first signing in the history of the new Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League team. …[read more]
Leaving the Bird house
Two more high-end players who skated for Soo Thunderbirds during the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 seasons have asked to be traded from the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League team.
Thunderbirds general manager Kevin Cain has confirmed to HockeyNewsNorth.com that 1994 birth-year defenceman David Radke and 1995 birth-year forward Joey Miller have requested trades. …[read more]
Here come the NOJHL Voodoos
The newest team in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League held its first press conference on Monday as the ownership group of Marc Rivet, Sylvain Rivet, Dan Rivet, Ray Seguin, Graeme Bruce and Jim Bruce unveiled the Powassan Voodoos. …[read more]
NOJHL aftermath
On the surface, the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League appears to be in good shape in the aftermath of its annual general meeting in which it ended the 2013-2014 season and began the 2014-2015 campaign on one weekend.
Despite the departure of the attendance-leading Espanola Rivermen to the new Canadian International Hockey League, the NOJHL is now a nine-team league with seven franchises returning from 2013-2014 and new ones in Elliot Lake and Powassan added for 2014-2015. …[read more]
Back in the Bird nest
He has a passion for hockey and a good reputation as a community volunteer.
Jamie Henderson, who has been part of multiple championships as an assistant coach with the St. Mary’s Knights high schoolers and Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, is back in the game after two years on the sidelines. …[read more]
Wainman et al to ACHA
Three players who skated in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League in 2013-2014 are off to the American Collegiate Hockey Association ranks.
The three are forward Duane Wainman via the Espanola Rivermen and North Bay Trappers, forward and NOJHL scoring leader Gavin Burbach of the Soo Thunderbirds and defenceman Vinny Barra of the Blind River Beavers. …[read more]
NOJHL adds on
The Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League is back in Elliot Lake without having really left it.
In a 5-1 vote on Monday, Elliot Lake City Council approved the creation of a non-profit NOJHL franchise effective the upcoming 2014-2015 season. …[read more]
NOJHL to Powassan?
A source close to the scene is saying that the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League could — could — have a team in Powassan for the 2014-2015 season.
Powassan — which is located a mere 18 miles from North Bay — has been home to a team in the Greater Metro Jr. Hockey League since 2008. …[read more]
Beavers land all-state star
Chris Zajac, a 5-foot-11, 180 pound, 1996 birth-year forward from Naperville Central high school in the Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook, has committed to the Blind River Beavers of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League for the 2014-2015 campaign. …[read more]
Bird nest is full
The recent addition of a pair of 1995 birth-year forwards via trade has just about shut the door on any rookie skater who has aspirations of securing a roster spot with the Soo Thunderbirds for the 2014-2015 campaign.
By acquiring out-of-towners Ryan Erickson and Jake Staples from Pembroke Lumber Kings of the Central Canada Hockey League in exchange for goalie Joel Horodziejzcyk, the number of veteran forwards who can play for the Soo’s Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League team in 2014-2015 now stands at 12. …[read more]
T-Birds trade top goalie
Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League have dealt 1995 birth-year goalie Joel Horodziejczyk to Pembroke Lumber Kings of the Central Canada Hockey League. …[read more]
Reggie Leach is a Blind River Beaver
Blind River Beavers have added a retired National Hockey League superstar to their scouting staff.
The Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League team has confirmed that legendary goal-scorer Reggie Leach will scout for the Beavers as he travels across Canada conducting hockey schools and on guest-speaking tours in which he encourages Aboriginal youth to make good life choices. …[read more]
Busy in Blind River
Don Gagnon has started the process of rebuilding the Jr. A hockey program in Blind River.
The 60-year old Gagnon, a retired steelworker from Sault Ste. Marie, is busy preparing for the 2014-2015 campaign — which will be his first full term as coach and director of hockey operations for the Beavers of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League. …[read more]
Smoke and mirrors
Intention and commitment are not synonyms.
Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League commissioner Rob Mazzuca may want his trusted followers to believe that intention carries the same meaning as commitment but surely even he knows that can’t be true. …[read more]
NB captain to Buffalo State
Another player from the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League is moving up to the Division 3, National Collegiate Athletic Association level.
North Bay Trappers captain Ryan Demyen confirmed to HockeyNewsNorth.com on Tuesday that he has accepted a commitment from the Buffalo State Bengals, who are members of the SUNYAC. …[read more]
NOJHL footprint
Its upcoming annual general meeting should tell the tale of how many teams will comprise the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League in 2014-2015.
With the departure of the attendance-leading Espanola Rivermen to the new Canadian International Hockey League, the NOJHL is currently made up of seven teams from east to west: Cochrane Crunch (formerly Elliot Lake Bobcats), Kirkland Lake Gold Miners, Abitibi Eskimos, Mattawa Blackhawks (formerly North Bay Trappers), Sudbury Nickel Barons, Blind River Beavers and Soo Thunderbirds. …[read more]
NOJHLer off to Adrian College
Forward Austin Rust has parlayed a high-scoring season with Kirkland Gold Miners of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League into a commitment to play at the Division 3, National Collegiate Athletic Association level with Adrian College Bulldogs. …[read more]
Blind River goalie goes D3
A late starter has made a fast climb.
20-year old goalie Dylan Knox, who did not start playing ice hockey until he was 16, is off to play at the National Collegiate Athletic Association level. …[read more]
North Bay has served NOJHL well
As of now, North Bay no longer has a team within the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
The NOJHL recently approved relocation of the Trappers from North Bay to nearby Mattawa and the team will be called the Blackhawks.
I suspect that not many in North Bay will miss the Trappers, with the Ontario Hockey League having taken control of the town with the North Bay Battalion.
And that’s fine.
But let’s not forget that North Bay has served the NOJHL well since 2003 with first the Skyhawks, then the Trappers. …[read more]
Best of Birds camp
Two teams of hopefuls — numbering about 40 — showed their skills the past two days as Soo Thunderbirds played host to their annual spring tryout camp at John Rhodes Community Centre.
When the ice had settled from the two-day tryout, the Thunderbirds committed roster spots for the 2014-2015 season to a pair of young defencemen, Alex Morin and Matthew Murray. …[read more]
Kirkland Lake still has a shot
Kirkland Lake Gold Miners are winless through two games at the Dudley-Hewitt Cup, Central Canada Jr. A hockey playdowns.
But with one game left in the four-team round-robin, the Gold Miners still have a shot at advancing to the semi-final playoffs. …[read more]
NOJHL is full of talk
It depends who is doing the talking.
It depends who is worthy of belief. …[read more]
NOJHL is off base
As of now, three towns that housed Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League teams in 2013-2014 may not have a presence in the loop in 2014-2015. …[read more]
Good as gold in Kirkland Lake
Hail to the champs from the mile of gold in historic Kirkland Lake.
In front of more than 1,000 frenzied fans at Joe Mavrinac Community Complex, Kirkland Lake Gold Miners edged Soo Thunderbirds 2-1 on Tuesday to win the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League championship. …[read more]
Clayden kept NB Trappers afloat
David Beauchamp, who recently received approval from the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League to move his franchise from North Bay to Mattawa for the 2014-2015 season, has confirmed that Espanola Rivermen owner Tim Clayden kept the Trappers afloat for the 2013-2014 campaign.
As the NOJHL has approved the relocation of the Trappers from North Bay to Mattawa, Beauchamp and Clayden are currently involved in legal proceedings over who actually owns the NOJHL team.
At any rate, below is a copy of an-mail sent by Beauchamp to Clayden in February of this year acknowledging that Clayden kept the Trappers afloat for the 2013-2014 season. …[read more]
Soo forces Game 6 in KL
High-scoring forward Darcy Haines doubled his championship-round point total and Soo Thunderbirds have extended the best-of-seven Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff final with Kirkland Lake Gold Miners. …[read more]
T-Birds in must-win mode
Win or stay home.
Soo Thunderbirds need a victory tonight to extend their best-of-seven Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League championship series with Kirkland Lake Gold Miners. …[read more]
T-Birds need a Good Friday
Simply put, Soo Thunderbirds are in need of a victory tonight.
The regular-season champions lost 4-3 in overtime to Kirkland Lake Gold Miners on Thursday night and trail the best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League championship series two games to one. …[read more]
It’s now a best-of-five-series
There is less room for error.
The home-ice advantage has shifted.
And a best-of-seven series between Soo Thunderbirds and Kirkland Lake Gold Miners for the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League championship is now a best-of-five set. …[read more]
KL ties up the Soo
Advantage, Kirkland Lake.
Kirkland Lake Gold Miners have seized home-ice advantage in their best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League championship series with Soo Thunderbirds. …[read more]
T-Birds take title tilt opener
Gavin Burbach scored just past the five-minute mark of the second overtime period to lift Soo Thunderbirds to a 2-1 victory over Kirkland Lake Gold Miners in Game 1 of the best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League championship series Saturday night at the Essar Centre. …[read more]
NOJHL finals begin tonight
Soo Thunderbirds and Kirkland Lake Gold Miners will face off tonight in Game 1 of the best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League championship series.
Game 2 will also be played here on Sunday night. …[read more]
Soo-KL for NOJHL crown
And then there were two.
One and two.
Soo Thunderbirds and Kirkland Lake Gold Miners were the top two teams during the 2013-2014 regular season.
Ergo, it seems only right that the Soo and Kirkland Lake have emerged from the first two rounds of the playoffs and will face off in a best-of-seven series for the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League championship. …[read more]
Top two teams in NOJHL finals
This gives definite meaning to the regular season.
The first-and-second-place teams in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League will face off in a best-of-seven championship series. …[read more]
Clock ticking on Espanola Rivermen
There is no turning back for the Espanola Rivermen.
In more ways than one. …[read more]
T-Birds take it in OT
Abitibi Eskimos were 17 seconds away from narrowing the gap in their second-round, best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series with Soo Thunderbirds. …[read more]
Gold Miners strike again
Make that another one-goal win for Kirkland Lake Gold Miners.
Sam Wilbur’s goal with 42 seconds left in the third period lifted Kirkland Lake to a 3-2 triumph over visiting Espanola Rivermen in Game 3 of their best-of-seven, second-round, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series on Tuesday night. …[read more]
Kirkland Lake in command
Kirkland Lake Gold Miners can all but put away the Espanola Rivermen with a win tonight.
The Gold Miners lead their second-round, best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series with the Rivermen two games to none by virtue of a pair of 2-1 victories. …[read more]
Soo, KL up two
Soo Thunderbirds and Kirkland Lake Gold Miners have both taken two-games-to-none leads in their second-round, best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series. …[read more]
Espanola Rivermen award winners
Espanola Rivermen of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League recently held their awards-night banquet. …[read more]
Tonight in the NOJHL
Final four playoffs resume in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League tonight with a pair of games.
Top-seeded Soo Thunderbirds will play host to fourth-ranked Abitibi Eskimos while third-place Espanola Rivermen are home to second-seeded Kirkland Lake Gold Miners. …[read more]
Here come the Abitibi Eskimos
Fresh — well, maybe not that fresh — from a seven-game conquest of Elliot Lake Bobcats in the opening round of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoffs, fourth-seeded Abitibi Eskimos will get their shot at the top-ranked Soo Thunderbirds.
The second-round series between the Eskimos and Thunderbirds will begin this weekend with Games 1 and 2 slated for Essar Centre in the Soo on Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. …[read more]
Bad blood
They are teams of skill with lamplighters aplenty.
For starters, Kirkland Lake Gold Miners boast the high-scoring troika of Steve Babin, Austin Rust and Samuel Wilbur.
Not to be outdone, Espanola Rivermen can counter with gunslingers Corbin Bean, Brennen Dubchak and Brad Edwards, just to name three.
But the second-round, best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series between second-seeded Kirkland Lake and third-seeded Espanola also has a pool of bad blood. …[read more]
Fort Knox, Blind River
Soo Thunderbirds have taken a 3-1 lead in their first-round, best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series with Blind River Beavers.
But it hasn’t been easy for the Thunderbirds, who finished in first place during the NOJHL regular season, 75 points ahead of the last-place Beavers. …[read more]
Beavers out to get even
Can David upset Goliath again?
Playing at home tonight, Blind River Beavers will be out to try to even their first-round, best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series with Soo Thunderbirds. …[read more]
Birds blank Beavers
Soo Thunderbirds regained their scoring touch on Thursday and the end result was a one-sided whitewash. …[read more]
NOJHL playoff picture
Two teams have advanced to the second round of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoffs, two others have been eliminated and the remaining four are on ice tonight. …[read more]
Rivermen can sweep Sudbury
Espanola Rivermen are one win away from advancing to the second round of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoffs.
The Rivermen lead the Sudbury Nickel Barons 3-0 in the best-of-seven series and will be on the road to try to complete the sweep tonight. …[read more]
It’s over in North Bay
It’s all over for the North Bay Trappers.
In more ways than one. …[read more]