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]
Rivermen on the road
Espanola Rivermen take to the road tonight trying to take a further hold on their opening-round, best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series with Sudbury Nickel Barons. …[read more]
Birds in a battle with Beavers
What is going on here?
Wasn’t this supposed to be a sweep of a series?
Put the brooms away. There will be no sweeping.
Soo Thunderbirds and Blind River Beavers are tied at a game apiece in their first-round, best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series. …[read more]
Birds, Beavers are even
Soo Thunderbirds have evened their first-round, best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series with Blind River Beavers.
But it wasn’t easy. …[read more]
Espanola over Sudbury
Espanola Rivermen have taken a two games to none lead in their first-round, best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series with Sudbury Nickel Barons. …[read more]
Beavers v. Birds up close
Despite being outshot 36-15, Blind River Beavers stole a 3-2 road win over Soo Thunderbirds in Game 1 of their opening-round, best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series on Saturday night at the Essar Centre. …[read more]
So much for the Soo sweep
Playoffs really are a different story.
Eighth-seeded Blind River Beavers spotted first-place Soo Thunderbirds a 2-0 lead and then stole a 3-2 victory in Game 1 of their opening-round, best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series. …[read more]
This afternoon in Espanola
Game 2 in the first-round, best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series between Espanola Rivermen and Sudbury Nickel Barons will be played today.
Opening faceoff is 2 p.m. at Espanola Regional Recreational Complex. …[read more]
NOJHL openers
Soo Thunderbirds will take to the playoff trail beginning tonight when they play host to the Blind River Beavers.
Start time in what is Game 1 in the first-round, best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series is 7:30 p.m. at Essar Centre. …[read more]
Radke ready to roll
He is often overshadowed by two of his fellow defencemen, namely Tyler Jones and Owen Headrick.
But while Jones was named best defenceman and Headrick rookie-of-the-year in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, David Radke is also a much-valued member of the Soo Thunderbirds. …[read more]
Espanola Rivermen support autism
Players and members of the Espanola Rivermen of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League recently took part in an Autism Acceptance event. …[read more]
Blind River Beavers award winners
Blind River Beavers of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League held their end-of-the-regular-season banquet last Sunday.
Award winners are as follows. …[read more]
NOJHL playoffs start tonight
It’s that time of the season again.
Playoff time.
The first puck will drop on the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoffs tonight. …[read more]
Beavers facing a Bird bath
On paper, this looms as a whitewash of a playoff series.
For starters, first-place Soo Thunderbirds finished 75 points ahead of eighth-place Blind River Beavers during the 2013-2014 Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League regular season.
Then there’s the fact that the Thunderbirds won all eight of their regular-season meetings with the Beavers. …[read more]
NOJHL first-round forecast
It’s the beginning of the playoff season in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
All four best-of-seven series get underway this week.
Following are my first-round predictions. …[read more]
Award winning Thunderbirds
Personnel from the no. 1 ranked Jr. A hockey team in Canada have been duly recognized.
Six members of the Soo Thunderbirds have won major awards in votes cast by representatives from each of the eight teams in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League. …[read more]
Espanola-Sudbury playoff schedule
Espanola Rivermen and Sudbury Nickel Barons have agreed to dates, times and locations for their opening-round, best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series. …[read more]
Birds-Beavers playoff schedule
Soo Thunderbirds and Blind River Beavers have finalized dates, times and locations for their opening-round, best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series. …[read more]
NOJHL playoff matchups set
First round of the playoffs will get underway in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League next week and the matchups have been determined. …[read more]
Five T-Birds are all-stars
Soo Thunderbirds have a dominant presence on the 2013-2014 Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League all-star teams.
Following are the first and second all-star squads as voted on by NOJHL team representatives. …[read more]