Irish cream rises to the top
For the time being at least, Detroit Fighting Irish has taken over first place in the Midwest Jr. Hockey League.
The Fighting Irish scored a 6-5 road decision over the MC Monarchs on Wednesday to move two points ahead of their arch-rivals into top spot. …[read more]
Sudbury Royals have a new coach
Richard Piette has been officially installed as the new head coach of the Sudbury Royals of the Canadian International Hockey League. …[read more]
The latest on Owen Headrick
He is a current Thunderbird and a future Laker and he is inching towards a return to active duty.
It’s been two months — almost to the day — since Owen Headrick underwent shoulder surgery and the likeable youngster from Garden River First Nation is on the road to recovery. …[read more]
Irish, Monarchs meet again
It’s another showdown tonight — 7:30 at Fraser Hockeyland Arena — when the MC Monarchs play host to the Detroit Fighting Irish in the latest faceoff between the two Midwest Jr. Hockey League neighbours.
The two teams are tied for first place — technically at least — in the MWJHL standings, one point ahead of the Traverse City Hounds. …[read more]
Rugged CIHL rivalry
They are separated by about 150 miles of rugged northern Ontario roads.
And to be sure, the Batchewana Attack and Espanola Rivermen are establishing a rugged Canadian International Hockey League rivalry. …[read more]
These Irish eyes are smiling
Detroit Fighting Irish dominate the latest Midwest Jr. Hockey League players-of-the-week awards for the period ending Sunday, November 30.
The awards are voted on by MWJHL coaches, general managers and league staff.
The envelope, please. …[read more]
Moose-FM and the hockey mom
Melisa Rancourt is the first winner of the Hockey Mom of the Month contest that is being sponsored by Espanola radio station Moose-FM. …[read more]
Updated CIHL schedule
Following is a schedule of games for the Canadian International Hockey League for the month of December and preparatory to a pair of showcase tournaments slated for the new year. …[read more]
Monday musings
We begin today in the Ontario Hockey League and make subsequent stops in various other junior outposts on both sides of the International Bridge. …[read more]
Attack 2, Rivermen 1
Another day, another close match.
Batchewana Attack salvaged a weekend split with the Espanola Rivermen with a 2-1 triumph in Canadian International Hockey League action on Sunday afternoon at Rankin Arena. …[read more]
Rivermen headed for Attack
Next stop, Batchewana.
Keegan Paulette made 25 saves for his second shutout of the season as the visiting Espanola Rivermen blanked the new Markstay-Warren Spirit Warriors 6-0 in Canadian International Hockey League action from Saturday. …[read more]
Blast of Winter hits MC
MC Monarchs felt the effects of Winter on Saturday.
High-scoring forward Ken Winter potted a goal and added four assists to spark the Detroit Fighting Irish past the visiting Monarchs 8-5 in Midwest Jr. Hockey League action at the Ice Box Sports Center. …[read more]
First loss for Batchewana
Espanola Rivermen handed the Batchewana Attack its first loss of the Canadian International Hockey League season on Friday.
Espanola scored in the shootout to upend visiting Batchewana 1-0. …[read more]
Irish on top of the Hill
George Hill made 27 saves and won for the first time since October 10 as the Detroit Fighting Irish cuffed the visiting Michigan Ice Dogs 6-2 in Midwest Jr. Hockey League action from Friday.
Hill improved his record to 2-3 and lowered his goals against average to 4.21 with the triumph. …[read more]
Rebuilding the good ship Laker
Their top two goalies are freshmen. So are five of their top six defencemen.
Not only that, they have only three seniors on their roster.
Suffice to say that the Lake Superior State University Lakers of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association are in a major rebuilding stage. …[read more]
Coach not happy with T-Birds
Soo Thunderbirds had an off night on Wednesday and the result was a 3-0 blanking at the hands of the visiting Elliot Lake Wildcats at John Rhodes Community Centre.
The loss dropped the Thunderbirds record to 18-3-2, though they remain atop the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League standings. …[read more]
T-Birds home on the Rhodes
The first-place Soo Thunderbirds play host to the Elliot Lake Wildcats tonight in a 7:30 p.m. match at John Rhodes Community Centre. …[read more]
MC Monarchs are in Session
He hunts. He fishes. He hits people. Hard.
If there was ever a player in the Midwest Jr. Hockey League who defied stereotypes, it’s an MC Monarchs new addition, Justin Session, who recently arrived via Saskatchewan. …[read more]
Puck of the Irish
The record through 19 games is well above the .500 mark — 11-6-2 for 24 points to be exact — but Detroit Fighting Irish coach-general manager Dan Vasquez thinks it could be better.
“There have been games in which we out-shot our opponents by a wide margin but lost when we felt we should have won,” said Vasquez, whose Fighting Irish is in third place in the seven-team, Midwest Jr. Hockey League heading into a pair of home games this weekend. …[read more]
Good news for Soo crews
Four junior teams from the Sault Ste. Marie area — Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League, Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, Batchewana Attack of the Canadian International Hockey League and Soo Eagles of the North American Hockey League — are all at or near the top of the standings at this stage of the 2014-2015 season. …[read more]
Baby Birds flapping their wings
They have the veteran players who know their way around the junior hockey rinks.
But the Soo Thunderbirds have been getting major contributions from a number of rookie players as well. …[read more]
Rhinos on the verge of Attack
The unbeaten Batchewana Attack had to work extra time to upend the Kalkaska Rhinos 4-3 in Canadian International Hockey League action from Saturday.
Johan Kling scored at 3:57 of overtime to push Batchewana’s CIHL-best record to 14-0 with the road win at Kalkaska. …[read more]
One-goal wins for Soo and MC
Two games were played in the Midwest Jr. Hockey League on Saturday.
Both were decided by one goal — and late, at that.
And to top it off, the visiting teams won both games. …[read more]
Soo Eagles home to Johnstown
With 27 points from a record of 13-10-1 — good for second place in the North Division of the North American Hockey League — Soo Eagles play host to the Johnstown Tomahawks tonight and Sunday. …[read more]
Birds work overtime on the road
Brett Jeffries tallied his second goal of the game less than three minutes into overtime to give the visiting Soo Thunderbirds a 3-2 win over the Elliot Lake Wildcats in Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League action from Friday. …[read more]
Batchewana, Espanola get the W
Batchewana Attack and Espanola Rivermen both scored home-ice victories in Canadian International Hockey League action on Friday. …[read more]
Hicks nets a pair in Irish triumph
Chuck Hicks scored two goals — his ninth and tenth of the season — and Kory Dombrowski made 29 saves as the Detroit Fighting Irish defeated the visiting Soo Firehawks 5-3 in Midwest Jr. Hockey League action from Friday. …[read more]
CIHL weekend matchups
A pair of home-and-home series highlight action in the Canadian International Hockey League this weekend.
The weekend schedule of games is as follows. …[read more]
Fighting Irish home to Soo for two
Detroit Fighting Irish has a pair of home games slated for the Ice Box Sports Centre — tonight at 8:10 p.m. and Saturday afternoon at 3:10 p.m.
Soo Firehawks will depart the snow of the Eastern Upper Peninsula region and head south for the back-to-back meetings with the Fighting Irish, which holds down third place in the Midwest Jr. Hockey League with a record of 10-6-1. …[read more]
Thursday thoughts
As the winds of change and gusts of winter blow through the Canadian International Hockey League, it is weathering the storm with assistance from friends in Michigan…Parity is being personified in the North American Hockey League…Here and there and around the rinks. …[read more]
Birds best Barons behind Culina
Rookie goalie Mario Culina made 40 saves as the visiting Soo Thunderbirds upended the Sudbury Nickel Barons 4-1 in Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League play from Wednesday. …[read more]
Surging Lakers home for two
Backed by freshman goalie Gordon Defiel, the Lake Superior State University Lakers will play host to the Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks for a pair of Western Collegiate Hockey Association games on Friday and Saturday at Taffy Abel Arena. …[read more]
Wildcat girls wow ’em in Detroit
Sault Ste. Marie Bantam A Lady Wildcats were in Detroit on the weekend as part of the 2014 Bauer World Invite Hockey Tournament.
It was a survival of the fittest for the Wildcats, who played six games over a three-day span — and then returned home to the Soo with the championship. …[read more]
Rogowski, Vroman, Boyd, Stefan
The Midwest Jr. Hockey League has announced its players of the week for the period ending November 16.
The awards are voted on by coaches, general managers and MWJHL staff.
The envelope, please. …[read more]
MWJHL to hold dispersal draft
The Midwest Jr. Hockey League has confirmed that the Berkley Bruins have ceased operations and will not compete for the remainder of the 2014-2015 season. …[read more]
MC Monarchs a solid second
Derrick Treppa tapped in two goals and Tyler Skulley made 22 saves as the MC Monarchs solidified their hold on second place in the Midwest Jr. Hockey League standings with a 6-1 triumph over the visiting Michigan Ice Dogs on Tuesday. …[read more]
Kudos to Cain, Team NOJHL
Apropos, the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League has announced that Team NOJHL — which represented it at the Central Canada Cup Challenge in Toronto over the weekend — has been named its “Stars of the Week” for the period ending November 16. …[read more]
Baggs in Batchewana
He has a lot going for him.
He has the size at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds.
He has the smarts that he uses on the ice and in the classroom. …[read more]
3 CIHL coaches, 1,474 NHL games
For a first-year junior operation that has experienced growing pains, the Canadian International Hockey League nonetheless has impressive, big-time ties to the National Hockey League.
To be sure, no less than three CIHL coaches played multiple seasons in the NHL. …[read more]
Fighting Irish shuts down Firehawks
A pair of third-period goals from Jacob Hernandez lifted Detroit Fighting Irish to a 3-1 verdict over Soo Firehawks in Midwest Jr. Hockey League action from Sunday. …[read more]
12 straight for Batchewana Attack
Unbeaten Batchewana Attack showed on Saturday night why it is the top team in the Canadian International Hockey League.
The Attack blanked the visiting St. Charles Spoirit 10-0 before 117 fans at Rankin Arena. …[read more]
A first for the Kalkaska Rhinos
Goalie Bryan Briggs backstopped the Kalkaska Rhinos to their first win in Canadian International Hockey League action from Saturday.
Briggs stopped 46 shots as visiting Kalkaska defeated the Espanola Rivermen 2-1 before a matinee crowd of 566 spectators. …[read more]
Attack, Rivermen get the W
Batchewana Attack and Espanola Rivermen scored home-ice victories in Canadian International Hockey League action on Friday. …[read more]
Hounds take it to the Irish
Patrick Rogowski netted two power-play goals, added a shorthanded tally and — for good measure — assisted on three others as the first-place Traverse City Hounds humbled the visiting Detroit Fighting Irish 9-1 before a big crowd of 900-plus fans on Friday. …[read more]
CIHL revises weekend schedule
Canadian International Hockey League president Tim Clayden has confirmed a revised schedule of games for this weekend. …[read more]
Monarchs feast on Irish stew
MC Monarchs cooked up another victory at the expense of the Detroit Fighting Irish on Wednesday night.
The visiting Monarchs made it three straight wins over their Fighting Irish neighbors from the Detroit suburbs with a 5-3 triumph at the Ice Box Sports Centre in Brownstown. …[read more]
Caruso rounding into top form
He is close — very close, he says — to being at full strength.
Just a summer removed from shoulder surgery, 1995 birth-year defenceman Michael Caruso returned to the lineup of the Soo Eagles of the North American Hockey League in mid-October, several weeks ahead of schedule. …[read more]
Remembrance Day in the CIHL
Old-fashioned, hard-checking hockey came to the St. Charles Arena on Remembrance Day.
And when it was all over, the visiting Espanola Rivermen edged the St. Charles Spirit 3-2 in Canadian International Hockey League action. …[read more]
Monarchs invade Irish territory
Tonight will mark the third meeting of the 2014-2015 Midwest Jr. Hockey League season between the Detroit Fighting Irish and the neighboring MC Monarchs.
The Fighting Irish will be looking for its first win of the season against the Monarchs when the two teams face off in an 8:10 p.m. start at the Ice Box Sports Centre. …[read more]