Words from Dryden Ice Dogs
Hockey News North has received the following message from the president of the Dryden Ice Dogs of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League.
As this extraordinary year closes for the Ice Dogs, we are disappointed in not realizing our championship dreams, but encouraged in our optimism for the future of the club and the league.
Having not completed a full season since the 2018-2019 season, the trials and tribulations, the peaks and valleys of the last several years have been exhaustive to say the least. But the good news is that success is not always measured in wins, and losses, and in the most important ways, we all won again this year.
We kept the junior A dream alive in Northwestern Ontario, and ensured that the team, and the league would make it through our collective experience of the last several seasons. That has been a snapshot of the power of community, and perseverance, and Dryden, you never fail to amaze when it comes to those traits.
To our partners in the SIJHL, thank you for your diligence and commitment to junior A hockey in Northwestern Ontario. Every team in this league, and the league office deserves a tip of the cap this year, because without them, their management, staff, fans, and of course their amazing community sponsors, there is no way we’d be at this juncture looking forward to a bright future of SIJHL hockey for years to come.
The Ice Dogs currently boast as talented and committed a staff as I have been privy to over the last several years. There is a shared vision and desire to keep on improving how this team performs both on and off the ice. Over the off season I am optimistic that we will continue to fine tune that machine, and come puck drop next season you will have the best version of your team you’ve ever had.
I would like to wish the best of luck to the Kam River Fighting Walleye and the Red Lake Miners as they battle to crown our first league champion since 2019. They were the two best teams all year and it should be an exciting final.
The Dogs will take a couple of weeks to exhale, and then we begin again, full of energy and optimism to continue to do what we’ve done since day one of the SIJHL.
Dryden, as always, thank you for trusting me with your team.
Mike Sveinson, President.