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SIHJL to start regular season on Friday

League commissioner Darrin Nicholas said in order to fit in a 20-game schedule with required non-competition period, it was clear the season had to start before Christmas.
Michael Vecchio Bryson Cataldo
Kam River's Bryson Cataldo chases down Thunder Bay's Michael Veccho on Saurday, Nov. 14, 2020 at the Norwest Arena. (Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch.com)

THUNDER BAY – The Superior International Junior Hockey League’s regular season is set to begin, though a full schedule has yet to be released.

The league on Tuesday announced this weekend’s scheduled pre-season games between the expansion Kam River Fighting Walleye and the Thunder Bay North Stars will count in the standings, despite originally being scheduled as pre-season contests.

Fighting Walleye president Derek Geddes said it will be a historic moment when his team takes to the Norwest Arena ice on Friday night.

To celebrate, the team, which is limited to 50 fans inside the Oliver Paipoonge arena, is inviting the public to come watch the game on a screen outside the rink, with a fireworks display scheduled after the contest ends.

“We felt it was important for us to make our first ever home game a memorable one,” said Geddes. “We've long been planning on our first home game being played in front of a jam packed crowd, with an incredible atmosphere. With the current situation being what it is, we needed to find another way to make that happen. I think it is going to be a special night.”

League commissioner Darrin Nicholas said it feels good to get the season started, promising to unveil the rest of the schedule in the coming days.

The two American teams, the Wisconsin Lumberjacks and the Thief River Falls Norskies, are not allowed to cross the border and are expected to be excluded from the 20-game schedule. The top four teams will make the playoffs.

“It’s a great feeling to get to the point of getting into our regular season. It’s a little later than we had originally hoped but I know the players and teams are glad to get to this stage and are eager to play meaningful games,” Nicholas said in an SIJHL release.

He added the league was left with little choice but to start the season now.

“We had a couple of issues impacting our ability to start the regular season a couple of weeks ago that have since been resolved. Also, given the non-competition periods we need to observe due to COVID-19 restrictions, it became clear that we would need to get some regular season games completed before the Christmas break or risk our schedule going too long into the spring and losing ice in some of our facilities,” he said.

Dryden and Red Lake will kick off the start to their seasons on Sunday night.



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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