THUNDER BAY – The Superior International Junior Hockey League has been given the go-ahead to start playing competitive games, although the regular season remains on hold indefinitely.
The league on Monday announced its exhibition schedule will begin on Friday night, when the defending champion Thunder Bay North Stars head to the Norwest Arena in Stanley to take on the expansion Kam River Fighting Walleye at 8 p.m., opening the eight-game, newly launched Teleco Cup.
The two teams will play again on Saturday night.
The Red Lake Miners, Dryden Ice Dogs and Fort Frances Lakers will also take part in an interlocking scheduled, part of the modified return-to-play plan given the OK by Hockey Northwestern Ontario, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit and the Northwestern Health Unit.
The Miners and Ice Dogs will kick off their exhibition season on Nov. 13 at too-be-determined location.
“It’s great to be able to shift the focus for our league back where it belongs – on the ice. We certainly want to thank Hockey Northwestern Ontario for their advocacy and leadership to get us to this point, and we remain unified in our commitment to a safe return to hockey,” said SIJHL commissioner Darin Nicholas in a release.
The league still faces plenty of challenges as it moves forward, including facility access and the availability to host games.
The seven-team circuit’s two American-based teams, the Wisconsin Lumberjacks and Thief River Falls Norskies, will not take part at the present time, faced with the continued closure of the Canadian border to non-essential travel.
Nicholas said they are taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to the start of the SIJHL’s regular season.
“While we are cleared to begin competition from a regulatory body standpoint, we still have some teams facing significant challenges with facility access and availability to host games. It is just not reasonable to expect a team to start their schedule on the road indefinitely,” Nicholas said.
The league is also required to change a few things on the ice, which the pre-season games will allow players and officials to adjust to until the regular season can begin or public health requirements change.
“Our on-ice product will need to be modified under present restrictions to minimize physical contact. As such, this is creating a bit of uncertainty as to how our games will look. So not only will an exhibition window afford the league some much-needed time to sort through the various facility issues, but it will also allow our players, coaches and officials to get accustomed to our in-game modifications before points start counting in the standings,” Nicholas said.
The league had initially targeted a Nov. 14 start date.
- Friday Nov. 6 – Thunder Bay North Stars at Kam River Fighting Walleye, 8 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 7 – Kam River Fighting Walleye at Thunder Bay North Stars, 8 p.m.
- Friday, Nov. 13 – Thunder Bay North Stars at Kam River Fighting Walleye, 8 p.m.
- Friday, Nov. 13 – Red Lake Miners vs. Dryden Ice Dogs (TBD)
- Saturday Nov. 14 – Kam River Fighting Walleye at Thunder Bay North Stars, 8 p.m.
- Saturday Nov. 14 – Red Lake Miners vs. Dryden Ice Dogs (TBD).
- Friday Nov. 27 – Thunder Bay North Stars at Kam River Fighting Walleye, 8 p.m.
- Saturday Nov. 28 – Kam River Fighting Walleye at Thunder Bay North Stars, 8 p.m.
- Sunday Nov. 29 – Red Lake Miners vs. Fort Frances Lakers (TBD).
- Friday Dec. 4 – Thunder Bay North Stars at Kam River Fighting Walleye, 8 p.m.
- Saturday Dec. 5 – Kam River Fighting Walleye at Thunder Bay North Stars, 8 p.m.
- Sunday Dec. 13 – Dryden Ice Dogs vs. Fort Frances Lakers (TBD).
- Monday Dec. 14 – Dryden Ice Dogs vs. Fort Frances Lakers (TBD).
- Saturday Nov. 28 – Red Lake Miners vs. Fort Frances Lakers (TBD).
- Saturday Nov. 7 – Kam River Fighting Walleye at Thunder Bay North Stars, 8 p.m.
- Friday Nov. 13 – Thunder Bay North Stars at Kam River Fighting Walleye, 8p.m.
- Friday Nov. 13 – Red Lake Miners vs. Dryden Ice Dogs (TBD).
