THUNDER BAY, Ont. -- The 20th week of the Superior International Junior Hockey League’s regular season started Wednesday night as the Sioux Lookout Flyers hitThunder Bay to meet the North Stars, a game they lost 5-1.
Six other SIJHL contests are also the slate this week as action continues Thursday when the league-leading Wisconsin Wilderness head to Fort Frances for a battle with the second place Lakers at Ice for Kids Arena at 7:30 p.m. CST.
Two more tilts go both Friday and Saturday as Wisconsin welcomes Dryden while Thunder Bay travels to Sioux Lookout for a pair of two-game sets.
Week 20 concludes Sunday as the Ice Dogs visit the Heritage Sports Center in Duluth to meet the hometown Clydesdales.
SIJHL, IRON RANGE STYLE: Fans in Northern Minnesota’s Iron Range will get a taste of the SIJHL next week as Wisconsin and Sioux Lookout play a neutral site game at the Hippodrome in Eveleth, Minn., on Monday, Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Two nights later the same two sides will skate in another neutral site affair as they take to the ice on Feb. 9 at the Hayward Sports Center in the Wisconsin community. Both of those match-ups will be make-up games of those postponed earlier in the season.
A third contest with a non-regular venue is also scheduled this month as the Duluth Clydesdales will entertain the Thunder Bay North Stars on Feb. 23 at the Arena in Hermantown, Minn.
PIZZA HUT PLAYER: Thunder Bay North Stars forward Brendan Burge was chosen the most recent Pizza Hut player of the week.
In two games this past week the 18-year-old native of Salmon Arm, B.C. recorded five points helping the North Stars sweep a two-game weekend set from the visiting Duluth Clydesdales.
He opened up with a two assist performance in a 4-0 victory on Friday and followed that up by scoring once and setting up two others, including the game-winner, in a 7-2 triumph on Saturday.
Burge has registered eight total points in just six games since joining the club earlier this month helping Thunder Bay go 5-0-1 since his arrival.
Honourable mention for the Pizza Hut player of the week award went to Bryce Anderson, (D) Wisconsin Wilderness; Ryan Wildman, (F) Fort Frances Lakers; Chasen Dobranski, (F) Sioux Lookout Flyers, Dillon Mershon, (F) Duluth Clydesdales & Thomas Greene, (F) Dryden Ice Dogs.
CJHL RANKINGS: After six consecutive weeks’ at No. 19 in the Canadian Junior Hockey League weekly top 20 rankings, the Wisconsin Wilderness have moved up a notch to 18th overall.
The listings, which are compiled each week in conjunction with NHL Central Scouting, saw the SIJHL-leading Wilderness make the slight jump despite registering at least one point in 18 consecutive games.
The Spruce Grove Saints of the Alberta Jr. Hockey League remain No. 1 in the CJHL for yet another week.
DHC COUNTDOWN: The start of the Dudley-Hewitt Cup Central Canadian Jr. A Hockey Championship is less than 12 weeks away as leagues wind down towards the playoffs to see who will participate in the DHC.
At that event the SIJHL champion will meet the title holders of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, the Ontario Jr. Hockey League as well as the host Huntsville Otters to see who will represent the region at the 2011 Royal Bank Cup this May in Camrose, Alta.
The Newmarket Hurricanes, who are ranked second nationally in the latest CJHL listings, remain the front runner in the 31-team OJHL. They currently boast a league-best 38-6-2 record along with a .848 winning percentage.
Close by are the Wellington Dukes who sport a win mark of .826 along with an overall record of 36-6-4.
In the NOJHL the Soo Thunderbirds remain in first place in the standings at 31-8-3.
They are followed by their U.S. counterparts the Soo Eagles who come in with a record of 30-10-1.
As for the host Huntsville club they are 22-16-7 on the year to date.
A recent coaching change brought Dylan Seca on board as their new bench boss as he attempts to improve the Otters’ fortunes heading towards the OJHL playoffs and the DHC.
Huntsville has gone 3-1-1 since Seca stepped in to guide the club.
The Dudley-Hewitt Cup goes April 19-23 at the Canada Summit Centre in Huntsville, Ont. You can visit the event web site at www.dudleyhewittcuphuntsville.com for more information.
SIJHL TEAM UPDATES
DRYDEN: Sitting fourth in the SIJHL standings with a 26-18 record, a three-game road swing is in store for the Ice Dogs this week with two vs. Wisconsin and another against Duluth... Ben McClellan continues to lead Dryden with 46 points on the year, which is good for the team lead as well as seventh best in the league. He is tied for second in the SIJHL in game-winning goals with six along with teammate Thomas Greene. Alex Galbraith is knotted for fifth overall with four...Captain Jon Mitchell shares second spot in points among defencemen with 36. He is eight points shy of 100 in his career. His 92 total points leaves him eighth all-time among blueliners in SIJHL history... Dryden remains third in the league on the power play at 15.81% and they sit second on the penalty kill at 85%...The team is 22-5 when opening the scoring, but only 4-13 when the opposition strikes first.
DULUTH: The Clydesdales will look to snap a five-game winless drought Sunday when they host Dryden in their only game of the week...Captain Joe Nelson leads the team offensively with 24 points. Nelson is seventh in scoring among SIJHL defencemen while his 14 goals pace all D-men in the league...Duluth remains sixth in the SIJHL on the power play at 11.24%. They are also sixth on the P.K. at 76.53%...The Clydesdales Feb. 23 home game will now be played in nearby Hermantown, Minn...They will be the home team in six of their last 10 games.
FORT FRANCES: After back-to-back four-game weeks the Lakers only have one contest this week...The club continues to boast three players among the top 10 SIJHL scorers in Tyler Stevenson, (4th-32g-21a-53pts) Byron Katapaytuk (5th-19g-31a- 50pts) & Jace Baldwin (8th-18g-27a-45pts)...Stevenson, who leads the SIJHL in goals, surpassed the 100-point plateau in his SIJHL career last week. He also has a five-game point streak going...Phil Jennrich and Morgan McNeill are fourth and sixth in D scoring with 34 and 25 points respectively...Fort Frances leads the SIJHL on the P.P. (25.90%) and are fourth on the P.K. (84.02%)...They have a league-best 72 PPG.
SIOUX LOOKOUT: All three games the Flyers have this week will be against the suddenly surging Thunder Bay North Stars...The seven goals the club scored in their last outing matched a franchise high for most markers in a game as they upended Dryden 7-2...Chasen Dobranski has recorded at least one point in 14 of his last 17 games. He not only leads the club in offensive production he is ninth overall in the entire SIJHL with 16 goals and 28 assists...The Flyers are fourth in the SIJHL on the power play (13.24%) and fifth on the P.K. (80.86%) Their five shorthanded goals is a tie for second most in the league...Jesse Wilkins sits tied for fourth among goaltenders in save percentage at .909. He has faced more shots than any other SIJHL goalie at 1,281 making a total of 1,165 saves, which also leads league netminders. Wilkins continues to face just over 40 shots per appearance.
THUNDER BAY: The North Stars are 5-0-1 in their last six outings...Captain Mitch Forbes has an eight-game point streak on the go. He leads the team offensively with 43 points, which is 10th best in the SIJHL...His 191 total points has him 10th all-time in league history...Riley Marsh is riding a seven-game point streak. He is also fourth in the league in game-winning goals with five...Rylan Henley, Matt Valley and Kevin Hamel are eighth, ninth and 10th respectively in scoring among SIJHL defencemen...Valley’s three game-winning goals are the most of any D-man in the league...The Stars are fifth in the SIJHL on the power play at 12.68%. They have improved to third overall on the penalty kill at 84.80%...Four of the team’s next six contests will be at home on Fort William Gardens ice.
WISCONSIN: The Wilderness have not lost in regulation since Dec. 1 having gone 16-0-2 in that span recording at least one point in 18 straight...They lead the SIJHL in points (68) and winning percentage (.810)...The top three scorers in the SIJHL are all on the Wisconsin roster. Keith Tessin leads the way with 56 points followed by Austin Adduono and Tom Paine who have 54 apiece. Tessin has an active five-game point streak on the go...Wilson Housley is sixth overall with 47 points...Bryce Anderson’s 40 points top all SIJHL defencemen. With 36 points Nathan Paulsen is tied for second in the same category while Lucas Hendrickson is fifth with 27...Wisconsin’s goaltending duo of Jake Hebda (2.14GAA/.926SV%) and John McLean (2.15GAA/.928SV%) sit one-two in the SIJHL in goals-against average and save percentage...The power play ranks second at 21.74% and they are first on the penalty kill at 85.97%. They also lead the SIJHL in shorthanded goals with eight.
