Fort Frances Lakers
| Fort Frances Lakers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada |
| League | Superior International Junior Hockey League |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Home arena | Fort Frances Memorial Sports Center |
| Colours | Black, Red, and White |
| General manager | Wayne Strachan |
| Head coach | Wayne Strachan |
| Franchise history | |
| 2007-2009 | Fort Frances Jr. Sabres |
| 2009-Present | Fort Frances Lakers |
The Fort Frances Lakers are a Junior ice hockey team based in Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Superior International Junior Hockey League.
Contents
1 History
1.1 Jr. Sabres
1.2 Lakers
2 Season-by-season standings
3 Dudley Hewitt Cup
4 Notable alumni
5 External links
6 References
History
Jr. Sabres
The Fort Frances Jr. Sabres are the first Junior "A" team to play in Fort Frances since the Fort Frances Borderland Thunder left the league in 2005. The Borderland Thunder wanted to play in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, but chose to go into hiatus when they did not receive clearance for the transfer. The Sabres have a new ownership group and are the seventh member of the Superior International Junior Hockey League.
Sabres celebrate an overtime victory (2007)
On September 14, 2007, the Fort Frances Jr. Sabres played their first ever game at home in Fort Frances. Playing the Thunder Bay Bulldogs, the Sabres played the shocker and defeated the Bulldogs solidly, 5-1, to receive their first ever team win. The Sabres first ever goal came 3:14 into the first period by Alessio Tomassetti. Goaltender Ryan Faragher (himself a Fort Frances native) picked up the win with 29 saves.
In the summer of 2009, the Fort Frances team went through a crisis of sorts. With the Thunder Bay Bearcats and Schreiber Diesels leaving the SIJHL, the ownership of the Sabres decided to pull their team out of the 2009-10 season despite initially telling the press and the league that the team was operating with a "business as usual" attitude and would not be sitting out during the coming season.[1][2] It soon came out that the team would play in 2009-10, but under new ownership. Yet again, as the season drew nearer, it became apparent that the franchise was in distress. The team could not find a buyer, so in an effort to keep the team alive, the community came together to take over the franchise and turn it into a non-for-profit organization. On September 10, 2009, the team decided to change their name to the Lakers.
Lakers
Lakers action in 2011
The reborn community-owned Lakers played their first game as a non-for-profit organization on September 17, 2009 in Fort Frances. Although the team's third season almost did not happen, the Lakers brought hockey in Fort Frances back with style by playing the defending league champion Fort William North Stars in their home opener. The Lakers lost 5-2 with an empty net goal, but were in it the entire game.[3] A night later, the Lakers won their first game of their new era by defeating the expansion Thunder Bay Wolverines in Thunder Bay 3-2.
Season-by-season standings
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | P | Results | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-08 | 50 | 22 | 21 | 4 | 3 | 173 | 183 | 51 | 5th SIJHL | Lost Quarter-final, 0-3 (Diesels) |
| 2008-09 | 50 | 30 | 17 | - | 3 | 199 | 139 | 63 | 3rd SIJHL | Won Quarter-final,3-0 (Flyers) Lost Semi-final, 1-4 (Bearcats) |
| 2009-10 | 52 | 14 | 33 | - | 5 | 153 | 251 | 33 | 5th SIJHL | Won Quarter-final,4-3 (Wolverines) Lost Semi-final, 2-4 (Ice Dogs) |
| 2010-11 | 56 | 34 | 19 | - | 3 | 208 | 174 | 71 | 2nd SIJHL | Lost Playoff Seeding 1-2* (Wilderness) Lost Semi-final, 2-4 (Ice Dogs) |
| 2011-12 | 56 | 37 | 12 | - | 7 | 255 | 166 | 81 | 2nd SIJHL | Won Playoff Seeding 2-1* (Wilderness) Won Semi-final, 4-0 (Ice Dogs) Lost League Finals, 3-4 (Wilderness) |
| 2012-13 | 56 | 35 | 18 | - | 3 | 208 | 165 | 73 | 2nd SIJHL | Won Semi-final, 4-3 (Ice Dogs) Lost League Finals, 3-4 (Wilderness) |
| 2013-14 | 56 | 46 | 6 | - | 4 | 295 | 150 | 96 | 1st SIJHL | Won Playoff Seeding 6-4* (North Stars) Won Semi-final, 4-0 (Miners) Won League Finals, 4-3 (Iron Rangers) SIJHL Champions See Dudley Hewitt Cup below |
| 2014-15 | 56 | 43 | 11 | - | 2 | 254 | 197 | 88 | 1st SIJHL | Won Semi-final, 4-1 (North Stars) Won League Finals, 4-2 (Iron Rangers) SIJHL Champions See Dudley Hewitt Cup below |
| 2015-16 | 56 | 46 | 8 | - | 4 | 249 | 140 | 96 | 1st SIJHL | Won Semifinals, 4-0 (Miners) Won League Finals, 4-2 (Ice Dogs) SIJHL Champions See Dudley Hewitt Cup below |
| 2016-17 | 56 | 24 | 25 | 3 | 4 | 188 | 201 | 55 | 5th of 6 SIJHL | Won Play-in Series 3-1 (Norskies) Lost Semifinals 0-4 (Ice Dogs) |
| 2017-18 | 56 | 15 | 32 | 3 | 6 | 172 | 241 | 39 | 5th of 6 SIJHL | Won Quarterfinal 3-1 (Miners) Lost Semifinals 1-4 (Ice Dogs) |
Dudley Hewitt Cup
Central Canada Championships
NOJHL - OJHL - SIJHL - Host
Round robin play with 2nd vs 3rd in semi-final to advance against 1st in the finals.
| Year | Round Robin | Record | Standing | SemiFinal | Gold Medal Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | L, Toronto Lakeshore Patriots1-4 L, Wellington Dukes 0-3 W, Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 6-3 | 1-2-0 | 3rd of 4 | L, Toronto Lakeshore Patriots 0-6 | n/a |
| 2015 HOST | W, Toronto Lakeshore Patriots 2-1 OT L, Soo Thunderbirds 3-6 W, Dryden Ice Dogs 5-3 | 2-1-0 | 3rd of 4 | W, Toronto Lakeshore Patriots 6-4 | L, Soo Thunderbirds 2-3 |
| 2016 | L, Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 5-8 L, Soo Thunderbirds 5-6 L, Trenton Golden Hawks 0-3 | 0-3-0 | 4th of 4 | Did not qualify | |
Notable alumni
- Ryan Faragher
External links
- Fort Frances Lakers Webpage
- SIJHL Official Webpage
References
^ [1]
^ [2]
^ http://www.fftimes.com/node/227521
