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The Superior International Junior Hockey League was founded in 2001 with five teams in Northwestern Ontario and two teams playing partial schedules, one from Minnesota and one from Wisconsin. The SIJHL is governed by Hockey Northwestern Ontario, a branch of Hockey Canada, but strives to be North America's only true international "Junior A" hockey league. The SIJHL is one of ten regional leagues that play as members of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The SIJHL, along with the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) in Southern Ontario and the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) in Northeastern Ontario send their playoff champion every April to play for the Dudley Hewitt Cup, the Central Canadian Junior A Championship. The team that comes out victorious then enters a five-team round robin in a host city against the Eastern Champions, Western Champions, and Pacific Champions to play for the Royal Bank Cup, the Canadian National Junior A Championship. The 2010-11 season marked the SIJHL's tenth season as a league and the first time the league had full-time American members. |
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| Dryden Ice Dogs |
| The Dryden Ice Dogs, founded in 2001, along with the Fort William North Stars, are one of the two only remaining founding teams of the SIJHL. The Ice Dogs have won the regular season crown and on two occasions won the Bill Salonen Cup as playoff champions. In 2002 the Ice Dogs became the first-ever champions of the SIJHL by defeating the Fort Frances Borderland Thunder 4 games to none. |
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| Fort Frances Lakers |
| The Fort Frances Lakers were founded in 2007 as the Fort Frances Jr. Sabres. The Jr. Sabres were the first team in the SIJHL from Fort Frances since the Borderland Thunder who unceremoniously left in 2005. The Lakers, a community owned non-profit organization, turned in an awe-inspiring performance in 2009-10. With just weeks to go until the start of the regular season, they built their roster from scratch and went on to be a competitive team and upset the Thunder Bay Wolverines in the first round of the SIJHL playoffs. |
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| Iron Range Ironheads |
| Based in historic Hibbing Memorial Arena, the Ironheads bring junior hockey back to the Iron Range of Minnesota, where one of the first junior leagues in the country began in the mid-20th century. Headed up by coach and general manager Steve Chelios, they will bring a tough attitude to the ice as the SIJHL's newest addition and third US-based team in the Canadian league. |
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| Sioux Lookout Flyers |
| The Sioux Lookout Flyers were founded in 2008 and After a very shaky first season, with multiple ownership changes and only two victories, the Flyers were able to build for the future with community-based ownership. For the 2011-12 season, the Flyers have added Brad Zangs as head coach and GM. Zangs brings years of experience in the NAHL and collegiate hockey to the most northerly team in all of Ontario Junior hockey. |
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| Thunder Bay North Stars |
| The Thunder Bay North Stars, formerly titled Fort William and also previously nicknamed the Wolves, have been the most dominant team in the SIJHL for the past handful of seasons. As one of the founding members of the league, the North Stars have won six regular season crowns, five Bill Salonen Cups as league playoff champions, and the 2006 Dudley Hewitt Cup as Central Canadian Junior A Champions. The North Stars are the only SIJHL franchise to have won the Dudley Hewitt Cup or to have played in the Royal Bank Cup National Junior A Championship, and will host the Dudley in the spring of 2012. |
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| Wisconsin Wilderness |
| The Wisconsin Wilderness were founded in 2000 as members of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League under the name Northwest Wisconsin Knights. In 2004, the team changed their name to the Wisconsin Mustangs. For three season (2001-02, 2002-03, and 2009-10), this Wisconsin franchise played shortened schedules against the teams of the SIJHL, but in the summer of 2010 applied for full-time entry into the league, going on to dominate the 2010/11 regular season and represent the SIJHL in the Dudley Hewitt Cup. |
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