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The Red Lake Miners are a Canadian junior 'A' ice hockey team based in Red Lake, Ontario. The Miners play in Hockey Canada's Superior International Junior Hockey League.
| Red Lake Miners | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Red Lake, Ontario, Canada |
| League | Superior International Junior Hockey League |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Home arena | Cochenour Arena |
| Colours | Black, yellow, and white |
| General manager | Lee Stone |
| Head coach | Lee Stone |
| Franchise history | |
| 2013–2018 | English River Miners |
| 2018–present | Red Lake Miners |
In May 2013, the SIJHL announced that the Ear Falls Eagles would be joining the league for the 2013–14 season.[1] Weeks later, it was announced that the team would instead be called the English River Miners to better represent the entire community.[2]
On September 20, 2013, the Miners played the first game in their franchise's history in Dryden, Ontario, against the Dryden Ice Dogs. The Miners lost 4–2 after giving up two last minute goals, one of which was on an empty net. Nathan Johnson scored the first goal in team history 6:06 into the first period.[3] Greg Harney played the first game in net, making 32 saves. On October 10, 2013, the Miners picked up their first franchise victory, on home ice, defeating the Wisconsin Wilderness by a score of 3–1.[4] Devan Vander Wyk scored the eventual game-winning goal 3:47 into the third period, while Holden Melgoza made 29 saves for the victory.[5]
After finishing last in the SIJHL in their second season, Derek Sweet-Coulter was named head coach for Miners in 2015.[6] One season later, the English River Miners moved to Red Lake, Ontario, with the Cochenour Arena as their home ice. In August 2018, the team rebranded as the Red Lake Miners.[7][8] Sweet-Coulter led the Miners for four seasons before leaving to coach for the Merritt Centennials of the British Columbia Hockey League after winning the SIJHL Coach of the Year in 2019.[9][10]
Former professional hockey player Geoff Walker was then hired as general manager and head coach for the 2019–20 season.[11] Walker came to Red Lake after one season leading the Hinton Wildcats in the Western States Hockey League to a 23–19–1–2 record in that team's only season.
The Red Lake Miners were set to host the Dudley Hewitt Cup, a playoff round between the OJHL, NOJHL and the SIJHL to determine the Central Canada representative to the Centennial Cup (Canadian Jr A Championships). However, the Centennial Cup revised the format so the nine leagues champions plus the host City advance. This gives Red Lake a spot in the National Championships.
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| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | GF | GA | Results | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | 56 | 21 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 47 | 185 | 228 | 4th of 6 | Won quarterfinals, 2–4 vs Dryden Ice Dogs Lost semifinals, 0–4 vs Fort Frances Lakers |
| 2014–15 | 56 | 10 | 41 | 5 | 0 | 25 | 159 | 295 | 5th of 5 | Lost quarterfinals, 0–3 vs Thunder Bay North Stars |
| 2015–16 | 56 | 12 | 37 | 3 | 4 | 31 | 144 | 239 | 5th of 5 | Won quarterfinals, 3–2 vs Minnesota Iron Rangers Lost semifinals, 0–4 vs Fort Frances Lakers |
| 2016–17 | 56 | 31 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 66 | 220 | 197 | 3rd of 6 | Won semifinals 4–1 vs Thunder Bay North Stars Lost league finals, 0–4 vs Dryden Ice Dogs |
| 2017–18 | 56 | 28 | 23 | 1 | 4 | 61 | 188 | 209 | 4th of 6 | Lost quarterfinals, 1–3 vs Fort Frances Lakers |
| 2018–19 | 56 | 38 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 79 | 278 | 193 | 2nd of 6 | Won semifinals, 4–1 vs Thief River Falls Norskies Lost league finals, 1–4 vs Thunder Bay North Stars |
| 2019–20 | 55 | 32 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 69 | 196 | 176 | 2nd of 6 | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[12] |
| 2020–21 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 16 | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[13] | |
| 2021–22 | 37 | 28 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 59 | 210 | 112 | 2nd of 7 | Won semifinals, 4–2 vs Dryden Ice Dogs Won league finals, 4-2 vs Kam River Fighting Walleye Advance to Centennial Cup |
| 2022–23 | 54 | 22 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 51 | 168 | 188 | 5th of 7 | Lost quarterfinals, 1-4 vs Thunder Bay North Stars |
| 2023–24 | 49 | 29 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 60 | 213 | 137 | 5th of 8 | Won quarterfinals, 4-1 vs Dryden Ice Dogs Lost Semifinals 0-4 Kam River Fighting Walleye |
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Canadian Jr. A National Championships
Maritime Junior Hockey League, Quebec Junior Hockey League, Central Canada Hockey League, Ontario Junior Hockey League, Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, Superior International Junior Hockey League, Manitoba Junior Hockey League, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, Alberta Junior Hockey League, and Host. The BCHL declared itself an independent league and there is no BC representative.
Round-robin play in two 5-team pools with top three in pool advancing to determine a Champion.
| Year | Round-robin | Record | Standing | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | L, Pickering Panthers (OJHL), 2–9 L, Brooks bandits (AJHL), 4–11 L, Estavan Bruins (MJHL), 2-6 L, Longueuil Collège Français (QJHL), 1-6 | 0-4-0 | 5th of 5 Pool A | did not qualified | did not qualified | did not qualified |
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