Fort Frances Lakers

The Fort Frances Lakers are a junior A ice hockey team based in Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Superior International Junior Hockey League.

Fort Frances Lakers
City	Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada
League	Superior International Junior Hockey League
Founded	2007
Home arena	Memorial Sports Centre
Colours	Black, Purple, Silver, and White
General manager	Luke Judson
Head coach	Tyler Miller
Franchise history
2007–2009	Fort Frances Jr. Sabres
2009–present	Fort Frances Lakers

History

Jr. Sabres

Founded in 2007, the Fort Frances Jr. Sabres were the first junior A team to play in Fort Frances since the Fort Frances Borderland Thunder left the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) after four seasons in 2005. The Borderland Thunder wanted to play in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, but chose to go on hiatus when they did not receive clearance for the transfer. The Sabres new ownership group, led by Carolyn Kellaway, were approved as the seventh member of the SIJHL in 2007.^[1][2]

Sabres celebrate an overtime victory (2007)

On September 14, 2007, the Fort Frances Jr. Sabres played their first game at home against the Thunder Bay Bulldogs, defeating the Bulldog 5–1 and also claiming their first team victory.^[3] Alessio Tomassetti scored the team's first goal 3:14 into the first period. Goaltender Ryan Faragher, a Fort Frances native, earned the win while making 29 saves.^[4]

Lakers

In the summer of 2009, the Fort Frances team nearly folded. 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 and would not be sitting out during the coming season. It was later revealed the franchise would be sold to new ownership, but as the season drew nearer, the team had not found a buyer. In an effort to keep the team alive, the community took over the franchise and turned it into a non-profit organization.^[5] On September 10, 2009, the team rebranded by changing their name to the Lakers.^[6]

Lakers action in 2011

The reborn community-owned Lakers played their first game as a non-profit organization on September 17, 2009, in Fort Frances against the defending league champion Fort William North Stars in their home opener. The Lakers lost 5–2 with an empty net goal. A night later, the Lakers won the first game of their new era by defeating the expansion Thunder Bay Wolverines in Thunder Bay 3–2.

Season-by-season

Season	GP	W	L	T	OTL	Pts	GF	GA	Results	Playoffs
2007–08	50	22	21	4	3	51	173	183	5th SIJHL	Lost Quarterfinals, 0–3 (Diesels)
2008–09	50	30	17	—	3	63	199	139	3rd SIJHL	Won Quarterfinals, 3–0 (Flyers) Lost Semifinals, 1–4 (Bearcats)
2009–10	52	14	33	—	5	33	153	251	5th SIJHL	Won Quarterfinals, 4–3 (Wolverines) Lost Semifinals, 2-4 (Ice Dogs)
2010–11	56	34	19	—	3	71	208	174	2nd SIJHL	Lost Playoff Seeding game, 1–2 (Wilderness) Lost Semifinals, 2–4 (Ice Dogs)
2011–12	56	37	12	—	7	81	255	166	2nd SIJHL	Won Playoff Seeding game, 2–1 (Wilderness) Won Semifinals, 4–0 (Ice Dogs) Lost League Finals, 3–4 (Wilderness)
2012–13	56	35	18	—	3	73	208	165	2nd SIJHL	Won Semifinals, 4–3 (Ice Dogs) Lost League Finals, 3–4 (Wilderness)
2013–14	56	46	6	—	4	96	295	150	1st SIJHL	Won Playoff Seeding game, 6–4 (North Stars) Won Semifinals, 4–0 (Miners) Won League Finals, 4–3 (Iron Rangers)
2014–15	56	43	11	—	2	88	254	197	1st SIJHL	Won Semifinals, 4–1 (North Stars) Won League Finals, 4–2 (Iron Rangers)
2015–16	56	46	8	—	4	96	249	140	1st SIJHL	Won Semifinals, 4–0 (Miners) Won League Finals, 4–2 (Ice Dogs)
2016–17	56	24	25	—	7	55	188	201	5th of 6 SIJHL	Won Play-in Series 3–1 (Norskies) Lost Semifinals 0–4 (Ice Dogs)
2017–18	56	15	32	—	9	39	172	241	5th of 6 SIJHL	Won Quarterfinals, 3–1 (Miners) Lost Semifinals, 1–4 (Ice Dogs)
2018–19	56	18	35	—	3	39	177	237	5th of 6 SIJHL	Lost Quarterfinals, 0–3 (Ice Dogs)
2019–20	54	21	27	—	6	48	174	214	6th of 6 SIJHL	Season cancelled
2020–21	5	5	0	—	0	28	4	10	Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[7]
2021–22	41	5	35	1	0	11	83	195	7th of 7 SIJHL	Lost Quarterfinals, 0–3 (Ice Dogs)
2022–23	54	9	41	—	1	22	134	301	7th of 7 SIJHL	Lost Quarterfinals, 1-4 (Ice Dogs)
2023–24	49	12	31	3	3	30	144	227	7th of 8 SIJHL	Lost Quarterfinals, 0–4 (Bombers)

Dudley Hewitt Cup

Central Canada Jr. A Championships'
NOJHL – OJHL – SIJHL – Host
Round-robin play with 2nd vs. 3rd in semifinal to advance against 1st in the championship game.

Year	Round-obin	Record	Standing	Semifinal	Championship
2014	L, Toronto Lakeshore Patriots 1–4 L, Wellington Dukes 0–3 W, Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 6–3	1–2–0	3rd of 4	L, Toronto Lakeshore Patriots 0–6	—
2015 Host	OTW, Toronto Lakeshore Patriots 2–1 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 advance

References

1. "Strachan-coached Jr. Sabres revealed as new team in Fort Frances". Fort Frances Times. June 20, 2007.
2. "Jr. Sabres to seek town's support". Fort Frances Times. August 27, 2007.
3. "Sabres kick off season with win, tie". Fort Frances Times. September 17, 2007.
4. "Sabres start first season off on right foot". Fort Frances Times. September 19, 2007.
5. "Local group hoping to keep junior team alive". Fort Frances Times. August 26, 2009.
6. "Fort Frances Lakers are born". Fort Frances Times. September 11, 2009.
7. "SIJHL CANCELS 2020-21 SEASON". SIJHL. March 1, 2021.

External links

• Fort Frances Lakers
• Superior International Junior Hockey League