Bridgewater Lumberjacks

Bridgewater Lumberjacks
City	Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Canada
League	Maritime Junior Hockey League
Division	Eastlink
Founded	2004 (Halifax Wolverines)
Home arena	Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre
Colors	Polar Night Blue, White, Aviator Blue, Silver, Goal Red
Owner(s)	Ken Petrie
General manager	Ken Petrie
Head coach	Vacant
Franchise history
2004-2008	Halifax Wolverines
2008-Present	Bridgewater Lumberjacks

The Bridgewater Lumberjacks^[1] (also commonly known as the CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks due to a sponsorship with a local CIBC branch)^[2] are a Junior A Ice Hockey team based out of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. They play their home games at the 1300 seat Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre. The team is a member of the Maritime Hockey League and plays in the Bent Division.

History

This franchise was born as the Halifax Wolverines in 2004, on the same day the former Halifax Team Pepsi relocated to New Glasgow to become the Weeks Crushers. Interestingly enough, Bridgewater was also considered as a destination for Team Pepsi.

Team Pepsi had struggled in Halifax's crowded hockey market and it was no different for the Wolverines.

In 2008, the Wolverines decided to test the waters outside the city. They played a pair of regular season games in Bridgewater and attracted a combined 1,500 spectators to Bridgewater Memorial Arena. They also played two games in Kentville but ultimately Bridgewater was chosen as the team's new home. Shortly after the end of the season, the relocation to the south shore's largest town was announced.

On June 7, 2008 the club's new name, major sponsor, logo, and colors were announced. The Lumberjacks name was chosen through a name the team contest. The moniker pays tribute to Lunenburg County's forestry, logging and Christmas tree industry.

The team colors are Navy Blue, Red and White.

2008-09

The Lumberjacks' inaugural season saw growing pains on and off the ice. Attendance wasn't as strong as the team had hoped it would be. Halfway through the campaign, ownership switched to local ties. The new bosses immediately dropped ticket prices, which resulted in larger crowds coming through the gates during the second half.

On the ice, the team finished fifth out of six teams in the Bent Division. Bridgewater earned the right to play the Weeks Crushers in a best-of-3 mini series. The Crushers swept the brief encounter 2-0.

2009-10

The Lumberjacks second season was a success. They won their best of 3 mini-series 2 games to none. They gave Truro a good run in the next round but ended up losing in 6 games.

Season-by-season record

See also

• List of ice hockey teams in Nova Scotia

References

External links

• Bridgewater Lumberjacks official web site

v t e Sports teams based in Nova Scotia Baseball NSSBL: Dartmouth Moosehead Dry Halifax Pelham Canadians Kentville Wildcats Sydney Sooners Truro Bearcats Basketball NBL: Halifax Rainmen Football AFL: Dalhousie University Tigers MFL: Dartmouth Knights Halifax Shockers MWFL: Halifax Xplosion Hockey QMJHL: Cape Breton Screaming Eagles Halifax Mooseheads MHL: Amherst Ramblers Bridgewater Lumberjacks Valley Wildcats Truro Bearcats Weeks Crushers Yarmouth Mariners Rugby union RCNJC: Nova Scotia Keltics Canadian Interuniversity Sport Acadia University Axemen Cape Breton University Capers Dalhousie University Tigers St. Francis Xavier X-Men|St. Francis Xavier University X-Men and X-Women Saint Mary's University Huskies