Kirkland Lake Gold Miners
| Kirkland Lake Gold Miners | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada |
| League | Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League |
| Division | Western |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Home arena | Joe Mavrinac Community Complex |
| Colors |
Blue, Light Blue, Yellow, and White |
| General manager | Marc Lafleur |
| Head coach | Marc Lafleur |
| Affiliates |
Oshawa Generals Kirkland Lake 87's |
| Franchise history | |
| 2003-2005 | Manitoulin Wild |
| 2005-2011 | Manitoulin Islanders |
| 2011-2012 | Kirkland Lake Blue Devils |
| 2012-Present | Kirkland Lake Gold Miners |
The Kirkland Lake Gold Miners are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.
History
Manitoulin
Founded in 2003, the Manitoulin Wild had its best seasons early on. By 2005, the team changed its name to the Manitoulin Islanders. They were eventually taken over by former NHLer Reggie Leach and the team started to split its time between Little Current, Ontario and the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve's Arena. Win total dwindles, debts added up, and by 2011 the team was set to move from the Island.
Kirkland Lake
After eight years of futility on Manitoulin Island, the team would either be on the move or fold.[1] In Mid-May 2011, the NOJHL conditionally approved the move of the Manitoulin Islanders to Kirkland Lake, Ontario to become the Kirkland Lake Blue Devils.[2] In their final four seasons in Little Current, the Islanders managed 17 wins in 200 games played.
The Blue Devils moniker is a long used traditional team name in Kirkland Lake, the most notable team to use the name was the Kirkland Lake Blue Devils who defeated the Calgary Stampeders 3-games-to-none to win the 1940 Allan Cup.
On September 9, 2011, the Blue Devils played their first ever home game and regulation game in their history. The Blue Devils dropped a 9-2 decision to the North Bay Trappers. On October 12, 2011, the Blue Devils won their first game since relocation 3-2 in a shootout against the Sudbury Cubs. Two nights later, the Blue Devils scored their first ever home win, 5-4 in a shootout, against the Blind River Beavers.
On January 12, 2012, owner of the team Robert Kasner announced that he was folding the club mid-season.[3] The folding of the team happened right after Kasner was suspended by the league for six months for multiple roster violations.[4] Soon after the folding, the league announced that a new ownership group was to be brought in to run the team and keep hockey going in Kirkland Lake. The new ownership named them the Gold Miners.[5] The Gold Miners won their first-ever NOJHL championship just 2 and a half years into the league as they defeated the Soo Thunderbirds. The Kirkland Lake Gold Miners travelled down to the Wellington, Ontario to participate in the Dudley-Hewitt Cup. Unfortunately, the Gold Miners failed to record a win and returned home disappointed. In 2014-15, the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners and the Soo Thunderbirds were fighting for 1st place all season, but Kirkland Lake settled on finished 2nd and the Powassan Voodoos took the series against Kirkland Lake.
The Kirkland Lake Gold Miners were awarded the 2016 Dudley-Hewitt Cup in the spring of 2015.
Season-by-season results
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | P | Results | Playoffs |
| Manitoulin Wild | ||||||||||
| 2003-04 | 48 | 15 | 32 | 0 | 1 | 179 | 245 | 31 | 6th NOJHL | Lost Quarter-final |
| 2004-05 | 48 | 14 | 30 | 1 | 3 | 164 | 266 | 32 | 6th NOJHL | Lost Quarter-final |
| Manitoulin Islanders | ||||||||||
| 2005-06 | 48 | 8 | 36 | 3 | 1 | 114 | 229 | 20 | 7th NOJHL | Lost Quarter-final |
| 2006-07 | 48 | 11 | 30 | 0 | 7 | 138 | 232 | 29 | 7th NOJHL | Lost Quarter-final |
| 2007-08 | 50 | 2 | 47 | - | 1 | 109 | 311 | 6 | 6th NOJHL | Lost Quarter-final |
| 2008-09 | 50 | 7 | 40 | - | 3 | 141 | 322 | 17 | 8th NOJHL | Lost Quarter-final |
| 2009-10 | 50 | 4 | 45 | - | 1 | 131 | 359 | 9 | 8th NOJHL | Lost Quarter-final |
| 2010-11 | 50 | 4 | 46 | - | 0 | 133 | 347 | 8 | 8th NOJHL | Lost Quarter-final |
| Kirkland Lake Gold Miners | ||||||||||
| 2011-12 | 50 | 9 | 39 | - | 2 | 138 | 288 | 20 | 6th NOJHL | Lost Quarter-final, 0-4 (Sudbury Cubs) |
| 2012-13 | 48 | 25 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 173 | 145 | 55 | 4th NOJHL | Won Quarter Finals 4-0 (Blind River Beavers) Lost Semi-final, 1-4 (North Bay Trappers) |
| 2013-14 | 56 | 43 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 234 | 118 | 92 | 2nd NOJHL | Won Quarter Finals 4-0 (North Bay Trappers) Won Semi-final, 4-1 (Eliott Lake Bobcats) Won League Final, 4-2 (Soo Thunderbirds) NOJHL CHAMPIONS |
| 2014-15 | 52 | 38 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 264 | 131 | 80 | 1st of 5 East 2nd of 9 NOJHL | Lost Div. Semi-finals, 2-4 (Powassan VooDoo) |
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, Wellington Dukes 1-4 L, Toronto Lakeshore Patriots1-4 L, Fort Frances Lakers 3-6 | 0-3-0 | 4th of 4 | n/a | n/a |
References
- ↑ http://www.saultthisweek.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3118599
- ↑ http://www.saultthisweek.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3129073
- ↑ http://blog.rogersbroadcasting.com/eztimminsnews/2012/01/12/kirkland-lake-blue-devils-burn-out/
- ↑ http://blogs.canoe.ca/randyrusson/general/mid-december-in-the-nojhl-4/
- ↑ http://www.nojhl.com/?content=news.php&id=903
External links
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