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
Colours 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

Manitoulin Islanders' Logo

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 NOJHLLost 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 NOJHLLost 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/an/a

References

External links

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