Red Lake Miners

Red Lake Miners
CityRed Lake, Ontario, Canada
LeagueSuperior International Junior Hockey League
Founded2013
Home arenaCochenour Arena
ColoursBlack, yellow, and white
General managerLee Stone
Head coachLee Stone
Franchise history
2013–2018English River Miners
2018–presentRed Lake Miners

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.

History

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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.

Season-by-season records

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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

Centennial Cup - Revised format 2022

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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

References

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  1. ^ "Ear Falls, Red Lake franchise joins SIJHL". TBNewswatch. May 9, 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  2. ^ "Ear Falls SIJHL team update". Kenora Online. May 29, 2013.
  3. ^ "English River Miners at Dryden GM Ice Dogs". SIJHL. September 20, 2013.
  4. ^ "Wisconsin Wilderness at English River Miners". SIJHL. October 10, 2013.
  5. ^ "Wisconsin Wilderness 1 at English River Miners 3 (Final) | Ice Hockey Game Sheet". October 10, 2013. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  6. ^ "Miners hire new bench boss". KenoraOnline. May 25, 2015.
  7. ^ "Introducing the SIJHL Red Lake Miners". Netnewsledger.com. August 9, 2018.
  8. ^ "SIJHL's English River Miners change team name". TBNewswatch. August 9, 2018.
  9. ^ "Former Red Lake coach heads west". 89.5 The Lake. July 17, 2019.
  10. ^ "Change in coaching staff for the Merritt Centennials". Merritt Herald. October 16, 2019.
  11. ^ "Red Lake Miners hire hew Head Coach/GM". CKDR. June 18, 2019.
  12. ^ "CJHL announces official cancellation for remainder of 2019-20 season". Canadian Junior Hockey League. March 13, 2020.
  13. ^ "SIJHL CANCELS 2020-21 SEASON". SIJHL. March 1, 2021.
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