2023–24 SIJHL season

2023–24 SIJHL season
LeagueSIJHL
SportIce hockey
DurationSeptember–April
Number of games49
Number of teams8
Streaming partner(s)sijhl.tv
League championsSioux Lookout Bombers
  Runners-upKam River Fighting Walleye
Seasons
2024–25 →

The 2023–24 SIJHL season was the 22nd season of the Superior International Junior Hockey League. The league's 7 teams each played a 49-game regular season schedule from September 2023 – March 2024. The Sioux Lookout Bombers won the league championship Bill Salonen Cup after defeating the Kam River Fighting Walleye in four games in the final round of the playoffs.

League changes

The Kenora Islanders joined the league as an expansion team.[1] League commissioner Darrin Nicholas stepped down at the end of the season to pursue other opportunities.[2] Dean Thibodeau was appointed as the seventh commissioner in league history on 2 August 2024.[3]

Regular season

Teams played each other team 7 times during the regular season.[4]

Standings
Team GP W L OTL SOL Pts
Kam River Fighting Walleye 49 39 9 1 0 79
Sioux Lookout Bombers 49 35 10 2 2 74
Thunder Bay North Stars 49 32 12 3 2 69
Dryden Ice Dogs 49 31 16 1 1 64
Red Lake Miners 49 29 18 2 0 60
Wisconsin Lumberjacks 49 16 26 6 1 39
Fort Frances Lakers 49 12 31 4 2 30
Kenora Islanders 49 2 46 0 1 5

Post-season

2024 SIJHL playoffs
Bill Salonen Cup
Tournament details
Dates22 March – 21 April
Teams8
Defending championsKam River Fighting Walleye
Final positions
ChampionsSioux Lookout Bombers
Runner-upKam River Fighting Walleye
Semifinalists
Tournament statistics
Games played30
Goals scored226 (7.53 per game)
Attendance13,146 (438 per game)
Official website
2024 SIJHL playoffs

The playoff format consisted of 3 best-of-7 rounds and all 8 teams.[1] Ultimately the 2nd place Sioux Lookout Bombers swept the 1st place Kam River Fighting Walleye 4-0 in the final round.[5][6]

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
      
Kam River 4
Kenora 0
Kam River 4
Red Lake 0
Dryden 1
Red Lake 4
Kam River 0
Sioux Lookout 4
Sioux Lookout 4
Fort Frances 0
Sioux Lookout 4
Thunder Bay 1
Thunder Bay 4
Wisconsin 0

The Sioux Lookout Bombers advanced to the national championship tournament and were eliminated after the preliminary round.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Moskalyk, Gary (17 June 2023). "Islanders have landed in the SIJHL". The Chronicle-Journal. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  2. ^ Villagracia, Reuben (1 May 2024). "SIJHL willl have change at the top". The Chronicle-Journal. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  3. ^ Punkari, Lucas (27 August 2024). "New SIJHL commissioner excited for opportunity". NWONewsWatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  4. ^ Jeffrey, Kevin (8 August 2023). "SIJHL releases 2023-2024 schedule". TBNewsWatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  5. ^ Brody, Tim (24 April 2024). "Champions! - Sioux Lookout Bombers sweep reigning champion Kam River Fighting Walleye to win Bill Salonen Cup". siouxbulletin.com. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  6. ^ Davidson, Tim (22 April 2024). "Bombers sweep Fighting Walleye in SIJHL finals". CKDR. Acadia Broadcasting. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Bombers finish up at Centennial Cup". The Chronicle-Journal. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.

Further reading