NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE www.nojhl.com
NOJHL COMMUNICATIONS MEDIA RELEASE
Release date: Sunday, Aug. 18, 2013
NOJHL Notebook: Preseason schedule announced
SUDBURY – The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League announced Sunday its preseason schedule heading into the 2013-14 campaign.
Exhibition action gets underway Aug. 24 as the Abitibi Eskimos host the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners at Jus Jordan Arena in Iroquois Falls in the first of a weekend home-and-home between the two sides.
Their second meeting goes the following evening with the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex serving as the venue. Both contests will get underway at 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 25 will also feature some inter-league play as the North Bay Trappers head to the Ottawa Valley to take on the Pembroke Lumber Kings of the CCHL in a 4 p.m. matinee.
The next night, Aug. 26, preseason play resumes as the Sudbury Nickel Barons take on the Elliot Lake Bobcats in a contest that will be staged at Walden Arena at 7 p.m.
From there the remaining nine NOJHL preseason games will be part of the first annual Cottage Cup in Elliot Lake that runs from Aug. 30 through Sept. 1.
This event will be held at Centennial Arena in Elliot Lake and will feature the host Bobcats along with the Blind River Beavers, North Bay and the Soo Thunderbirds vying for the Cottage Cup crown.
The following is the NOJHL preseason schedule:
Saturday, Aug. 24 Kirkland Lake @ Abitibi 7:30 p.m. (Jus Jordan) Sunday, Aug. 25 North Bay @ Pembroke (CCHL) 4 p.m. (Pembroke Community Centre) Abitibi @ Kirkland Lake 7:30 p.m. (Joe Mavrinac) Monday, Aug. 26 Elliot Lake @ Sudbury 7 p.m. (Walden) Friday, Aug. 30* North Bay vs. Soo 5 p.m. (Centennial) Blind River vs. Elliot Lake 7:30 p.m. (Centennial) Saturday, Aug. 31* Blind River vs. North Bay 10 a.m. (Centennial) Soo vs. Elliot Lake 12:30 p.m. (Centennial) Blind River vs. Soo 5 p.m. (Centennial) Elliot Lake vs. North Bay 7:30 p.m. (Centennial) Sunday, Sept. 1* Cottage Cup Semifinal A: 4th Round Robin vs. 1st Round Robin 10 a.m. (Centennial) Cottage Cup Semifinal B: 3rd Round Robin vs. 2nd Round Robin 12:30 p.m. (Centennial) Cottage Cup Final: Semifinal Winners 4 p.m. (Centennial) * – Elliot Lake Cottage Cup (All games at Centennial Arena)
SUMMER SELECT SHOWCASE WRAP: The inaugural Ontario Summer Select Showcase event wrapped up last weekend in Cornwall, which featured 15 participants representing the NOJHL at the three-day event.
The NOJHL squad, which also included five members of CCHL teams finished with a 1-2 overall record.
In their opening game the NOJHLers slipped past the OJHL Selects No. 2 by a 3-2 score.
That was followed by a narrow 3-2 setback vs. the CCHL Selects before rounding out play with a 9-2 loss at the hands on the OJHL No. 1 side.
Offensively, Ryan Theriault, who was representing the Espanola Rivermen, had a productive camp topping his team and all skaters overall in goals with four. His point total of four also tied him for first overall.
Anthony Miller of the Soo Thunderbirds and Tanner Lafrance of the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners were next in team scoring with two points apiece in three outings.
NOJHL rookie of the Joel Horodziejczyk of the Thunderbirds had a pair of no decisions in his time in net as the lone league netminder that took part in the OSSS.
REGULAR SEASON: Regular season action in the NOJHL will commence on Sept. 4 with the Abitibi Eskimos visiting McClelland Arena in Copper Cliff to take on the Sudbury Nickel Barons.
The regular season is set to conclude on March 9.
Each of the eight member clubs will play a 56-game slate during the campaign.
Overtime in regular season action will remain the same as last year.
NOJHL SHOWCASE: The NOJHL is slated to host a league Showcase Weekend Jan. 10-11 in Espanola.
A total of four league regular season games, which will count in the NOJHL standings, will be played at the Espanola Regional Recreation Complex.
The goal is to further showcase the players of the NOJHL in one location to further assist NCAA, CIS, CHL and NHL scouts allowing them access to all league members clubs in one venue.
NOJHL SHOWCASE GAMES
Friday, Jan. 10 Elliot Lake vs. Espanola 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 12 Kirkland Lake vs. Blind River 1:30 p.m. Abitibi vs. Soo 4:15 p.m. Sudbury vs. North Bay 7:15 p.m.
CENTRAL CANADA CUP: Over the Christmas break the NOJHL will be sending an all-star team that will compete in the Central Canada Cup Challenge Dec. 27-29 in Terrebonne, Que.
There the NOJHLers will go up against similar all-star squads from the Maritime, Quebec, Central Canada and Ontario Jr. Hockey Leagues.
This marks the second time in three years the league will take part in the event.
DUDLEY-HEWITT CUP: The NOJHL champion will move on to represent the league at the 2014 Dudley-Hewitt Cup Central Canada Jr. A Championship.
That four-team event will be hosted by the OJHL’s Wellington Dukes and will run April 29 – May 3 at the Essroc Arena in the Wellington and District Community Centre.
ROYAL BANK CUP: The DHC title holder will then move on to represent the region at the 2014 RBC Cup Canadian Jr. A Championship with that tournament being hosted by the BCHL’s Vernon Lakers May 10-18 in Vernon, B.C
