Draft:2021–22 NOJHL season
| 2021–22 NOJHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | September–April |
| Number of games | 288 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Total attendance | 67,555 |
| Streaming partner(s) | HockeyTV |
| Finals champions | Soo Thunderbirds |
The 2021–22 NOJHL season was the 44th season of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL). The Soo Thunderbirds finished the regular season in first place overall and went on to win the league championship Copeland Cup – McNamara Trophy.
The franchise formerly known as the Balfour Rayside Canadiens relocated to Greater Sudbury and was rebranded as the Greater Sudbury Cubs.[1]
Referee Brandy Dewar-Beecroft became the first woman referee to officiate an NOJHL game on 20 February 2022 in a match between the Blind River Beavers and Elliot Lake Red Wings.[2]
Regular season
The regular season ran from 16 September 2021 to 2 April 2022, with each team playing a 48-game schedule. The Soo Thunderbirds finished in first place overall and the Timmins Rock finished first in the East division. The top 5 teams in each division advanced to the playoffs.
| Team | GP | W | L | OTW | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timmins Rock | 48 | 33 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 225 | 124 | 73 |
| Hearst Lumberjacks | 48 | 35 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 217 | 139 | 72 |
| Powassan Voodoos | 48 | 30 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 184 | 145 | 67 |
| French River Rapids | 48 | 23 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 197 | 196 | 47 |
| Kirkland Lake Gold Miners | 48 | 12 | 33 | 0 | 3 | 151 | 231 | 27 |
| Cochrane Crunch | 48 | 2 | 43 | 1 | 2 | 91 | 270 | 7 |
Source: "2021–22 NOJHL standings". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
| Team | GP | W | L | OTW | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soo Thunderbirds | 48 | 38 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 189 | 101 | 81 |
| Soo Eagles | 48 | 33 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 178 | 148 | 70 |
| Greater Sudbury Cubs | 48 | 27 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 171 | 131 | 58 |
| Blind River Beavers | 48 | 25 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 151 | 159 | 56 |
| Elliot Lake Red Wings | 48 | 17 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 149 | 192 | 36 |
| Espanola Express | 48 | 13 | 31 | 4 | 0 | 150 | 217 | 30 |
Source: "2021–22 NOJHL standings". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
Post-season
| Copeland Cup – McNamara Trophy | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Teams | 10 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Soo Thunderbirds |
| Runner-up | Hearst Lumberjacks |
| Semifinalists | |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Games played | 43 |
| Goals scored | 267 (6.21 per game) |
| Attendance | 26,365 (613 per game) |
| Playoff MVP | Noah Metivier |
The first, second and third-place teams from each division at the conclusion of the regular season advanced to the quarterfinals. The fourth and fifth-place teams from each division played each other in a best-of-three series, with the winner advancing to play the first-place team from their division in the quarterfinals. The winners of the quarterfinals, semifinals and final were determined by best-of-seven series. The Soo Thunderbirds defeated the Hearst Lumberjacks in game 7 of the final round to win the league championship Copeland Cup – McNamara Trophy and advance to the national championship 2022 Centennial Cup tournament in Estevan, Saskatchewan.[3]
| First round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Timmins Rock | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| French River Rapids | 2 | French River Rapids | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Kirkland Lake | 0 | Timmins Rock | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Hearst Lumberjacks | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| Powassan Voodoos | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Hearst Lumberjacks | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| Hearst Lumberjacks | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| Soo Thunderbirds | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| Soo Thunderbirds | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| Blind River Beavers | 2 | Blind River Beavers | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Elliot Lake Red Wings | 1 | Soo Thunderbirds | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Soo Eagles | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| Soo Eagles | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| Greater Sudbury Cubs | 2 | ||||||||||||||
Source: "2021–22 NOJHL playoff results". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
National championship
| Centennial Cup | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tournament details | |
| City | Estevan, Saskatchewan |
| Venue(s) | Affinity Place |
| Dates | 18–20 May 2022 |
| Teams | 10 |
| Host team | Estevan Bruins |
| Defending champions | Brooks Bandits |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Brooks Bandits |
| Runner-up | Pickering Panthers |
| Tournament statistics | |
| MVP | Carson Cherepak |
| Official website | |
| Hockey Canada | |
In 2022, Hockey Canada eliminated regional inter-league championships and expanded the national championship tournament to 10 teams.[4][5] The new format consisted of a 4-game round-robin with two groups of five teams, followed by a six-team single-elimination play-off.[6]
The tournament took place at Affinity Place in Estevan, Saskatchewan from 18–29 May 2022.[7] It was the first year the event had been played since 2019, as the COVID-19 pandemic had forced the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 tournaments.[8]
The Soo Thunderbirds were eliminated from competition after losing four games in the round-robin phase. In the final round, the Brooks Bandits of the AJHL defeated the Pickering Panthers of the OJHL to win the tournament.[9]
Round robin
The new format consisted of a 4-game round-robin with two groups of five teams, followed by a six-team single-elimination play-off. The top 3 teams from each group advanced to the playoffs, and the 1st place teams in each group had a bye to the semifinals.[6]
| Group A | BB | PP | CFL | EB | RLM | |
| 1 | Brooks Bandits | 9-1 | 5-2 | 4-0 | 11-4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Pickering Panthers | 1-9 | 3-2 | 10-5 | 9-2 | |
| 3 | Collège Français de Longueuil | 2-5 | 2-3 | 5-3 | 6-1 | |
| 4 | Estevan Bruins | 0-4 | 5-10 | 3-5 | 6-2 | |
| 5 | Red Lake Miners | 4-11 | 2-9 | 1-6 | 2-6 |
| Group B | DK | SWC | FFB | OJS | ST | |
| 1 | Dauphin Kings | 7-1 | 1-2 | 2-1 | 6-1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Summerside Western Capitals | 1-7 | 4-1 | 4-3 | 4-1 | |
| 3 | Flin Flon Bombers | 2-1 | 1-4 | 3-2 | 6-1 | |
| 4 | Ottawa Jr. Senators | 1-2 | 3-4 | 2-3 | 4-0 | |
| 5 | Soo Thunderbirds | 1-6 | 1-4 | 1-6 | 0-4 |
Playoffs
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||
| Pickering Panthers | 3 | ||||||||||
| Flin Flon Bombers | 2 | ||||||||||
| Pickering Panthers | 2 | ||||||||||
| Dauphin Kings | 0 | ||||||||||
| Pickering Panthers | 1 | ||||||||||
| Brooks Bandits | 4 | ||||||||||
| Brooks Bandits | 11 | ||||||||||
| Collège Français de Longueuil | 2 | ||||||||||
| Summerside Western Capitals | 3 | ||||||||||
| Collège Français de Longueuil | 4 | ||||||||||
References
- ^ Leeson, Ben (9 September 2021). "New Cubs, new den: Greater Sudbury junior club rebrands, relocates for 2021–22". thesudburystar.com. Postmedia. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- ^ Anderson, Gordon (7 March 2022). "The pioneering kind: Brandy Dewar-Beecroft the first woman to officiate a NOJHL game". saultstar.com. Postmedia. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- ^ "Road to the 2022 Centennial Cup: Soo Thunderbirds". hockeycanada.ca. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- ^ Dunick, Leith (22 March 2022). "Dudley Hewitt Cup cancelled, SIJHL champ will go directly to Centennial Cup". tbnewswatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ Willberg, David (22 March 2022). "The 2022 Centennial Cup in Estevan will be the biggest ever with 10 teams". SaskToday.ca. Harvard Media. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- ^ a b Willberg, David (16 May 2022). "The field is set for the Centennial Cup in Estevan". SaskToday.ca. Harvard Media. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- ^ "Changes coming to this year's Centennial Cup in Saskatchewan". battlefordsnow.com. Pattison Media. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ Mahon, Rob (18 May 2021). "Estevan Bruins To Remain Host For 2022 Centennial Cup". discoverestevan.com. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ Sawatzky, Mike (31 May 2022). "Manitobans hoist Centennial Cup". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
Sources
- "NOJHL announces plans for 2021–22 season". cjhlhockey.com (Press release). 23 June 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- "NOJHL releases its 2021–22 regular season schedule". nojhl.com (Press release). 10 July 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- "Thunderbird alumni netminder Landon Miller most recent NOJHL player to be draft in 2024 by NHL Detroit Red Wings". saultsports.com. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
Gibson, 19, was named the NOJHL's Best Defenceman as a member of the Thunderbirds in 2021-22, while going on to earn first team all-star laurels.
- Leeson, Ben (25 June 2021). "Rapids well underway in building NOJHL entry for 2021–22". thesudburystar.com. Postmedia. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- "CJHL announces its Top Goaltender award finalists for 2021–22". cjhlhockey.com (Press release). 4 May 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- Coccimiglio, Brad (30 April 2021). "New Thunderbirds ownership group has NHL connection". SooToday.com. Village Media. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- Perry, Thomas (30 April 2021). "UPDATE: Rock name Perry GM/Coach". timminspress.com. Postmedia. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- Swain, Miranda (7 October 2021). "Wolves affiliate with Cubs and Spirit". chl.ca. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- Russon, Randy; Annelin, Tom (18 January 2022). "Young talent making an impressive mark throughout the NOJHL". saultthisweek.com. Postmedia. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- Russon, Randy (4 April 2022). "'We have D1 players in the NOJHL' says coach of Soo Eagles". saultthisweek.com. Postmedia. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- "NOJHL announces plan for return to action". SooToday.com. Village Media. 20 January 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- Ruicci, Peter (6 May 2021). "Jarrett would 'love to have' OHL opportunity one day". saultstar.com. Postmedia. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- Russon, Randy (25 April 2022). "Kyle Brick signs up for three more years with Blind River Beavers". saultthisweek.com. Postmedia. Retrieved 18 January 2025.