Thunder Bay North Stars

The Thunder Bay North Stars are a junior A ice hockey team from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. They are a member of the Superior International Junior Hockey League.

Thunder Bay North Stars
CityThunder Bay, Ontario
LeagueSuperior International Junior Hockey League
Founded2000
Home arenaFort William Gardens
ColoursGreen, gold, black, and white
                   
Owner(s)Scott and Kris Kellaway
General managerScott Kellaway
Head coachRob DeGagne (2017–18)
WebsiteOfficial Website
Franchise history
2000–2002Thunder Bay Wolves
2002–2003Fort William Wolves
2003–2010Fort William North Stars
2010–presentThunder Bay North Stars
Championships
Playoff championships6: (2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2019)

History

After the fall of the Thunder Bay Flyers in 2001, the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) was founded. The Thunder Bay Wolves, who had played for a short while in the Thunder Bay Junior B Hockey League, were a founding team, but after one season they changed their name to the Fort William Wolves. Fort William is one of the original names of the city of Thunder Bay. After two rather average seasons, the team rebranded as the North Stars. The team won both the regular season and the playoff titles from 2004 through 2006.

2011 North Stars in action

Their first trip to the Dudley Hewitt Cup Central Canadian Championship in 2004 saw them finish in third place. In the round-robin, the Stars lost to the North Bay Skyhawks of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) 5–4, lost again to the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League (OPJHL)'s Aurora Tigers 4–0, and defeated the NOJHL's Soo Thunderbirds 7–4 to make the semifinal. In the semifinal, the Stars were defeated by the North Bay Skyhawks for the second time in the tournament, losing 3–2.

In their second Dudley Hewitt Cup in 2005, the North Stars finished second in the round-robin, defeating the OPJHL's St. Michael's Buzzers 6–4, losing to the host OPJHL Georgetown Raiders 4–0, and then beating the North Bay Skyhawks 8–2. The semifinal was a rematch with the Buzzers, who avenged their previous loss with a 6–2 victory.

After winning their third straight of league championship in 2006, the Stars competed in their third straight Dudley Hewitt Cup, which they had already qualified for after being selected as the host team. Going into the playoffs, the Stars finished the regular season with a 50–2–0–0 record and the best in the entire Canadian Junior A Hockey League. The Stars took out the K&A Golden Hawks four games to none and then swept the Dryden Ice Dogs in the four-game final for league title. Hosting the 2006 event, the team beat up the NOJHL's Sudbury Jr. Wolves 6–1, but were then defeated by the tournament favourite St. Michael's Buzzers 7–1. In the final round-robin game, the Stars played the SIJHL runner-up Dryden Ice Dogs and beat them 3–0. Fort William and Sudbury both finished with 2–1 records, but the Stars received a bye to the championship game via tiebreaker. Sudbury then defeated Dryden 5–4 in the semifinal to face the North Stars again in the championship. The Stars and Wolves were tied 6–6 at the end of regulation time. The Stars scored quickly in overtime to win their first Dudley Hewitt Cup and a berth in the 2006 Royal Bank Cup national championship. The North Stars were the first team in SIJHL history to have ever won the Dudley Hewitt Cup or play in the Royal Bank Cup.

Captain Sean Bassingthwaite screens the net (2008)

The Stars began their first Royal Bank Cup with a loss to the host OPJHL Streetsville Derbys 3–2. The second game saw them defeat the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League's Joliette Action 4–3 in overtime. In the third game, the British Columbia Hockey League's Burnaby Express beat them 3–2. The Stars defeated the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League's Yorkton Terriers in a 2–1 victory to advance to a semifinal game. Up 2–0 with less than two minutes to go in the semifinal against the Burnaby Express, the Express scored two quick goals to send the game into overtime. Roughly a minute into the overtime, the Express eliminated the North Stars.

For the 2007–08 season, the North Stars switched to a black, silver, and white colour scheme as opposed to their traditional green, yellow, black, and white.

In October 2010, the North Stars were sold to a new ownership group, led by Doug Gunsinger. The team name was changed to the Thunder Bay North Stars. In 2015, the team ownership was sold to Scott and Kris Kellaway.[1]

Season-by-season results
SeasonGPWLTOTLGFGAPtsResultsPlayoffs
2000–013072030——145th TBJBHLDid not qualify
2001–024844220111289105th SIJHLDid not qualify
2002–0352231955211193564th SIJHLLost Semifinals, 1–4 (Bulldogs)
2003–044840611270119821st SIJHLWon Semifinals, 4–0 (Bulldogs)
Won League Finals, 4–1 (Ice Dogs)
2004–05484224032266881st SIJHLWon Semifinals, 4–0 (Golden Hawks)
Won League Finals, 4–0 (Borderland Thunder)
2005–0652502003531011001st SIJHLWon Semifinals, 4–0 (Golden Hawks)
Won League Finals, 4–0 (Dryden Ice Dogs)
Won Dudley Hewitt Cup
2006–075041630307132851st SIJHLWon Semifinals, 4–1 (Ice Dogs)
Lost League Finals, 1–4 (Diesels)
2007–0850351113218134742nd SIJHLWon Semifinals, 4–1 (Bearcats)
Lost League Finals, 3–4 (Ice Dogs)
2008–0950397—4307129821st SIJHLWon Semifinals, 4–3 (Diesels)
Won League Finals, 4–1 (Bearcats)
2009–1052455—2270104921st SIJHLWon Semifinals, 4–0 (Flyers)
Won League Finals, 4–1 (Ice Dogs)
2010–11563221—3191163674th SIJHLWon Quarterfinals, 4–1 (Flyers)
Lost Semifinals, 0–4 (Wisconsin Wilderness)
2011–12563119—6242156683rd SIJHLWon Quarterfinals, 4–0 (Clydesdales)
Lost Semifinals, 0–4 (Wisconsin Wilderness)
2012–13562827—1165206574th SIJHLLost Quarterfinals, 1–2 (Iron Rangers)
2013–14564011—5253180852nd SIJHLLost Seeding game, 6–4 (Lakers)
Lost Semifinals, 2–4 (Iron Rangers)
2014–15562725—4200227584th SIJHLWon Quarterfinals, 3–0 (Miners)
Lost Semifinals, 1–4 (Lakers)
2015–16562824—4186209603rd SIJHLLost Semifinals, 2–4 (Ice Dogs)
2016–17563119—6202183682nd of 6 SIJHLLost Semifinals, 1–4 (Miners)
2017–18563813—5253164813rd of 6 SIJHLWon Quarterfinals, 3–0 (Iron Rangers)
Won Semifinals, 4–1 (Norskies)
Lost League Finals, 2–4 (Ice Dogs)
2018–1956495—23631221001st of 6 SIJHLWon Semifinals, 4–1 (Ice Dogs)
Won League Finals, 4–1 (Miners)
2019–20543416—4239195721st of 6 SIJHLSeason cancelled

Dudley Hewitt Cup

Central Canada Jr. A Championships
NOJHL – OJHL – SIJHL – Host
Round-robin play with 2nd vs. 3rd in semifinal to advance against 1st in the championship game.

YearRound-robinRecordStandingSemifinalChampionship
2004L, North Bay Skyhawks (NOJHL/Host), 5–6
L, Aurora Tigers (OPJHL), 0–4
W, Soo Thunderbirds (NOJHL), 2–1		1–2–03rd of 4L, North Bay Skyhawks, 2–3—
2005W, St. Michael's Buzzers (OPJHL), 6–4
L, Georgetown Raiders (OPJHL/Host), 0–4
W, North Bay Skyhawks (NOJHL), 8–2		2–1–02nd of 4L, St. Michael's Buzzers, 2–6—
2006
Host		W, Sudbury Jr. Wolves (NOJHL), 6–1
L, St. Michael's Buzzers (OPJHL), 1–7
W, Dryden Ice Dogs (SIJHL), 3–0		2–1–01st of 4—W, Sudbury Jr. Wolves, 7–6 (OT)
Dudley Hewitt Champions
2009W, Soo Thunderbirds (NOJHL), 2–0
W, Kingston Voyageurs (OPJHL), 1–0
L, Schreiber Diesels (SIJHL/Host), 2–5		2–1–02nd of 4W, Schreiber Diesels, 4–3L, Kingston Voyageurs, 1–4
2010OTW, Soo Thunderbirds (NOJHL/Host), 3–2
OTL, Abitibi Eskimos (NOJHL), 3–4
OTL, Oakville Blades (OPJHL), 1–2		1–0–22nd of 4W, Soo Thunderbirds, 3–0L, Oakville Blades, 1–2
2012
Host		OTL, Stouffville Spirit (OJPHL), 1–2
L, Soo Thunderbirds (NOJHL), 3–4
OTW, Wisconsin Wilderness (SIJHL), 3–4		1–1–13rd of 4L, Soo Thunderbirds, 5–8—
2018W, Cochrane Crunch (NOJHL), 4–0
L, Wellington Dukes (OJHL), 1–4
W, Dryden Ice Dogs (SIJHL/Host), 2–1		2–1–02nd of 4L, Wellington Dukes, 3–6—
2019L, Cochrane Crunch (NOJHL/Host), 1–4
L, Hearst Lumberjacks (NOJHL), 0–3
L, Oakville Blades (OJHL), 4–9		0–3–04th of 4——

Royal Bank Cup

Canadian Jr. A National Championships
Dudley Hewitt Champions – Central, Fred Page Champions – Eastern, Doyle Cup Champion – Pacific, ANAVET Cup Champion – Western, and Host
Round-robin play with top four in semifinal games and winners to Championship.

YearRound-robinRecordStandingSemifinalChampionship
2006L, Streetsville Derbys (host), 2–3
2OTW, Joliette Action (Eastern), 4–3
L, Burnaby Express (Pacific), 2–3
W, Yorkton Terriers (Western), 2–1		2–23rd of 5OTL, Burnaby Express, 2–3—

Notable alumni
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gollark: Impressive sleep schedule.

References
  1. "Father-and-son team take over North Stars ownership". TBNewswatch.com. 31 July 2015.
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