Soo Thunderbirds

For the defunct EPHL team, see Sault Thunderbirds.

Soo Thunderbirds

City	Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
League	Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League
Division	Western
Founded	1999
Home arena	John Rhodes Community Centre
Colours	Black, Red, and White
Owner(s)	Albert Giommi
General manager	Jamie Henderson (2015-16)
Head coach	Jordan Smith
Affiliates	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
Franchise history
1999–2002	Soo Thunderbirds
2002–2003	Sault Ste. Marie Jr. Greyhounds
2003–Present	Soo Thunderbirds

The Soo Thunderbirds are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL).

History

Soo Thunderbirds first came into being as a junior hockey program in from 1978 to 1982 through a group started by the late Zoltan Kovacs, Sr.^[1] Zoltan, who emigrated to Canada from Hungary in 1956, started the Thunderbirds of the former International Junior B Hockey League to keep more young hockey players at home.^[2]^[3] Abbie Carricato coached the Thunderbirds during Zoltan's ownership period (1978-1982).^[4] The Thunderbirds won three IJHL championships during Zoltan's ownership. The IJHL later folded.

In 2012, the Thunderbirds won the NOJHL League Championship as well as the coveted Dudley Hewitt Cup. They went on to play at the Royal Bank Cup in Humboldt, Saskatchewan.

Soo Jr. Greyhounds

The Soo Thunderbirds announced became the Soo Jr. Greyhounds for 2002–03 to establish closer relations with the Ontario Hockey League's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. This only lasted one season, and for the 2003–04 season, the Jr. Greyhounds became the Soo Thunderbirds once again.

Season-by-season results

Season	GP	W	L	T	OTL	GF	GA	Pts	Result	Playoffs
Soo Thunderbirds
1999–00	40	22	15	3	—	184	145	47	3rd NOJHL
2000–01	40	33	4	1	2	240	95	69	2nd NOJHL	Lost Final
2001–02	42	35	5	0	2	347	122	72	2nd NOJHL	Lost Final
Sault Ste. Marie Jr. Greyhounds
2002–03	48	35	11	2	—	305	161	72	2nd NOJHL	Lost Final
Soo Thunderbirds
2003–04	48	31	9	7	1	266	155	70	2nd NOJHL	Lost Final
2004–05	48	26	17	2	3	206	175	57	5th NOJHL	Lost Semi-final
2005–06	48	31	16	0	1	220	165	63	2nd NOJHL	Lost Semi-final
2006–07	48	22	22	0	4	170	184	48	5th NOJHL	Lost Semi-final
2007–08	50	33	9	—	8	206	145	101	1st NOJHL	Lost Final
2008–09	50	35	14	—	1	244	153	71	2nd NOJHL	Won League
2009–10	50	33	14	—	3	253	154	69	3rd NOJHL	Lost Final
2010–11	50	38	9	—	3	244	144	79	1st NOJHL	Lost Semi-final
2011–12	50	38	7	1	6	245	156	83	1st NOJHL	Won League Won Dudley Hewitt Cup
2012–13	48	33	9	3	3	223	123	72	2nd NOJHL	Lost Final
2013–14	56	48	5	1	2	245	102	99	1st NOJHL	Lost Final
2014–15	52	48	7	1	6	271	130	83	1st of 4, West 1st of 9, NOJHL	Won Div. Semifinals, 4-0 vs. Blind River Beavers Won Div. Finals, 4-1 vs. Elliot Lake Wildcats Won League Finals, 4-1 vs. Cochrane Crunch LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
2015–16	54	47	6	0	1	245	93	95	1st of 6, West 1st of 12, NOJHL	Won Div. Semifinals, 4-0 vs. Soo Eagles Won Div. Finals, 4-1 vs. Elliot Lake Wildcats Won League Finals, 4-0 vs. Kirkland Lake Gold Miners LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

Dudley Hewitt Cup

Central Canada Championships
Winners of the NOJHL, OJHL, SIJHL, and Host
Round robin play with 2nd vs 3rd in semi-final to advance against 1st in the finals.

Year	Round Robin	Record	Standing	Semifinal	Gold Medal Game
2009	L, Fort William North Stars (SIJHL) 0-2 L, Schreiber Diesels (SIJHL/Host) 0-2 L, Kingston Voyageurs (OJHL) 0-3	0-0-3	4th of 4	Did not advance
2012	OTW, Wisconsin Wilderness (SIJHL) 4-3 W, Thunder Bay North Stars (Host) 4-3 L, Stouffville Spirit (OJHL) 2-10	2-1-0	2nd of 4	W, Thunder Bay North Stars 8-5	W, Stouffville Spirit 5-3 Dudley Hewitt Cup Champions
2015	W, Dryden Ice Dogs (SIJHL) 8-1 W, Fort Frances Lakers (Host) 6-3 OTL, Toronto Patriots (OJHL) 3-4	2-0-1	1st of 4	n/a	W, Fort Frances Lakers 6-3 Dudley Hewitt Cup Champions
2016	L, Trenton Golden Hawks (OJHL) 2-4 W, Fort Frances Lakers 6-5 W, Kirkland Lake Gold Miners (Host) 3-2	2-1-0	2nd of 4	?, Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 0-0	n/a

Royal Bank Cup

CANADIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Dudley Hewitt Champions - Central, Fred Page Champions - Eastern, Western Canada Cup Champions - Western, Western Canada Cup - Runners Up and Host
Round robin play with top 4 in semi-final and winners to finals.

Year	Round Robin	Record	Standing	Semifinal	Gold Medal Game
2012	W, Penticton Vees 2-1 2OTL, Portage Terriers 3-4 L, Humboldt Broncos 0-3 W, Woodstock Slammers 7-4	2-2	2nd of 5	L, Penticton Vees 0-3	n/a
2015	L, Carleton Place Canadians 0-4 L, Melfort Mustangs 3-5 L, Portage Terriers 2-7 L, Penticton Vees 2-5	0-4-0	5th of 5	Did not advance

References

↑ "ThunderBirds look to restore the lore". Sault This Week. 1 May 2012.
↑ "FORMER THUNDERBIRD, DAVE ANTONELLO, WALKS DOWN MEMORY LANE; TEAM HOLDING ALUMNI NIGHT MARCH 9". NOJHL. 14 February 2013.
↑ "Thunderbirds Alumni Profile: Carlo DiCandia". EUPnews. 21 February 2013.
↑ "New Horizons". Junior Hockey News. 26 May 2013.

External links

Thunderbirds Webpage

Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League

Current Teams

Former Teams

History

IJBHL
NOJHA

NOHA Junior A
Seasons

NOJHA	1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72

NOJHL	1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16

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