The Fort Frances Lakers are a

junior A Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

team based in

Fort Frances Fort Frances is a town in, and the seat of, Rainy River District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The population as of the 2016 census was 7,739. Fort Frances is a popular fishing destination. It hosts the annual Fort Frances Canadian Bass Cham ...

, Ontario, Canada. They play in the

Superior International Junior Hockey League The Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) is a junior A ice hockey league and a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) and Hockey Canada. The league operates in the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. states of M ...

History

Jr. Sabres

Founded in 2007, the Fort Frances Jr. Sabres were the first junior A team to play in Fort Frances since the

Fort Frances Borderland Thunder The Borderland Thunder are a defunct Junior "A" ice hockey team from Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada. They were a part of the Superior International Junior Hockey League. History Despite four successful season in the SIJHL and a league title, the ...

left the

(SIJHL) after four seasons in 2005. The Borderland Thunder wanted to play in the

Manitoba Junior Hockey League The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The MJHL consists of thirteen teams all based ...

, but chose to go on hiatus when they did not receive clearance for the transfer. The Sabres new ownership group, led by Carolyn Kellaway, were approved as the seventh member of the SIJHL in 2007. On September 14, 2007, the Fort Frances Jr. Sabres played their first game at home against the

Thunder Bay Bulldogs The Thunder Bay Bulldogs were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from the Port Arthur section of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. They were a part of the Superior International Junior Hockey League. History The Thunder Bay Bulldogs, sometimes referred to ...

, defeating the Bulldog 5–1 and also claiming their first team victory. Alessio Tomassetti scored the team's first goal 3:14 into the first period. Goaltender Ryan Faragher, a Fort Frances native, earned the win while making 29 saves.

Lakers

In the summer of 2009, the Fort Frances team nearly folded. With the

Thunder Bay Bearcats The Thunder Bay Bearcats were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. They were a part of the Superior International Junior Hockey League. History The team was founded in 2001 with the Superior International Junior Hockey ...

and

Schreiber Diesels The Schreiber Diesels were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Schreiber, Ontario, Canada. They were a part of the Superior International Junior Hockey League. History The Schreiber Diesels were coached by Bobby Spadoni, a life long resident of th ...

leaving the SIJHL, the ownership of the Sabres decided to pull their team out of the 2009–10 season despite initially telling the press and the league that the team was operating and would not be sitting out during the coming season. It was later revealed the franchise would be sold to new ownership, but as the season drew nearer, the team had not found a buyer. In an effort to keep the team alive, the community took over the franchise and turned it into a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

. On September 10, 2009, the team rebranded by changing their name to the Lakers. The reborn community-owned Lakers played their first game as a non-profit organization on September 17, 2009, in Fort Frances against the defending league champion

Fort William 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. History After the fall of the Thunder Bay Flyers in 2001, the Superior Internation ...

in their home opener. The Lakers lost 5–2 with an empty net goal. A night later, the Lakers won the first game of their new era by defeating the expansion

Thunder Bay Wolverines The Thunder Bay K&A Wolverines were a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Thunder Bay, Ontario. They were members of the Superior International Junior Hockey League. They played in the Thunder Bay Junior B Hockey League of Hockey Northweste ...

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population ...

3–2.

Season-by-season

Dudley Hewitt Cup

'' Central Canada Jr. A Championships
''

NOJHL The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) is a Canadian Junior ice hockey league and member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League and Northern Ontario Hockey Association. The winner of the NOJHL playoffs competes for the Dudley Hewitt Cup ...

–

OJHL The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada. It is under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The league was listed as the 7th best d ...

–

SIJHL The Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) is a junior A ice hockey league and a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) and Hockey Canada. The league operates in the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. states of M ...

– Host''
Round-robin play with 2nd vs. 3rd in semifinal to advance against 1st in the championship game.

References

External links

Fort Frances LakersSuperior International Junior Hockey League
{{SIJHL Superior International Junior Hockey League teams Ice hockey teams in Ontario Sport in Northern Ontario Fort Frances Ice hockey clubs established in 2007 2007 establishments in Ontario