The Iron Range Yellow Jackets were a Junior "B"

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

team from

Coleraine Coleraine ( ; from , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, No ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. This defunct hockey team was a part of the

Minnesota Junior Hockey League The Minnesota Junior Hockey League (MnJHL) was a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III junior ice hockey league operated out of Minneapolis-Saint Paul. History Established in 1974, the MnJHL developed players 20 years old and younger for over 40 years ...

and an interleague member of the Junior "A"

Superior International Junior Hockey League The Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) is a Junior ice hockey#Junior 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 Ontar ...

History

The Yellow Jackets played in the MNJHL from 1999 until 2002. Iron Range won the regular season title and playoff championship all three seasons. During their first two seasons the Yellow Jackets played home games at Hodgins-Berardo Arena in Coleraine. Iron Range played in two USA Hockey Junior B National Tournament championship games, coming up just short both times. The Jackets attempted to win the title in their first season, but lost in overtime to the Ventura Mariners 5-4. In 2000-01 the Yellow Jackets traveled to the east coast and again were a goal short, losing to 5-4 to the Connecticut Clippers. During that final 2001-02 season they called the IRA Civic Center in Grand Rapids home and doubled their schedule by competing in the SIJHL in the

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 i ...

, region of

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. In July 2002 the Yellow Jackets suspended operations in hopes of returning in 2003-04. Head Coach Eric Ballard was named coach of the Northwest Wisconsin Knights for the 2002-03 season.

Iron Range junior hockey

Junior A hockey returned to the Iron Range, in Chisholm with the Iron Range Ironheads during the 2011-12 SIJHL season. In 2012, the team moved to Hoyt Lakes and was renamed the

Minnesota Iron Rangers The Minnesota Iron Rangers were an American junior ice hockey team based in Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota. Originally named Iron Range Ironheads, the Iron Rangers played in the Canadian-based Superior International Junior Hockey League. Iron Range Iro ...

Season-by-season results

References

External links

MNJHL website

SIJHL website
{{SIJHL Defunct ice hockey teams in Minnesota Ice hockey clubs established in 1999 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2002 1999 establishments in Minnesota 2002 disestablishments in Minnesota