DUDLEY-HEWITT CUP
DHC MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Dudley-Hewitt Cup field almost set
FORT FRANCES, Ont. – With less than a week until the start of the Dudley-Hewitt Cup Central Canada Jr. A Championship at Ice for Kids Arena in Fort Frances, the competing field in the four-team event is just about set.
Three of the four clubs that will take part in the five-day tournament have already been confirmed and the final team will be decided tonight as Game 7 of the Ontario Junior Hockey League Buckland Cup takes place at 8 p.m. as the Toronto Patriots host the Kingston Voyaguers.
Down three games to one in the best-of-seven affair, the Voyageurs have rallied to take the past two contests to force a deciding game to determine the OJHL representative in Fort Frances.
A victory by the Patriots would mean a repeat as OJHL Buckland Cup champs as they claimed the league title last season before going on to capture the 2014 Dudley-Hewitt Cup held in Wellington, Ont.
Should the Voyageurs prevail it would mark their first OJHL crown since 2009, a year they also went on to win the Dudley-Hewitt Cup that was held in Screiber, Ont.
Over the weekend the champions of the Superior International Junior Hockey League and the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League were decided.
The Dudley-Hewitt Cup host Fort Frances Lakers captured their second consecutive SIJHL title Saturday as they defeated the Dryden GM Ice Dogs 3-1 to take the Bill Salonen Cup in six games.
As Fort Frances is hosting the Dudley-Hewitt, Dryden had already earned an automatic berth into the DHC and will also participate.
Lakers’ netminder Nathan Park was named the SIJHL’s Gongshow Gear playoff most valuable player for his efforts in the postseason.
Park finished with an 8-2 record in the playoffs saving some of his best work for the final three games of the Salonen Cup final backstopping Fort Frances consecutive victories and giving them the title.
In all, he finished with a league-best 2.65 goals-against average in the postseason along with a SIJHL-leading .919 save percentage.
Park was earlier named a SIJHL CCM first team all-star and the league’s top goaltender award recipient for his efforts between the pipes during the course of the regular season.
Meanwhile perennial NOJHL power, the Soo Thunderbirds, added to their 2014-15 league regular season crown by winning the Copeland Cup – McNamara Trophy playoff title as they defeated the Cochrane Crunch 5-3 Sunday to take that best-of-seven in five outings.
It marked the T-Birds second NOJHL postseason championship in four years having played in each of the past four league finals.
Garnering NOJHL playoff MVP laurels was talented Sault Ste. Marie defencemen Owen Headrick.
In 14 postseason contests the 17-year-old blueliner was outstanding; amassing 20 points on a dozen goals and eight assists.
He also finished the playoffs riding a 10-game point streak, which paced all league skaters.
Headrick’s offensive numbers also led all NOJHL defencemen while finishing tied for his team lead in scoring and finishing knotted for third in league playoff production in.
FASTHOCKEY: Tonight’s Game 7 of the OJHL final as well as each Dudley-Hewitt Cup contest will be available online via pay-per-view at fasthockey.com.
DHC WINNERS: Of the three competing leagues in the Dudley-Hewitt Cup, each has captured the event title once in the past three years.
It was the OJHL’s Patriots who won it all last season in Wellington, Ont., while the Minnesota Wilderness of the SIJHL claimed the crowned in North Bay back in 2013 and the Thunderbirds took the title in Thunder Bay in 2012.
DUDLEY-HEWITT CUP WEBSITE: More information on the 2015 Dudley-Hewitt Cup, including ticket packages, can be found on the official event website at www.centralcanadianchampionship.com.
Additional news, statistics, schedules and other relevant material is also posted on the website with other relevant information being added leading up to the event.
Other news and notes on the competing leagues can be found on their respective websites:
SIJHL: www.sijhlhockey.com
NOJHL: www.nojhl.com
OJHL: www.ojhl.ca
RBC CUP: The Dudley-Hewitt Cup winner will advance to represent the central region at the 2015 RBC Cup Canadian Jr. A Championship, May 9-17, in Portage la Prairie, Man.
Serving as host will be the Portage Terriers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.
Joining the Terriers and Dudley-Hewitt title holders will be the champion and finalist of Crescent Energy Western Canadian Championship as well as the winner of the Fred Page Cup Eastern Canadian Championship.
More information on the RBC Cup can be found at www.hockeycanada.ca/rbccup.
SIJHL BILL SALONEN CUP Final
Fort Frances Lakers vs. Dryden GM Ice Dogs
Lakers win best-of-seven series 4-2
Game 1: Fort Frances 6 Dryden 2
Game 2: Dryden 5 Fort Frances 4
Game 3: Dryden 3 Fort Frances 2 (OT)
Game 4: Fort Frances 3 Dryden 2
Game 5: Fort Frances 6 Dryden 3
Game 6: Fort Frances 3 Dryden 1
NOJHL Copeland Cup/McNamara Trophy Final
Soo Thunderbirds vs. Cochrane Crunch
Thunderbirds win best-of-seven series 4-1
Game 1: Cochrane 6 Soo 2
Game 2: Soo 8 Cochrane 0
Game 3: Soo 4 Cochrane 2
Game 4: Soo 2 Cochrane 0
Game 5: Soo 5 Cochrane 3
OJHL Buckland Cup Final
Toronto Patriots vs. Kingston Voyageurs
Best-of-seven series tied 3-3
Game 1: Kingston 6 Toronto 1
Game 2: Toronto 5 Kingston 3
Game 3: Toronto 6 Kingston 1
Game 4: Toronto 2 Kingston 1 (OT)
Game 5: Kingston 2 Toronto 1 (OT)
Game 6: Kingston 3 Toronto 1
Game 7: TONIGHT @ Toronto 8 p.m.
Dudley-Hewitt Cup
April 28 – May 2
Ice for Kids Arena
Fort Frances, Ont.
Competing teams
HOST: Fort Frances Lakers (Bill Salonen Cup champion)
SIJHL: Dryden GM Ice Dogs (Bill Salonen Cup finalist)
NOJHL: Soo Thunderbirds (Copeland Cup – McNamara Trophy champion)
OJHL: Toronto Patriots or Kingston Voyaguers (Buckland Cup champion)
Schedule (All start times Central Standard Time)
Tuesday, April 28
Soo vs. Dryden 2 p.m.
OJHL vs. Fort Frances 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 29
OJHL vs. Dryden 2 p.m.
Fort Frances vs. NOJHL 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 30
Soo vs. OJHL 2 p.m.
Dryden vs. Fort Frances 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 1
Semifinal: 2nd Round Robin vs. 3rd Round Robin 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 2
Final: 1st Round Robin vs. Semifinal Winner 7:30 p.m.
DHC champion advances to RBC Cup May 11-19 in Portage la Prairie, Man.
