Jason La Rose
Well, that didn’t take long.
Just two years after joining the Superior International Junior Hockey Legaue (SIJHL) as an expansion franchise, the Sioux Lookout Bombers are SIJHL champions.
With that title comes a trip to the 2024 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons.
After a third-place finish in their inaugural season, which ended with a Game 7 overtime loss to the Wisconsin Lumberjacks in the first round of the playoffs, the Bombers settled in as the No. 2 team in the SIJHL in 2023-24, finishing five points back of the Kam River Fighting Walleye.
While Sioux Lookout iced the fourth-ranked offence in the regular season – led by Owen Riffel’s 67 points (36-31—67), good for third in SIJHL scoring – it was the defence that led the way. It allowed just 113 goals in 49 games, 17 less than the Fighting Walleye, and the one-two punch of Jack Osmond (2.22 GAA, .939 SV%) and Matthew Spencer-Diehl (2.15 GAA, .938 SV%) finished first and second in goals-against average and save percentage.
Winners of their final four games – and six of their last seven – to close out the regular season, the Bombers stayed hot in the playoffs. They won 12 of 13 in all, dropping an overtime decision to Thunder Bay in Game 4 of the semifinals, and played only four one-goal games.
They capped their run to the Bill Salonen Cup in style, sweeping aside Kam River, the defending league champion, when Jonah Smith scored the overtime winner in Game 4 to set off a raucous celebration at Memorial Arena.
SIJHL champions have not had a tremendous amount of success since the National Junior A Championship went to a 10-team format, missing out on the playoff round in 2022 and 2023. The last time an SIJHL team made noise at the tournament was 2013, when the Minnesota Wilderness reached the semifinals.
HOW THEY GOT TO OAKVILLE
Superior International Junior Hockey League Quarterfinal: defeated Fort Frances Lakers 4-0 (7-3, 9-0, 3-0, 4-1) Semifinal: defeated Thunder Bay North Stars 4-1 (3-2, 7-4, 4-3 OT, 5-6 OT, 4-2) Final: defeated Kam River Fighting Walleye 4-0 (5-3, 6-2, 4-2, 3-2 OT)
REGULAR SEASON
Record (W-L-OTL): 35-10-4 (2nd in SIJHL) Goals for: 200 (4th in SIJHL) Goals against: 113 (1st in SIJHL) Power play: 64 for 278 (23.0% - 4th in SIJHL) Penalty killing: 186 of 220 (84.5% - 2nd in SIJHL) Longest winning streak: 13 (Nov. 16-Jan. 12)
Top 3 scorers: • Owen Riffel – 36G 31A 67P (3rd in SIJHL) • Blake Burke – 19G 37A 56P (8th in SIJHL) • Connor Burke – 28G 25A 53P (9th in SIJHL)
PLAYOFFS
Record: 12-1 Goals for: 64 Goals against: 30 Power play: 21 for 62 (33.9%) Penalty killing: 43 of 52 (82.7%)
Top 3 scorers: • Jonah Smith – 11G 6A 17P • Alex Lucas – 3G 13A 16P • Owen Riffel – 6G 8A 14P
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
First appearance
COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS
None
CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS
Oct. 2 – 7th Oct. 9 – 15th Oct. 16 – 15th Oct. 23 – 14th Oct. 30 – not ranked Nov. 6 – not ranked Nov. 13 – not ranked Nov. 20 – not ranked Nov. 27 – 20th Dec. 4 – 20th Dec. 11 – Honourable Mention Dec. 18 – 20th Jan. 8 – 16th Jan. 15 – 18th Jan. 22 – 18th Jan. 29 – 20th Feb. 5 – 19th Feb. 12 – 20th Feb. 19 – 20th Feb. 26 – not ranked March 4 – not ranked March 11 – not ranked