The Fort Frances Lakers are a junior A ice hockey team based in Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Superior International Junior Hockey League.
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 left the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) after four seasons in 2005. The Borderland Thunder wanted to play in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, 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.[1] [2] On September 14, 2007, the Fort Frances Jr. Sabres played their first game at home against the Thunder Bay Bulldogs, defeating the Bulldog 5–1 and also claiming their first team victory.[3] 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.[4]
In the summer of 2009, the Fort Frances team nearly folded. With the Thunder Bay Bearcats and Schreiber Diesels 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.[5] On September 10, 2009, the team rebranded by changing their name to the Lakers.[6] 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 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 in Thunder Bay 3–2.
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | Results | Playoffs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | 50 | 22 | 21 | 4 | 3 | 51 | 173 | 183 | 5th SIJHL | Lost Quarterfinals, 0–3 (Diesels) | |
| 2008–09 | 50 | 30 | 17 | — | 3 | 63 | 199 | 139 | 3rd SIJHL | Won Quarterfinals, 3–0 (Flyers) Lost Semifinals, 1–4 (Bearcats) | |
| 2009–10 | 52 | 14 | 33 | — | 5 | 33 | 153 | 251 | 5th SIJHL | Won Quarterfinals, 4–3 (Wolverines) Lost Semifinals, 2-4 (Ice Dogs) | |
| 2010–11 | 56 | 34 | 19 | — | 3 | 71 | 208 | 174 | 2nd SIJHL | Lost Playoff Seeding game, 1–2 (Wilderness) Lost Semifinals, 2–4 (Ice Dogs) | |
| 2011–12 | 56 | 37 | 12 | — | 7 | 81 | 255 | 166 | 2nd SIJHL | Won Playoff Seeding game, 2–1 (Wilderness) Won Semifinals, 4–0 (Ice Dogs) Lost League Finals, 3–4 (Wilderness) | |
| 2012–13 | 56 | 35 | 18 | — | 3 | 73 | 208 | 165 | 2nd SIJHL | Won Semifinals, 4–3 (Ice Dogs) Lost League Finals, 3–4 (Wilderness) | |
| 2013–14 | 56 | 46 | 6 | — | 4 | 96 | 295 | 150 | 1st SIJHL | Won Playoff Seeding game, 6–4 (North Stars) Won Semifinals, 4–0 (Miners) Won League Finals, 4–3 (Iron Rangers) | |
| 2014–15 | 56 | 43 | 11 | — | 2 | 88 | 254 | 197 | 1st SIJHL | Won Semifinals, 4–1 (North Stars) Won League Finals, 4–2 (Iron Rangers) | |
| 2015–16 | 56 | 46 | 8 | — | 4 | 96 | 249 | 140 | 1st SIJHL | Won Semifinals, 4–0 (Miners) Won League Finals, 4–2 (Ice Dogs) | |
| 2016–17 | 56 | 24 | 25 | — | 7 | 55 | 188 | 201 | 5th of 6 SIJHL | Won Play-in Series 3–1 (Norskies) Lost Semifinals 0–4 (Ice Dogs) | |
| 2017–18 | 56 | 15 | 32 | — | 9 | 39 | 172 | 241 | 5th of 6 SIJHL | Won Quarterfinals, 3–1 (Miners) Lost Semifinals, 1–4 (Ice Dogs) | |
| 2018–19 | 56 | 18 | 35 | — | 3 | 39 | 177 | 237 | 5th of 6 SIJHL | Lost Quarterfinals, 0–3 (Ice Dogs) | |
| 2019–20 | 54 | 21 | 27 | — | 6 | 48 | 174 | 214 | 6th of 6 SIJHL | Season cancelled | |
| 2020–21 | 5 | 5 | 0 | — | 0 | 28 | 4 | 10 | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[7] | ||
| 2021–22 | 41 | 5 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 83 | 195 | 7th of 7 SIJHL | Lost Quarterfinals, 0–3 (Ice Dogs) | |
| 2022–23 | 54 | 9 | 41 | — | 1 | 22 | 134 | 301 | 7th of 7 SIJHL | Lost Quarterfinals, 1-4 (Ice Dogs) | |
| 2023–24 | 49 | 12 | 31 | 3 | 3 | 30 | 144 | 227 | 7th of 8 SIJHL | Lost Quarterfinals, 0–4 (Bombers) | |
Central Canada Jr. A Championships
NOJHL – OJHL – SIJHL – Host
Round-robin play with 2nd vs. 3rd in semifinal to advance against 1st in the championship game.
| Year | Round-obin | Record | Standing | Semifinal | Championship | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | L, Toronto Lakeshore Patriots 1–4 L, Wellington Dukes 0–3 W, Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 6–3 | 1–2–0 | 3rd of 4 | L, Toronto Lakeshore Patriots 0–6 | — | |
| 2015 Host | OTW, Toronto Lakeshore Patriots 2–1 L, Soo Thunderbirds 3–6 W, Dryden Ice Dogs 5–3 | 2–1–0 | 3rd of 4 | W, Toronto Lakeshore Patriots 6–4 | L, Soo Thunderbirds 2–3 | |
| L, Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 5–8 L, Soo Thunderbirds 5–6 L, Trenton Golden Hawks 0–3 | 0–3–0 | 4th of 4 | Did not advance | |||