Soo Thunderbirds have won the franchise’s first-ever Dudley Hewitt Cup and in the process become the first Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League team to win the Central Canada Jr. Hockey title since the Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats did so in 2002.
Despite being outshot 47-18, the Thunderbirds edged the Ontario Jr. Hockey League champion Stouffville Spirit 5-3 tonight to win the DHC and advance to the Royal Bank Cup, national playdowns, that will be held in Humboldt, Sask. next month.
Categories: General
Congratulations to the Birds a job well done. Good luck at the RBC..
just curious, would the birds take a long bus ride to the rbc or fly there?..it seems like flying would be a big expense for a junior team.
Great job fellas!!!!!All the best in Humboldt next month! Now let’s get to work and get ready for the next round. You should be very proud of what you have accomplished so far. Hey OPJHL welcome to the NOJHL good ole Northern boys!!! Congrats Albert. Thanks for the play by play updates…
CONGRATULATIONS to the Soo Thunderbirds, DHC Winners, and RBC-bound!
Good job, gentlemen!
The NOJHL is BACK!
Congrads on winning the DHC do the north and Ontario proud at the RBC. Would Hockey Canada cover the costs of flying? Just curious.
Good job T-birds! Hard to question the coaching staff now. It’s been a long 10 years since the NOJHL has won this. Best of luck at the RBC Cup!
Scott Kell:
I believe the Birds will hop on a small freighter at the Soo Locks and travel to Duluth, Minnesota. From there they will take a train to Regina and travel the rest of the way by dog sled…
Congratulations to the Tbirds on a well deserved DHC win!! Best wishes to all of you at the RBC and thanks for being the first NOJHL team in a long time to make it that far. You can’t trade your hockey sticks in for golf clubs just yet!
Scott – if the RBC is like the DHC, the host team pays the travel expenses of the teams playing. Hosting these cups takes a lot of money and lots of fund raising in the year or so prior. I’d imagine they’re flying as a bus trip would take a few days.
That was amazing – a great job by everyone – that was truly a TEAM win! Almost every shot was either blocked or tipped. John K was fantastic but so was the D – they quickly cleared the puck out… The older boys gave great leadership – nice job guys!! Wow Central Canadian Champs!!!
The Birds will be flying and most costs are covered.
great job TBirds, good luck at the RBC. (Toots called it)
Awesome!
Shows the league is a little better than it gets credit for.
Congrats Birds.
Good Job TBirds, you’ve done the NOJHL Proud. Still lots of hockey to be played, best of luck in Humbolt.
Wow!! Johnny K was the key in this game. Congrats…. good for the T-birds , good for the NOJHL.
Nothing good in life comes easy.
Congratulations to the TBirds. Great job!
congrats to the Soo Thunderbirds Coaches & Players.
Way to go Tbirds, hopefully we will see you on TSN @the RBC finals
..next year…2 NOJHLteams will get a chance to repeat for the N.
Good luck, Sault..
Congrats to the T-Birds on a great run of hockey, be very proud of yourselves boys, now lets continue the run at the RBC, the NOJHL a league to be reckoned with.
NOTE: This was posted by me at the request of the Soo Thunderbirds Coaching Staff, which is on its way back home after winning the 2012 Dudley Hewitt Cup championship. – Randy Russon.
The Coaching Staff would like to thank everyone who has supported the 2012 Dudley Hewitt Cup champion Soo Thunderbirds.
This team stuck together through adversity and made history last night in Thunder Bay.
We would like to thank all the parents and families of the players who travelled to Thunder Bay this week. It was a special week and we are happy you were able to share in the victory and celebration.
We would also like to thank everyone who supported us back in the Soo as we really felt it up there.
All credit goes to this great group of kids who didn’t quit all week and made us very proud.
Thanks to them we are bringing the Dudley Hewitt Cup back to Sault Ste Marie for the first time in team history!
Thanks Randy!
Jamie Henderson, on behalf of the Soo Thunderbirds Coaching Staff
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network
Congrats boys, staff and owner you have done the north proud
Any word on an a quick investigation prior to RBC to find out what the Birds did last night?
On behalf of the Soo Eagles Ownership and Staff we would like to congratulate the Soo Thunderbirds on their great season and on winning the Dudley Hewitt Cup. Good Luck at the RBC.
Coach Bruno Bragagnolo and the entire Soo Eagles Organization
amazing how that front-runner Ricci from the Soo Star is all over the Thunderbirds now ! he ignores the Thunderbirds and the NOJHL all the season while he sucks up to the loser Greyhounds but now he is on the T-Bird Bandwagon. Real Soo Hockey fans see right thru you Peter! Even the T-Birds know what a goof u r.
Congrats to Preston Mizzi and the whole T-Birds organization and players on the Dudley victory, and good luck at the RBC.
Chad Vresk, Elliot Lake Bobcats
Great job Thunderbirds! congrats on a great tourney and season all the best at the RBC.
Eskisfan
Wow are you for real ???
The Majority of All the posts on here are Congratulations to the Birds and your fishing for Dirt
I was there and this is what the Birds Did last night
They WON THE DUDLEY HEWIT CUP.
My congratulations also to the Soo Thunderbirds on a well earned victory for themselves and for the league. Continued victories at the RBC, you have made us proud.
Charly Murray
Elliott Lake Bobcats
N.O.J.H.L.
On behalf of the Blind River Beavers Organization I would like to congradulate the T-Birds on their recent win at the Dudley.
You represented our league with honor and pride.
We are proud of you, your coaching staff and your board of directors etc.
Special congrads to the Ex Beaver players who we are especially proud of.
Best of luck in the next round.
Linda Lamorie
for the Blind River Beavers Organization
upfront, ARe you for Real? you’[ve been on here all year have you not read any of my posts? Big Birds fan and in december, i was calling Tbirds when everyone but parents were picking eagles. Again predicted them again it at the beginning of playoffs. i was proably the first question the timing and validity of the investigation when word first got out. Defended myself and the birds on the timing issue again when someone questioned me questioning the timing. I told the readers 95% of thier kids drank before the age of 19 or that they were being lied to by their kids and that the parents should look into the mirror before blaming coaches or the birds organization. I posted that it’s shame that Mr Giommi has to deal with the mess and bullcrap that he had no control of. It was non issue and the investigation leading into the dudley would do nothing and jsut be a distractions.And…. i paid to watch em in the semi (online)on Friday.
I realize it’s hard to find the sarcasm in a typed post, but i figured by now eveyone knew may stance on the investigation and the birds…but just in case there were a few that didn’t, i threw a smiley face for good measure. It was a poke the commish and nothing more.
and just in case you missed this
Eskisfan says: April 22, 2012 at 8:28 am
Good Job TBirds, you’ve done the NOJHL Proud. Still lots of hockey to be played, best of luck in Humbolt.
latest RR column just posted on http://www.juniorhockey.com:
A win for the NOJHL
On behalf of all the folks here in the capital of Northern Ontario Hockey, I would like to congratulate the T Birds on their victory at the Dudley.
When they come home as RBC champs, they can come have their picture taken with me under the Big Nickel. I’ll understand if the American tender does not want to come for the photo in the capital. We don’t want to be a doubting Thomas do we… wink wink, good luck.
From what I can see the SOO is the hockey capital of Northern Ontario. Welcome to the NOJHL E.L. Bobcats.
The following players have advanced from the NOHA Camp to the Ontario Provincial Camp:
Michael Amadio – Sault Ste. Marie Bradley Bell – Sudbury
Jaren Bellini – Sault Ste. Marie Brandon Grandinetti – Sault Ste. Marie Tanner Lafrance – Englehart Trent Mallette – Levack
Michael Muzyka – Garson Brendan Perlini – Sault Ste. Marie
Tyler Peters – Powassan Cedric Primeau – Sudbury
Tyler Romain – Timmins Nevada Waindubence – Sheguiandah
Best coverage of the NOJHL BY FAR is Randy and this Blog, the Sault This Week, the Radio Show & now Juniorhockey.com website.
Congratulations to Soo Thunderbirds!
On behalf of the North Bay Jr. Trappers we would like to congratulate the Soo Thunderbirds for this impressive accomplishment. Your victory in Thunder Bay will go a long way in improving the image of our league outside of the North.
Chris Dawson
President/GM
North Bay Jr. Trappers
Great coverage of the Dudley Hewitt Cup and the NOJHL Randy. The T-Birds and the league are so lucky to have you covering them like no other on here, Sault This Week, Heisler’s Site, ESPN Radio, Soo Eagles Show. You are the best by a country mile.
Bring on the Hounds, as Randy says on juniorhockey.com I think it is too close to call who would win between the T-Birds and Hounds.
Good luck to the T-Birds at the RBC. A class organization from the top on down.
welcome back to the NOJHL Mr. Charlie Murray.
All the best from your friends in Blind River!
latest RR column related to NOJHL and NAHL just posted on http://www.juniorhockey.com:
Trade winds, northern lights
I would like to congradulate the T-Birds for winning the Dudley Cup, and good luck at the RBC cup. I can’t believe that some people on this blog think that the T=Birds would beat the Soo Greyhounds. You can not even compare the two leagues.Look at the leading scorer for the T=Birds Micki Sortoretto who is a stud, and can just abut score at will in the NOJHL. When he played in the OHL he played 150 regular season games in 3 years and had 24 points, and was a 4th liner on those teams, so lets be honest with ourselves it would be no contest.The T-Birds will have their hands full at the RBC Cup.
Golden Bear: What makes you such an authority on junior hockey? The only person who knows less about junior hockey than you and has a bigger mouth is John Bell LOL.
Best of Luck to the Soo Thunderbirds and Coach’s Mizzi and Henderson…
What story is the GM telling to which Newspaper today? Unbeleivabe. Perhaps Montighue will be the next Coach that’s how much of a Gong Show this Team is becoming.
The Thunderbirds should learn from Bruno and the ‘Soo Eagles’ how to run a Junior Hockey Team properly!
Thunderturds have list for all Bars in Sask who serf booze for brekfast ahahahahahaha party on Thunderturds ahahahahahahahahaha
RR – great coverage on juniorhockey.com as well.
Randy Elliot Lake Bobcats owner Ryan Leonard also played for the Abitibi Eskimos.
Sudbury Cubs are For Sale.
Cue for treason? Let me get this straight, so The team who won the Dudley Hewitt and brought it back to the NOJHL after ten year hiatus AND knocked out the Eagles in the process, needs to learn from the Eagles how to run the a team? Interesting!
Holy crap! the bickering and mud slinging still goes on up there in North Westren Ontario..lol….The NOJHL is represented at the RBC and dispite people differences the Thunderbirds need to congratulated and encouraged to do well. The constant negative shroud that people are trying to thow over the organization is nothing but a distraction and I think lack of respect for the winners of our league.
breaking news RR column just posted on http://www.juniorhockey.com:
NOJHL suspends Soo Thunderbird coaches
WOW!
I suppose character supercedes on-ice success; and ‘win at any cost’ doesn’t fly in the commish’s books.
Tough spot for all involved.
new blog just posted:
NOJHL suspends Soo Thunderbird coaches
(then go to http://www.juniorhockey.com)
my season tickets to greyhound games was a waste of time and money
next season will be the ””birds”””” anyone want to buy season tickets
to greyhounds 2012?????????