SUPERIOR INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
SIJHL COMMUNICATIONS
MEDIA RELEASE
Release Date: Friday, Sept. 6, 2013
SIJHL preseason action begins tonight
THUNDER BAY, Ont. – Exhibition action heading into the regular season in the Superior International Junior Hockey League begins this evening in Fort Frances as the hometown Lakers welcome the Minnesota Iron Rangers to Ice for Kids Arena in a 7:30 p.m. start.
This contest will have an added twist as the two clubs announced a transaction Thursday in which the Lakers dealt the Hockey Canada playing rights of ’94 forward Tyler Broderson to the Iron Rangers in exchange for ’93 defenceman Riley Daly.
Daly, a native of Lorette, Man., had four goals and eight assists in 50 games last season for Minnesota.
“In Riley we get an experienced defenseman to bolster our back-end,” offered Fort Frances head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan. “He’s a big-body player who has a physical side to him and can play many roles to help our team.”
As for Broderson, the St. Louis Park, Minn., product put up some solid numbers in an 18-game stint with the Lakers last season scoring nine times while dishing out five assists for 14 points.
Friday’s preseason affair is one of four currently on the slate.
Minnesota and Fort Frances are scheduled to complete their home-and-home series on Sept. 11 with Hoyt Lakes Arena serving as the venue. Game time in that one is 6 p.m.
The following evening the Thunder Bay North Stars will get their first on-ice action under new head coach Jeremy Adduono as they travel to Marathon to take on the Lakers in an 8 p.m. start.
This contest is being played in memory and honour of former Fort Frances forward Jaret Leclair along with Jordan Nabigon, Kody Nabigon and Greg Nabigon, four Pic River First Nation residents, who tragically lost their lives in a motor vehicle accident last October.
The Lakers will then return home to take on the Wisconsin Wilderness on Saturday, Sept. 14 with a 7:30 p.m. face-off at Ice for Kids.
The SIJHL’s other two clubs, the Dryden Ice Dogs and English River Miners currently have no exhibition games scheduled.
Regular season competition begins Sept. 20 with the North Stars travelling to Fort Frances and the Ice Dogs at home to the Miners.