SUPERIOR INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
SIJHL COMMUNICATIONS
MEDIA RELEASE
Release Date: Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Photo credit: James Mirabelli, www.jamesmirabelli.com
Wilderness head coach/GM Aldoff guides SIJHL and Dudley-Hewitt champs to Royal Bank Cup berth
THUNDER BAY, Ont. – The one constant in the success achieved by the Minnesota Wilderness in their first three years in the Superior International Junior Hockey League has been that of their head coach and general manager, Rod Aldoff.
As the first U.S. side to capture a Dudley-Hewitt Cup, emblematic of Central Canada regional champions and a berth at this year’s Royal Bank Cup national Jr. A event, Aldoff is the lone Canadian cog on the Cloquet, Minn., based team.
Hailing from Lethbridge, Alta., the 42-year-old Aldoff is an alumnus of the Canadian Junior Hockey League where he played defence for the Melfort Mustangs (SJHL) for two seasons, from 1989-91.
From there he went on to earn a NCAA scholarship wearing the Maroon and Gold of the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs. He skated at UMD for four years in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association before moving on to a 15-year professional career in both North America and Europe.
After retiring as a player, Aldoff turned to coaching joining the Wilderness, who spent their first two seasons in the SIJHL based in Spooner, Wis.
This marks the second straight year he has earned top coach laurels in the SIJHL and is also the league’s nominee for CJHL coach of the year accolades.
His 2012-13 Wilderness squad was dominant during the course of the regular season finishing with a league-best 51-3-0-2 record helping set a new league record for points in a season with 104. They also only allowed a CJHL-low 85 goals against.
Their winning percentage of .929 was also the best of any club in the entire CJHL and they were ranked No. 2 the final 13 weeks of the CJHL Top 20 rankings, which were compiled in conjunction with NHL Central Scouting.
He led the Wilderness to their third consecutive SIJHL regular season title and as just many Bill Salonen Cup playoff crowns while most recently guiding his squad to a Dudley-Hewitt Cup championship this past weekend in North Bay as Minnesota edged the St. Michael’s Buzzers (OJHL) 4-3, in overtime, in the final.
In three years coaching the Wilderness, Aldoff has an overall SIJHL mark of 140-15-13 behind the bench in regular season action along with a 27-9 record in the playoffs.
He has already gone up against one of the other RBC bench bosses this season as he coached against Summerside head coach and GM Billy McGuigan at CJHL Prospects Games with Aldoff guiding Team West over McGuigan’s Team East to win the President’s Cup two-game, total-goal series, 8-6 back on Nov. 10-11 in Digby and Yarmouth, N.S.
The pair will meet once again Saturday as the Wilderness take on the Western Capitals Saturday in the RBC Cup opener for both teams at 7:30 p.m. Atlantic Standard Time.
2013 Royal Bank Cup game schedule:
2013 Royal Bank Cup
May 11-19 @ Summerside, P.E.I.
Competing teams
Host: Summerside Western Capitals (MHL)
Eastern: Truro Bearcats (MHL)
Central: Minnesota Wilderness (SIJHL)
Western 1: Surrey Eagles (BCHL)
Western 2: Brooks Bandits (AJHL)
Schedule
All start times AST
Saturday, May 11
Brooks vs. Truro 3 p.m.
Summerside vs. Minnesota 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 12
Surrey vs. Truro 3 p.m.
Minnesota vs. Brooks 7:30 p.m.
Monday, May 13
Summerside vs. Surrey 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 14
Truro vs. Minnesota 3 p.m.
Brooks vs. Summerside 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 15
Minnesota vs. Surrey 3 p.m.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Surrey vs. Brooks 3 p.m.
Summerside vs. Truro 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 18
*Semifinal No. 1 – 2 p.m.
*Semifinal No. 2 – 6 p.m.
Sunday, May 19
RBC Championship Game – Time T.B.A.
*-First place team after round robin play chooses which semifinal time slot they will play in.