The Kam River Fighting Walleye is a junior ice hockey team in the SIJHL based in Oliver Paipoonge, Ontario. Apart from the team's inaugural 2020–21 season, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team has finished each regular season in 1st place in the league. The team won the league championship Bill Salonen Cup in 2023 and advanced to the national championship tournament where they were eliminated in the preliminary round.
| Kam River Fighting Walleye | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Oliver Paipoonge |
| League | SIJHL |
| Founded | 2020 |
| Home arena | NorWest Arena |
| Colours | |
| Owner(s) | Dorsal Fin Entertainment Group |
| General manager | Kevin McCallum |
| Head coach | Larry Wintoneak |
| Website | fightingwalleye |
Arena
editThe team plays its home games at the NorWest Arena in Oliver Paipoonge, Ontario.[1]
Team identity
editThe team gets its name from its junior B predecessor that played in the Lakehead Junior Hockey League from 2017–2020.[2] Before joining the SIJHL in 2020, the team's logo was notably similar to that of the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL; so much so that the Toledo Walleye considered it to be a trademark infringement and the Kam River Fighting Walleye agreed to change it.[3]
Franchise history
editThe team's inaugural 2020–21 season was cancelled with only 4 regular season games played due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] The following year, the team hosted a pre-season exhibition tournament called the Teleco Cup.[5] The team went on to finish the 2021–22 regular season in first place before losing to the Red Lake Miners in the final round of the playoffs.[6] The team won the league championship Bill Salonen Cup in the 2022–23 SIJHL season.[7] The team then advanced to the 2023 Centennial Cup national junior A championship tournament and were eliminated in the preliminary round.[8][9]
In 2024, the team set an all-time league record with 104 shots on goal during a single match against the Kenora Islanders in which the Fighting Walleye won by a score of 11-0. It may have also been a record for the Kenora Islanders goaltender, Kaden King, who made 93 saves.[10]
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | Season cancelled | |
| 2021–22 | 37 | 28 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 59 | 1st overall | Won semifinal, 4-0 (North Stars} Lost final, 2-4 (Miners) |
| 2022–23 | 54 | 40 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 83 | 1st overall | Won semifinal, 4-1 (Lumberjacks) Won final, 4-3 (North Stars) |
| 2023–24 | 49 | 39 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 79 | 1st overall | Won quarterfinal, 4-0 (Islanders) Won semifinal, 4-0 (Miners) Lost final, 0-4 (Lookout) |
Source: "Kam River Fighting Walleye hockey team statistics and history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
References
edit- ^ "SIJHL's Kam River Fighting Walleye land new home". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "Kam River Fighting Walleye joining SIJHL for 2020/21 season". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ Monroe, Mark (18 February 2020). "Canadian junior team reworks logo after using one similar to Toledo Walleye". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ "SIJHL officially cancels 2020-21 season". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. 2 March 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ "Kam River Fighting Walleye get set to show off skills at Teleco Cup". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "Red Lake Miners move on to national Junior A tournament after capturing 1st SIJHL crown". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. 3 May 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ Dunick, Leith (4 May 2023). "Fighting Walleye win first SIJHL championship". TBNewsWatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ Dunick, Leith (16 May 2023). "Fighting Walleye finish Centennial Cup without a win". TBNewsWatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ "The Kam River Fighting Walleye hit the road today to take on Canada's top Junior A teams". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ Dunick, Leith (4 March 2024). "Kam River tops 100 shots, blanks Kenora 11-0". TBNewsWatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
Sources
edit- Punkari, Lucas (9 July 2024). "Fighting Walleye announce new head coach". TBNewsWatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- Dunick, Leith (5 June 2024). "Messier moves on from Fighting Walleye". TBNewsWatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- Jeffrey, Kevin (6 March 2024). "Islanders navigating rocky first season". NWONewsWatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- Dunick, Leith (17 July 2023). "Fighting Walleye searching for new head coach". TBNewsWatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- Dunick, Leith (9 November 2022). "Valley 'blindsided' by Kam River Fighting Walleye firing". TBNewsWatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- Ketonen, Kris (28 July 2023). "Jesse Messier hired as new head coach of the Fighting Walleye, says communication will be key". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- Dunick, Leith (20 January 2021). "Arena closure leaves Fighting Walleye homeless". TBNewsWatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- Dunick, Leith (5 November 2022). "Fighting Walleye fire coach Matt Valley". TBNewsWatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- Dunick, Leith (5 September 2020). "Fighting Walleye to play in Oliver Paipoonge". TBNewsWatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- Punkari, Lucas (22 September 2024). "Fighting Walleye score 16 goals in win". TBNewsWatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- Dunick, Leith (22 October 2024). "Fighting Walleye bring Wintoneak back into SIJHL fold". NWONewsWatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
- "Wintoneak back in the SIJHL". The Chronicle-Journal. 23 October 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
- Dunick, Leith (26 October 2024). "Fighting Walleye win in Wintoneak's debut". TBNewsWatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 28 October 2024.