The Thunder Bay Northern Hawks are adjusting to having a new Head Coach behind the bench.
For returnees like Neebing’s Jouni Kemppainen, it’s been a welcome addition.
“[Matt Valley has] been good on the bench,” Kemppainen said following the team’s 4-2 loss on Oct. 28th to the Current River Storm. “[This year is different] because we [have] lost a lot of [the] older guys that mentored [the younger players]. [I know that I have to] step into that [leadership] role [and] help the younger guys."
Valley is the coach and assistant general manager of the Northern Hawks, after being let go by the Kam River Fighting Walleye.
In the Junior ‘A’ ranks, Valley was named the league’s Coach of the Year in 2021-2022 and finished with a regular season coaching record of 49-12-2-1.
The Northern Hawks as a franchise have won twelve Lakehead Junior Hockey League (LJHL) championships after winning it all in six games last year against the Schreiber Falcons.
Both LJHL clubs engaged in the Central Canada Cup at the Tournament Centre; The Northern Hawks went 1-2 in the round robin before bowing out to the Falcons in the semi-finals.
Kemppainen is entering his second season with the Northern Hawks, picking up seventeen goals and twenty-four points in 17 regular season games last year.
He recalls minor hockey being a challenge, adding “I wasn’t [a very good hockey player] and [I remember living in Neebing] it was a struggle driving [into] town all the time. [That said, playing hockey was] fun.”
Neebing is south of Thunder Bay and became an incorporated municipality by the province in 1999.
It comprises the former geographic townships of Blake, Crooks, Pardee, Pearson and Scoble.
Kemppainen came through the Thunder Bay Kings system, beginning in 2019 and graduating in 2022. He got the experience of playing in the SIJHL during the 2020-2021 Guest Season, where he had three goals in four games at the Fort William Gardens.
When he recalls how he got involved in the Kings program, he said “My dad wanted me to play. [He said] I was a good player. [I really enjoyed the experience]. A lot of time [spent] traveling [with my teammates] so [there were] a lot of good memories.”
Kemppainen was in camp with the North Stars, but stated that no other Junior ‘A’ franchise has come calling for his services.
His Northern Hawks continue the 2023-2024 LJHL Season with a date against the Schreiber Falcons on November 5th followed by a home and home set against the Thunder Bay Bandits at the Fort William Gardens on November 15th and the Tournament Centre on November 16th.
