THUNDER BAY -- The Superior International Junior Hockey League is down to six teams for the remainder of 2021-22.
The league on Monday announced the Thief River Falls Norskies have dropped out, citing a lack of player availability. In order to cross into Canada, players and staff must be fully vaccinated.
It's not an ideal situation, but the league will make due, said SIJHL commissioner Darrin Nicholas.
"It’s never a good day to have to announce news such as this. I feel for the players, staff, team administrators and the faithful Norskie fans in Thief River Falls. The “Little Ralph” remains one of the best junior A hockey buildings in the continent. The SIJHL fully intends to be dropping the puck for another season of Norskie hockey in the fall and will work tirelessly to see that transpire," Nicholas said in a release.
Nicholas said the league was hopeful the Norskies had turned the corner after Christmas, with some new commitments, but the Ontario lock-down took the wind out of those sails.
Nicholas added that the time to do a deeper dive into the circumstances that led to this situation will come in due time.
“Of course, we want to understand how the club ended up where it did. We have another US-based team in our league (Wisconsin Lumberjacks), plus there are U.S. members of other CJHL leagues that faced very similar challenges yet managed to emerge with much different outcomes. So, it would be foolish to suggest there are no lessons to be learned, but our immediate priority is to facilitate these young athletes finding a home for the remainder of the season," he said.
The league is expected to release a modified schedule this week. The SIJHL is expected to resume on Friday, with the Thunder Bay North Stars visitng their cross-town rival Kam River Fighting Walleye.
