Dryden Ice Dogs

Dryden Ice Dogs
CityDryden, Ontario
LeagueSIJHL
Founded2001 (2001)
Home arenaDryden Memorial Arena
Colours         
General managerJake Gushue
Head coachJake Gushue
Mediasijhl.tv
Websitedrydenicedogs.com

The Dryden Ice Dogs are a junior ice hockey team in the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) based in Dryden, Ontario. It is one of the charter teams of the SIJHL.

Arena

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The team plays its home games at Dryden Memorial Arena, which was built in 1978–79.[1][2] The building underwent major renovations between 2020 and 2023.[3]

History

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The Ice Dogs were one of the original five SIJHL teams and have the distinction of being the first club to win the championship Bill Salonen Cup in the inaugural season.[4] They went on to win subsequent league championships in 2008, 2017, and 2018.[5]

In 2023, the Ice Dogs hired an historian to curate the history of the club in a book that was expected to be completed during the 2023–24 season.[6][7]

  1. ^ Advanced to Dudley Hewitt as league runner-up as Fort Francis qualified as host.

Playoffs

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Goalie Graeme Harrington relaxes during a game (2007)
Dryden Ice Dogs defeated Nipigon Featherman Hawks 4-games-to-none
Dryden Ice Dogs defeated Fort Frances Borderland Thunder 4-games-to-none SIJHL Champions
Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats (NOJHL) defeated Dryden Ice Dogs 2-games-to-none
  • 2003 Lost semi-final
Fort Frances Borderland Thunder defeated Dryden Ice Dogs 4-games-to-none
  • 2004 Lost final
Dryden Ice Dogs defeated Fort Frances Borderland Thunder 4-games-to-3
Fort William North Stars defeated Dryden Ice Dogs 4-games-to-1
  • 2005 Lost semi-final
Fort Frances Borderland Thunder defeated Dryden Ice Dogs 4-games-to-none
Dryden Ice Dogs defeated Schreiber Diesels 4-games-to-none
Fort William North Stars defeated Dryden Ice Dogs 4-games-to-none
Third in Dudley Hewitt Cup round robin (1-2)
Sudbury Jr. Wolves (NOJHL) defeated Dryden Ice Dogs 5-4 in semi-final
  • 2007 Lost semi-final
Fort William North Stars defeated Dryden Ice Dogs 4-games-to-1
Dryden Ice Dogs defeated Schreiber Diesels 4-games-to-3
Dryden Ice Dogs defeated Fort William North Stars 4-games-to-1 SIJHL CHAMPIONS
Third in Dudley Hewitt Cup round robin (1-2)
Newmarket Hurricanes (OPJHL) defeated Dryden Ice Dogs 2-1 OT in semi-final
  • 2009 Lost quarter-final
Schreiber Diesels defeated Dryden Ice Dogs 3-games-to-none
  • 2010 Lost final
First in round robin (4-0) vs. Fort William North Stars and Sioux Lookout Flyers
Dryden Ice Dogs defeated Fort Frances Lakers 4-games-to-2
Fort William North Stars defeated Dryden Ice Dogs 4-games-to-1
  • 2011 Lost final
Dryden Ice Dogs defeated Duluth Clydesdales 4-games-to-none
Dryden Ice Dogs defeated Fort Frances Lakers 4-games-to-2
Wisconsin Wilderness defeated Dryden Ice Dogs 4-games-to-none
  • 2012 Lost semi-final
Dryden Ice Dogs defeated Sioux Lookout Flyers 4-games-to-1
Fort Frances Lakers defeated Dryden Ice Dogs 4-games-to-none
  • 2013 Lost semi-final
Fort Frances Lakers defeated Dryden Ice Dogs 4-games-to-3

Dudley Hewitt Cup

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The Dudley Hewitt Cup (also known as the Dudley Hewitt Memorial Trophy) was awarded annually from 1971–2019 to the championship Junior 'A' ice hockey team for the Central/East region of Canada.[8] That region initially extended east from Ontario to The Maritimes.[8] Later, the field of competition was limited to the championship teams from the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) and Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL), and a preselected host team.[8] The tournament format began with a round-robin to determine seeding, followed by a semifinal elimination round played between the second and third seeds, followed by a final best-of-3 elimination round played between the first-place team and the winner of the semifinal.[9] The winners of the Dudley Hewitt Cup went on to compete for the national championship Centennial Cup.[9]

The Dudley Hewitt Cup was named after George Dudley and W. A. Hewitt, who served as administrators for the Ontario Hockey Association and are inductees of the Hockey Hall of Fame.[10]

Year Champion Finalist Series Scores
2002 Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats Dryden Ice Dogs 2–0 (Best of 3) 4–3 (2OT), 7–3
Year Round-robin Record Standing Semifinal Championship
2015 L, Soo Thunderbirds 1–8
L, Toronto Patriots 0–6
L, Fort Frances Lakers 3–5
0–3–0 4th of 4 Did not advance
2017 OTW, Georgetown Raiders 5–4
L, Powassan Voodoos 3–4
L, Trenton Golden Hawks 4–10
1–2–0 4th of 4 Did not advance
2018
host
W, Wellington Dukes 4–1
W, Cochrane Crunch 3–0
L, Thunder Bay North Stars 1–2
2–1–0 1st of 4 L, Wellington 4–7

References

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  1. ^ Forbes, Ryan (16 September 2022). "Expansion work begins at Dryden Arena". Kenora Online. Acadia Broadcasting. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Dryden group raising money for arena repairs the city can't afford". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  3. ^ Forbes, Ryan. "$5 Million of Work to Continue at Dryden Arena This Summer". CKDR. Acadia Broadcasting. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Ice Dogs enter SIJHL season with high hopes". CKDR. Acadia Broadcasting. 20 September 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  5. ^ "Dryden Ice Dogs hockey team statistics and history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  6. ^ Forbes, Ryan (13 April 2023). "New project will document Dryden GM Ice Dogs' history". Kenora Online. Acadia Broadcasting. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  7. ^ Sveinson, Mike (12 October 2023). "Documenting The History Of The SIJHL Dryden GM Ice Dogs". CKDR (Interview). Interviewed by Richard McCarthy. Dryden, ON: Acadia Broadcasting. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  8. ^ a b c "2025 Centennial Cup Guide & Record Book" (PDF). hockeycanada.ca. Hockey Canada. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  9. ^ a b "About the cup". Dudley Hewitt Cup. Archived from the original on 22 April 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  10. ^ Aalto, Sherry (2012). "The Dudley Hewitt Cup and the Business of Hockey". Thunder Bay Business. North Superior Publishing Inc. Retrieved 29 September 2025.

Additional reading

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