SIJHL says adios to red line, U.S. squads

Long passes and a shorter road schedule are on the horizon for the Superior International Junior Hockey League with its third regular season less than two months away.
League executives decided at a meeting July 15 in Thunder Bay to do away with the centre ice red line, thus eliminating the two-line offside from the normal course of play.
According to a league press release, the move was made in the interest of making the style of play in the SIJHL “a faster, more fan-friendly game.”
In another major development, it was announced the Iron Range Yellow Jackets and Northwest Wisconsin Knights will be given a leave of absence from the league for a year.
The Knights played a partial 20-game schedule against SIJHL teams this past season while also participating as a full-time member of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League.
The Yellow Jackets filled the same role two years ago before folding prior to last season.
Word that Iron Range would not be part of the SIJHL for the 2003-04 season comes as a surprise considering only weeks ago, the team appeared to be on its way to becoming the league’s sixth full-time member.
The two U.S. squads still may play an interlocking exhibition schedule against their SIJHL counterparts, though the details have not been worked out yet.
Along with the defending league champion Borderland Thunder, this season’s SIJHL line-up will include the Thunder Bay Bulldogs, the Dryden Ice Dogs, the K and A Golden Hawks (formerly the Feathermen Hawks), who will play out of the Tournament Centre in Thunder Bay, and the Fort William First Nation Northstars.
In other developments from the July 15 meeting, all SIJHL teams will see their league fees drop from $17,000 to $11,500 this season.
This will provide some much-needed relief to the league’s more financially troubled squads.
It’s also hoped the move will prevent repeats of last season, when the Thunder had to pick up the hotel and gas tab for the Hawks just to journey here for the regular season’s opening weekend.
K and A also will see some extra gate revenue with the confirmation of a series of exhibition games against the defending Manitoba Junior Hockey League champion OCN Blizzard, although no dates have been set as of yet.
Discussion also took place regarding the increased need for better promotion and marketing from all SIJHL teams to boost ailing attendance figures and make a bigger impact in their respective communities.
The next league meeting is slated Aug. 19.
The SIJHL’s regular season will start Sept. 18, with new league president J.P. Heino at the helm after being elected to replace Jerry Blazino this past spring.