Sports
Sea Dogs assistant takes position in Sherbrooke
The Saint John Sea Dogs announced Friday that one of their assistant coaches is moving on.
In a post to social media, the team announced Tim Archambault had accepted an opportunity to move closer to home and will join the coaching staff of the Sherbrooke Phoenix next season.
According to Elite Prospects, Archambault joined the Sea Dogs as a scout for the 2024-25 season before moving behind the bench for this past season.
Wildcats face Chicoutimi in pivotal Game 5
It’s a big game at the Avenir Centre Friday night.
With the QMJHL final tied at two, the Moncton Wildcats and Chicoutimi Saguenéens are both looking to shift the momentum their way.
For the Wildcats, it could mean the difference between a disappointing end to the season or a second berth in the Memorial Cup in as many years.
Game 5 gets underway at 7 p.m.
The game can also be seen on TSN and RDS.
North Stars drop to 0-2 in Centennial Cup tournament
A 7-2 loss to Manitoba’s Niverville Nighthawks has the Thunder Bay North Stars in a tough position halfway through the Centennial Cup round robin.
The North Stars trailed 4-1 after the first period. They were out shot 41 to 17 over the course of Saturday’s game.
Defenceman Chase Cochrane received a 5-minute major and was ejected from the game for a hit to the head early in the second period.
Our two goals came from Easton Gloucher in the first period and Kayne Van Metre in the second.
The North Stars will face the Rockland Nationals of southeastern Ontario on Sunday. The Nationals are also winless in the tournament, losing their only game in overtime to the Canmore Eagles on Thursday.
Thunder Bay’s reigning SIJHL champs will likely need to win out to advance to the elimination round.
North Stars edged in Centennial Cup opener
The Thunder Bay North Stars opened the 2026 Centennial Cup championship tournament in Summerside, Prince Edward Island on the short end of a 3-2 score to the Canmore Eagles.
A powerplay goal late in the 3rd proved to be the difference. Special teams were a major factor as the Eagles scored twice with the man advantage and once shorthanded.
Evan Simeoni and Acoyen Fehr scored for the SIJHL champions in a losing cause.
Thunder Bay is back on the ice tomorrow afternoon against Niverville, Manitoba at 1:00 p.m. eastern.
Moncton Wildcats host Game 1 of QMJHL final
Four more wins.
That’s all the Moncton Wildcats need to repeat as QMJHL champions.
All that stands in their way are the Chicoutimi Sagueneéns, who finished second overall in the league behind the Wildcats.
“When you get to this point in the year, you want it to be one versus two,” Wildcats general manager Taylor MacDougall said.
So is there pressure on Moncton as they try to become the first back-to-back Q champs since the Saint John Sea Dogs in 2011 and 2012?
“It’s not something we worry about,” MacDougall said.
He said the roster he and his father, head coach Gardiner MacDougall, put together this year is full of players who look forward to playing in big games.
“A lot of the players that came to Moncton this year came with the intention of getting the opportunity to play in big games and feel pressure,” he said.
The Wildcats began the playoffs with a couple of sweeps, knocking out the Sea Dogs and the Val d’Or Foreurs in the first and second rounds.
The third-round matchup against the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada was a little tougher.
That series went seven games and included a quadruple-overtime game, a line brawl, and plenty of back-and-forth action.
“It’s awesome for the group to go through it and feel all the different emotions that we felt in that series,” MacDougall said. “The highs and lows and kind of learned to try and keep a steady cadence to your emotions through that.”
Red Lake Miners appoint highly decorated new head coach
The Red Lake Miners have hired Kurt Walsten as the team’s new head coach and general manager.
Walsten has the most coaching wins in SIJHL history, two Bill Salonen Cup Championships, two SIJHL Coach of the Year awards, and three CJHL Coach of the Year honourable mentions.
“I am really excited for the opportunity to work with the Miners organization,” said Walsten. “We are going to build a team that competes every night, plays hard, and helps players develop to the next level. Culture and accountability will be a major emphasis of our program, and our players need to take pride in how they play and represent the Miners organization.”
Walsten is a Kenora native who played 16 seasons of pro/semi-pro hockey as a defenceman. He racked up nearly 200 penalty minutes for the Fresno Falcons of the PSHL in 1992. He previously coached the Dryden Ice Dogs from 2014 to 2024.
He takes over for Billy Keane, who left the organization after posting a last-place 5-42 record in the 2025/26 season.
Thunder Bay North Stars Centennial Cup quest begins Friday
Just last week, the Thunder Bay North Stars were celebrating a dramatic Game 7 overtime victory to capture the SIJHL title.
They’re not finished yet, though.
The champs are in Summerside, PEI to compete for the Centennial Cup, Canada’s national Junior A championship tournament.
Paul Martin was Prime Minister the last time the North Stars were on the national stage. They went 2-2 and lost in the semifinal.
20 years later, they think they have the team to get it done. They’ll play Alberta’s Canmore Eagles on Friday to start the round robin. Manitoba’s Niverville Nighthawks are next on Saturday, then southeastern Ontario’s Rockland Nationals on Monday. They’ll play the tournament hosts on Tuesday as Summerside Western Capitals look to defend their barn to close out the round robin.
We’ll keep you posted as the results come in.
Wildcats host Armada for Game 7
For one team, there is no tomorrow.
The Moncton Wildcats host the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in Game 7 of the QMJHL semifinal Tuesday night.
The winner will face Chicoutimi for the championship.
The loser will be left with ‘what-ifs’ and a long summer.
The Armada should be riding high after scoring twice in the final minute Sunday to force tonight’s winner-take-all matchup.
The Wildcats are trying to become the first team to repeat as league champions since the Saint John Sea Dogs in 2010-11 and 2011-12.
Game time is 7 p.m. at the Avenir Centre.