Sioux Lookout Bombers preparing for second SIJHL season

Tim Brody - Editor

The Sioux Lookout Bombers are hard at work preparing for their second season in the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL).
The Bombers finished the regular season last year in third place, recording 29 wins and 20 losses in their inaugural season. The Bombers took the Wisconsin Lumberjacks all the way to Game 7 in the first round of the SIJHL playoffs, losing in a shootout. 
The Bombers are looking to build upon last season and feel that Head Coach Carson Johnstone is the right person to do that, extending his contract by four years.
Bombers General Manager Austen Hoey shared, “We identified at the start that we wanted to make sure that we had somebody that was coming here to do things the right way and to do things from scratch. One of the biggest things if you look at the successful programs in all of hockey, whether it’s junior or professional, you look to the programs that have a goal, they set it, and they stick to their plan. After watching Carson just for a bit of time at the start we knew that we had picked the right guy and as the season went on those inclinations were more than surpassed and all of our feelings continued to be confirmed, it was just a no-brainer for us, and we think that it makes a lot of sense.”
“When I initially took the job, we had big ideas to build a program here, not just one or two years and then done. It takes time to do something the right way. I was honoured to be offered such an extension, for them to have the trust in what we’re doing… It felt really good for me and my family too,” Johnstone said.
“There’s a lot of things that you can look at as positives from last year. Like I’ve mentioned many times, the support that we have, that’s great… we were fortunate enough to have  a good home record, especially in front of our crowd, and we want to build on that, get better on the road and improve the areas that we fell short, that I feel like I fell short as a coach and we fell short as an organization. With this extension, let’s make it happen,” he added.
As the team builds for the upcoming season, Johnstone shared, “What we identified as missing pieces or holes that we thought we had, we’ve gone out to specifically to try and replace those areas with guys that we think will fit our team and identity better.”
With Jake Manners, last year’s Goalie of the Year for the SIJHL, having aged out of league eligibility, goaltending is a big hole the Bombers are looking to fill.
Johnstone said the team is also looking to fill a few holes on defense as well.
The Bombers held a prospects camp Sept. 1, 2, and 3 at The Hangar (Sioux Lookout Memorial Arena).
The Bombers held their main camp Sept. 5 and 6.
“These camps are great to give young guys the opportunity to come out and get on our radar and sometimes you find a diamond in the rough,” Johnstone said.
The Bombes also held a development camp from Sept. 8 to 10 for hockey players registered with the Sioux Lookout Minor Hockey Association. 
The Bombers will host the SIJHL’s new expansion team, the Kenora Islanders Jr. A Hockey Club, for a pre-season hockey match on Sept. 13 at The Hangar. Puck-drop is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Johnstone and Hoey said they are excited about the upcoming season.
“There’s a buzz in town already, people talking about it. Even more so than last year. Expansion year there was a buzz, but this year people are asking when they can come watch and they’re excited because of last year… I think people are fired up and it’s going to be on fire,” Johnstone said.
“We saw it even yesterday (during prospect camp). We had our initial skates and there were 70 people in the stands watching,

” Hoey said.
“You get it all the time. You’re walking around town and people are asking, “When can I come watch?”. It’s like Carson was saying. It’s exciting. We have a pre-season on the 13. I guarantee Kenora is going to get a taste of, even in the pre-season, how many fans we have, that’s why we have the best fans,” Hoey said.
The Bombers are looking for a few more volunteers. Anyone interested is asked to email [email protected]
The team is also looking to add a few more billet homes. Anyone who can help out is asked to email [email protected]
The Bombers will open their second season in the league on Sept. 22 at home against the Thunder Bay North Stars.