THUNDER BAY, Ont. – The field of four teams for next week’s Dudley-Hewitt Cup in Thunder Bay has now been finalized. The Stouffville Spirit captured the final Dudley-Hewitt berth Friday in dramatic fashion as they rallied late to claim the Buckland Cup, emblematic of Ontario Junior Hockey League champions. Trailing the Whitby Fury 3-1 with less than a minute to go in regulation in game 6 of the OJHL finals, the Spirit struck twice with goaltender Jonathon Hall on the bench on favour of an extra attacker to force overtime, including the equalizer by Christian Powers with just 11 seconds remaining and then proceeded to win at 9:48 of the first extra session thanks to Brandon Gaudette’s game-winner. The stunning victory allowed Stouffville to capture their first-ever OJHL championship and the remaining berth in the Dudley-Hewitt Cup. They will be joined by the host Thunder Bay North Stars of the Superior International Junior Hockey League along with the SIJHL champion Wisconsin Wilderness and the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League title holders, the Soo Thunderbirds. Day 1 action at the Dudley-Hewitt Cup begins Tuesday at the Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay and features the first two round robin games as Wisconsin takes on the Soo at 2 p.m. followed by the North Stars squaring off with the Spirit at 7:30 p.m. More information can be found at the event website of www.thedudleyhewittcup.com. Live online scoring will be available through Pointstreak as well as a link for live webcasting on a pay-per-view basis through NeuLion with both options being available on the official website of the SIJHL, www.sijhl.com. The Dudley-Hewitt Cup champion will then move on to represent the region at the Royal Bank Cup, May 5-13 in Humboldt, Sask. DUDLEY-HEWITT CUP Competing teams Host: Thunder Bay North Stars SIJHL: Wisconsin Wilderness NOJHL: Soo Thunderbirds OJHL: Stouffville Spirit SCHEDULE April 17 Soo Thunderbirds vs. Wisconsin Wilderness 2 p.m. Stouffville Spirit vs. Thunder Bay North Stars 7:30 p.m. April 18 Stouffville Spirit vs. Wisconsin Wilderness 2 p.m. Thunder Bay North Stars vs. Soo Thunderbirds 7:30 p.m. April 19 Soo Thunderbirds vs. Stouffville Spirit 2 p.m. Wisconsin Wilderness vs. Thunder Bay North Stars 7:30 p.m. April 20 Semifinal: 3rd round robin vs. 2nd round robin 7:30 p.m. April 21 Final: 1st round robin vs. Semifinal winner 7:30 p.m.
Dudley-Hewitt Cup field set
