The Nipigon Elks are a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

Junior B

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

team based in

Nipigon Nipigon () is a township in Thunder Bay District, Northwestern Ontario, Canada, located along the west side of the Nipigon River and south of the small Lake Helen running between Lake Nipigon and Lake Superior. Lake Nipigon is located approximat ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. They play in the

Lakehead Junior Hockey League The Lakehead Junior Hockey League is a Canadian Junior ice hockey league in Northwestern Ontario, sanctioned by Hockey Northwestern Ontario and Hockey Canada. An earlier edition of this league existed in the 1970s. The Thunder Bay-based league ...

Hockey Northwestern Ontario Hockey Northwestern Ontario (HNO) is the governing body of all ice hockey in Northern Ontario, Canada. Hockey Northwestern Ontario is a branch of Hockey Canada. Jurisdiction Empowered by Hockey Canada, Hockey Northwestern Ontario has control ...

History

The Elks are five-time Western Canadian Brewers Cup champions. They won the Junior C tournament in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2013 against comparable teams from across Western Canada. The Elks were also 2010 finalists. In 2008, the team changed their name from the Nipigon Elks to the Nip-Rock Elks. The name change, which was for just one season, had to do with an agreement with the neighboring town of Red Rock, Ontario.

2002–03

The Nipigon Elks finished off the 2002-03 season in first place with a record of 16-6-2 and went on to win the league playoffs. The Elks defeated the

Wawa Travellers The Wawa Travellers were a Junior "B" team based out of Wawa, Ontario. They played in the North of Superior Junior B Hockey League. History The Travellers played in all eight of the NSHL's seasons. After a slow start, the team moved through ...

of the

North of Superior Junior B Hockey League The North of Superior Junior B Hockey League (NSHL) is a defunct Junior ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The league used to be a part of the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. History The North of Superior Jun ...

to win the

Northern Ontario Regional Junior B Hockey Championship The William Ryan Trophy is a Canadian ice hockey series to determine the Northwestern Ontario seed of the Keystone Cup - the Western Canada Junior "B" Hockey championship. Hockey Northwestern Ontario sanctioned league winners play-off for the trophy ...

for the right to compete at the 2003

Keystone Cup The Keystone Cup is the Junior B ice hockey championship and trophy for Western Canada. From 1983 to 2017, the championship was the culmination of the champions of 12 hockey leagues in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northw ...

St. Claude, Manitoba St. Claude is an unincorporated community recognized as a local urban district in the Rural Municipality of Grey within the Canadian province of Manitoba that held village status prior to January 1, 2015. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Popu ...

. The Elks first game of the Western Canadian Junior B championship was against the

Assiniboia Southern Rebels The Prairie Junior Hockey League is a Junior "B" ice hockey league in Saskatchewan, Canada, sanctioned by Hockey Canada. History Originally known as the South Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (1992–2006) the Prairie Junior Hockey League was ...

, a 6-1 loss. They next played the

Selkirk Fishermen The Selkirk Fishermen are a junior "B" ice hockey team based in Selkirk, Manitoba. They are members of the Capital Region Junior Hockey League (CRJHL). The franchise was founded in 1917. They are the longest running junior hockey team in Canada. ...

, resulting in a 9-3 loss. In the third game, the Elks lost to the Spruce Grove Regals 11-2, then lost to the

Richmond Sockeyes The Richmond Sockeyes are a Junior "B" ice hockey team based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. They were named the "Sockeyes" by the original owner and longtime Richmond resident and B.C. hockey volunteer and leader Bruce Allison in 1972. ...

5-1. In the fifth and final game of the round robin, the Elks lost to the host St. Claude Knights 5-1 to close out their tournament winless.

Season-by-season standings

Keystone Cup history

Western Canadian Jr. B Championships (Northern Ontario to British Columbia)
Six teams in round robin play. 1st vs 2nd for gold/silver; 3rd vs 4th for bronze.

References

{{reflist

External links

Nipigon Elks website
Ice hockey teams in Ontario Lakehead Junior Hockey League teams Sport in Northern Ontario