The Wisconsin Wilderness were an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

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 hock ...

team based in Spooner,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. The Wilderness played in the

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 ...

-based

Superior International Junior Hockey League The Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) is a junior A ice hockey league and a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) and Hockey Canada. The league operates in the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. states of M ...

History

In the summer of 2012, Donnie Roberts sold the original Wisconsin Wilderness, two-time SIJHL Bill Salonen Cup champions, to parties who moved the team to

Cloquet, Minnesota Cloquet ( ) is a city in Carlton County, Minnesota, United States, at the junction of Interstate 35 and Minnesota State Highway 33. Part of the city lies within the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation and serves as one of the reservation's three admi ...

. Built from the success of the original

Minnesota Wilderness The Minnesota Wilderness are a Tier II junior ice hockey team based in Cloquet, Minnesota, and play in the North American Hockey League (NAHL). The organization formerly fielded teams in the Canada-based Junior A Superior International Junior Ho ...

, they won their third straight title and the

Dudley Hewitt Cup The Dudley-Hewitt Cup is a championship ice hockey trophy awarded to the Central Canadian Junior A champion. The trophy is currently decided by round robin tournament format, at the conclusion of the playoffs of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, ...

as Central Canada Junior A champions. They became the second team in SIJHL history to play for the

Royal Bank Cup Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

and the first American team in Canadian Junior A history to make the final round of the national playdowns. During this time, the Wilderness announced that the team was leaving the SIJHL and joining the

North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 48th season of operation in 2022–23. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...

. The Wilderness would lose their chance at the

2013 Royal Bank Cup The 2013 Royal Bank Cup was the 43rd Junior "A" ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The 2013 Royal Bank Cup marks the 43rd consecutive year a national championship has been awarded to this skill level since the ...

in the semi-final, in overtime. On July 11, 2013,

USA Hockey USA Hockey is the national ice hockey organization in the United States. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the Sport governing body, governing body for organized ice ...

granted Lars Geary a new team in the SIJHL. Geary chose to go back to the previous franchise's name, the "Wisconsin Wilderness". On September 21, 2013, the Wilderness played their first franchise game. The Wilderness traveled to

Dryden, Ontario Dryden, originally known as New Prospect, is the second-largest city in the Kenora District of Northwestern Ontario, Canada, located on Wabigoon Lake. It is the least populous community in Ontario incorporated as a city. The City of Dryden had a ...

, to play the

Dryden Ice Dogs The Dryden Ice Dogs are a junior A ice hockey team from Dryden, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Superior International Junior Hockey League. History At 49° 47′ North, the Ice Dogs were the most northern junior A team in Ontario until ...

and lost the game, 4–1. Zach Kraft scored the first goal in Wilderness history 11:36 into the first period. Luke Thompson made 37 saves in the effort for the Wilderness. The next night was the second game of a weekend doubleheader with the Ice Dogs, as the Wilderness avenged their previous loss and picked up their first franchise win with a 6–3 triumph. Sawyer Jacobson picked up the eventual game-winning goal 5:19 into the third period, while Luke Thompson made 35 saves to pick up the historic victory. After their first season returning to the SIJHL, the Spooner Ice House closed its doors, leaving the Wisconsin Wilderness without an arena and therefore they folded.

Season-by-season results

Playoffs

* ''2014'' Lost quarter-final : Minnesota Iron Rangers defeated Wisconsin Wilderness ''4-games-to-none''

References

External links

Wilderness Webpage

Superior International JHL Webpage
{{SIJHL Amateur ice hockey teams in Wisconsin Defunct Superior International Junior Hockey League teams Washburn County, Wisconsin 2012 establishments in Wisconsin 2013 disestablishments in Wisconsin Ice hockey clubs established in 2012 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2013