Sturgeon Falls Lumberjacks

The Sturgeon Falls Lumberjacks were a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League.

History
On September 10, 2010, the Lumberjacks played their first ever regular season game against the Elliot Lake Bobcats in Elliot Lake. The Bobcats won the game 7-2. On September 12, 2010, the Lumberjacks played on the road against the Powassan Dragons and earned their franchise's first victory with a 5-2 win.

In their second season, the Lumberjacks finished second place in the GMHL with a record of 35 wins and 7 losses. In the league quarter-final, the Jacks faced the 2010 league champion Deseronto Storm and survived a five-game series 3-games-to-2. In the semi-final, Sturgeon Falls defeated the league's only two-time champion, the Bradford Rattlers, in a four-game sweep. In the final, the Lumberjacks drew the first-seeded Temiscaming Titans. Despite being an expansion team, the Titans were created with the remnants of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League's Temiscaming Royals, and were a seasoned and tough team. The Titans finished the season ahead of the Jacks with a record of 38 wins and 4 losses and were undefeated through two rounds of playoffs (7-0). The Lumberjacks quickly went up two games on the Titans, but were defeated in game three. The Jacks took game four, but the Titans refused to lose the championship on home ice in game five. Game six was in Sturgeon Falls and the Jacks would not waste it, cruising to a 6-1 victory and their first Russell Cup as GMHL Champions.

On September 29, 2012, the Lumberjacks became the first GMHL club to ice a female hockey player. Goaltender Alyssa Moyer made her GMHL debut in a 7-5 loss to the Shelburne Red Wings, making 21 saves.

The Sturgeon Falls Lumberjacks suspended operations for the balance of the 2015-16 season sometime in late January citing player injuries and a heavy school workload due to many of the players attending Nipissing University which had a faculty strike earlier in the school year and lead to a heavier school schedule due to a shorter school year. The ownership also issued in the same statement that they are taking the next few months to evaluate its' situation and make a decision on returning for the 2016-17 season. The teams last game was played on January 29th. The team forfeited a January 30th game to Parry Sound 3-0, which gave the team an 11-25-1 record at the time of their withdrawal.

In June 2016, Lumberjacks' owner Lui Ricci sold the team to two local owners looking to re-energize the team. The team was then re-branded as the West Nipissing Lynx.

Playoffs

 * 2011 Lost qualifier
 * Powassan Dragons defeated Sturgeon Falls Lumberjacks 2-games-to-1 in qualifier


 * 2012 Won League
 * Sturgeon Falls Lumberjacks defeated Deseronto Storm 3-games-to-2 in quarter-final
 * Sturgeon Falls Lumberjacks defeated Bradford Rattlers 4-games-to-none in semi-final
 * Sturgeon Falls Lumberjacks defeated Temiscaming Titans 4-games-to-2 in final


 * 2013 Lost division quarter-final
 * South Muskoka Shield defeated Sturgeon Falls Lumberjacks 3-games-to-none in division quarter-final


 * 2014 Lost qualifier
 * Bobcaygeon Bucks beat Sturgeon Falls Lumberjacks 9-8


 * 2015
 * Sturgeon Falls Lumberjacks defeated Almaguin Spartans 5-4 in overtime in North Division Elimination Qualifier Game.
 * Temiscaming Titans beat Sturgeon Falls Lumberjacks 3-games-to-none in division semi-final