The Warroad Lakers were an American Senior ice hockey team from Warroad, Minnesota. The Lakers played in various Manitoba AHA and Thunder Bay AHA senior and intermediate leagues and were granted special eligibility for the Allan Cup and Hardy Cup by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. The Lakers were three-time Allan Cup Canadian National Champions, one-time Allan Cup National Finalists, one-time Hardy Cup Canadian National Champions, and one-time Hardy Cup National Finalists.
History The Lakers were Western Canada Intermediate "A" Champions in 1964, 1974, and 1977, Thunder Bay Intermediate "A" Champions in 1963 and 1964, and Manitoba Intermediate "A" Champions in at least 1971, 1974, and 1977. They were also Thunder Bay Senior "A" Champions in 1965 and Manitoba Senior "A" Champions in at least 1969, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997.
At the 1974 Hardy Cup, the Lakers faced the Ottawa District Hockey Association's Embrun Panthers. The Lakers swept them 3-games-to-none to win their only Hardy Cup. Three years later, the Lakers faced New Brunswick's Campbellton Tigers at the 1977 Hardy Cup, but fell 3-games-to-1.
The Warroad Lakers are only the second American team in Allan Cup history to be Canadian National Senior "AAA" Champions. They won the 1994 Allan Cup on home ice, the next year they won the 1995 Allan Cup in Stony Plain, Alberta, and then won the 1996 Allan Cup in Unity, Saskatchewan to become the only team in history to win three consecutive Allan Cups. A season later, the Lakers failed to defeat the Powell River Regals in the 1997 Allan Cup final, which would have given them four in a row if won.
In 1997, after finding themselves without a league to play in, the Warroad Lakers were forced to fold.
Around 2001, the team was resurrected and named the Warroad Islanders. They competed in the 2002 Allan Cup but failed to get out of the round robin. In 2003, the Islanders failed to get past the Ile des Chenes North Stars (who won the 2003 Allan Cup) in the Manitoba playdowns. Soon after, the team fell off the competitive hockey map.
All three of the Lakers' Allan Cup winning teams have been inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.
Season-by-season results Season GP W L T GF GA P Results Playoffs1946-47 -- -- - - -- -- -- 1st States Dominion League Won Title Game 10-2 vs. Roseau1947-48 Statistics Not Available1948-49 Statistics Not Available1949-50 Statistics Not Available1950-51 Statistics Not Available1951-52 Statistics Not Available1952-53 Statistics Not Available1953-54 Statistics Not Available1954-55 -- -- - - -- -- -- 1st Northwest League Northwest League ChampionsU.S. National Open Intermediate champions1955-56 28 21 6 1 -- -- -- 1st Northwest League Northwest League Champions1956-57 21 18 3 0 -- -- -- 1st Northwest League Northwest League Champions1957-58 18 12 6 0 112 53 24 1st MinOHL Won League1958-59 16 12 4 0 87 45 24 1st MinOHL Won League1959-60 18 15 3 0 -- -- 30 1st MinOHL Won League1960-61 39 25 13 1 -- -- -- 1st MinOHL Won League1961-62 13 11 2 0 86 43 35 1st MinOHL Lost final1962-63 40 26 13 1 -- -- -- 1st MinOHL Lost final1963-64 -- -- -- - -- -- -- Canadian Intermediate champions1964-65 16 14 2 0 74 48 -- MIHL Exh. Lost Western Canada Final1965-66 24 15 4 5 127 79 35 1st MSHL Lost semi-final1966-67 24 15 9 0 119 105 30 3rd MSHL Lost semi-final1967-68 24 8 15 1 88 88 17 4th MSHL DNQ1968-69 23 13 10 0 -- -- 26 1st MSHL Won League1969-70 24 18 6 0 160 90 36 1st MSHL Lost final1970-71 17 12 5 0 88 74 24 2nd MSHL Won League Intermediate Final1971-72 24 21 3 0 134 73 42 2nd CCHL Won League Intermediate Final1972-73 30 23 7 0 172 84 60 2nd CCHL Won League Intermediate Final1973-74 24 18 5 1 164 84 37 1st CCHL Won LeagueWon Hardy Cup1974-75 Statistics Not Available 1975-76 Statistics Not Available1976-77 Statistics Not Available1977-78 Statistics Not Available1978-79 The Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association decided inMay 1979 that Warroad would no longer be allowed to represent Manitoba inintermediate AA hockey play-off competition.1979-80 32 20 12 0 -- -- 40 1st CASHL Lost final1980-81 32 15 15 2 163 152 32 3rd CASHL Lost semi-final1981-82 29 9 20 0 128 157 18 4th CASHL Lost semi-final1982-83 32 11 20 1 169 182 23 5th CASHL Lost semi-final1983-84 34 15 18 1 182 195 35 5th CASHL Lost quarter-final1984-85 Statistics Not Available1985-86 Statistics Not Available1986-87 Statistics Not Available1987-88 Statistics Not Available1988-89 Statistics Not Available1989-90 Statistics Not Available1990-91 Statistics Not Available1991-92 Statistics Not Available1992-93 46 33 11 2 -- -- -- Central Amateur Senior Hockey LeagueManitoba-SaskatchewanWestern Canada Champions1993-94 Statistics Not Available1994-95 12 8 3 1 -- -- -- SEMHL Exh. Won Pattison CupWon Allan Cup1995-96 36 35 1 0 -- -- -- SEMHL Exh. Won Pattison CupWestern Canada championsWon Allan Cup1996-97 16 16 0 0 187 47 -- HTHL Exh. Won Pattison CupLost Allan Cup Final
Notable alumni
Henry Boucha Bill Christian Dave Christian Roger Christian Blane Comstock Chad Erickson Alan Hangsleben Jim Henry Ken Johannson Bob Johnson Julian Klymkiw Ed Kryzanowski Larry Olimb Dave Richardson Clarence Schmidt Wyatt Smith Art Stratton
See also List of ice hockey teams in Manitoba
References
External links Official Allan Cup page A-Z Hockey Warroad Lakers entry