2019–20 NOJHL season
42nd season of the NOJHL
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The 2019–20 NOJHL season was the 42nd season of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL). The Powassan Voodoos finished the regular season in first place overall, however, the league championship Copeland Cup – McNamara Trophy was not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the cancellation of the playoffs.
| 2019–20 NOJHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | September–March |
| Teams | 12 |
On 12 March 2020, the league cancelled all events indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The cancellation came after the completion of the regular season, but before the completion of the post-season. Consequently, no team was awarded the league championship Copeland Cup – McNamara Trophy.[1]
Timmins Rock goalie, Tyler Masternak, set a new league record with 8 shutouts in a single season. The previous record of 6 was also set by Masternak during the 2018–19 NOJHL season.[2] Masternak recorded a total of 18 shutouts during his NOJHL career, more than any goalie in league history.[3][4]
Regular season
The regular began on 5 September 2019 and concluded on 1 March 2020.[5] Each team played 56 season games, with the Powassan Voodoos finishing in first place overall and the Rayside Balfour Canadians finishing first in the West division. It was the Voodoos' 3rd first-place finish in the team's 6-year history.[2]
| Team | GP | W | L | OTW | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powassan Voodoos | 56 | 45 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 264 | 141 | 92 |
| Timmins Rock | 56 | 42 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 231 | 100 | 87 |
| Hearst Lumberjacks | 56 | 31 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 202 | 177 | 69 |
| Cochrane Crunch | 56 | 26 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 166 | 189 | 57 |
| Kirkland Lake Gold Miners | 56 | 18 | 32 | 5 | 1 | 154 | 228 | 42 |
| French River Rapids | 56 | 13 | 38 | 4 | 1 | 136 | 250 | 31 |
Source: "2019–20 NOJHL standings". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
| Team | GP | W | L | OTW | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rayside Balfour Canadians | 56 | 40 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 260 | 163 | 85 |
| Blind River Beavers | 56 | 37 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 223 | 158 | 78 |
| Soo Thunderbirds | 56 | 30 | 19 | 3 | 4 | 220 | 166 | 67 |
| Soo Eagles | 56 | 30 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 185 | 171 | 65 |
| Espanola Express | 56 | 17 | 34 | 4 | 1 | 167 | 247 | 39 |
| Elliot Lake Wildcats | 56 | 7 | 46 | 3 | 0 | 115 | 333 | 17 |
Source: "2019–20 NOJHL standings". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
Post-season
The first round of the playoffs ran from 4 – 8 March 2024. In the East division, the Cochrane Crunch defeated the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 2 games to 1 to advance to the quarterfinals. In the West division, the Soo Eagles defeated the Espanola Express 2 games to 0, also advancing to the quarterfinals.
The Hearst Lumberjacks defeated the Timmins Rock in the first game of the quarterfinals. The following day, the league announced the cancellation of all remaining games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]