The Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Rayside-Balfour, Ontario, Canada. This defunct hockey team was a part of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.
History A very successful franchise, the Sabrecats won the Dudley Hewitt Cup three times (1997, 2000, and 2002) and a dynastic seven straight McNamara Trophies as NOJHL champions (1996–2002). In 2000, they reached the finals of the Royal Bank Cup, only to lose a heartbreaking 2–1 game to the host Fort McMurray Oil Barons. While still playing for the Sabrecats, goaltender Sébastien Laplante was selected in the 9th round (277th overall) by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2001 NHL entry draft.
The team was granted a one-year leave from the NOJHL in 2005, but in Spring 2006 the NOJHL announced that the Sabrecats will not be returning and have officially folded.
Season-by-season results Season GP W L T OTL GF GA P Results Playoffs1962-63 38 22 15 1 - 208 175 45 4th NOJHA Lost semi-final1963-64 40 13 26 1 - 141 202 27 5th NOJHA DNQ1964-65 40 20 20 0 - 185 213 40 4th NOJHA Won league1965-66 40 4 36 0 - 148 337 8 5th NOJHA DNQ1966-67 40 21 19 0 - 225 222 42 4th NOJHA Lost semi-final1967-68 40 24 15 1 - 179 157 49 2nd NOJHA Lost semi-final1968-69 48 22 25 1 - 167 163 45 3rd NOJHA Lost semi-final1969-70 48 8 39 1 - 176 385 17 5th NOJHA DNQ1970-71 48 19 25 4 - 218 269 42 3rd NOJHA Lost semi-final1971-72 52 22 28 2 - 216 265 46 3rd NOJHA Lost semi-final1972-73 42 21 15 6 - -- -- 48 3rd NOHA Jr. B Lost semi-final1973-74 40 30 7 3 - -- -- 63 1st NOHA Jr. B Won league, won NOHA1974-75 NOHA Jr. B Lost semi-final1975-76 4th NOHA Jr. B Lost semi-final1976-77 6th NOHA Jr. B DNQ1977-78 20 6th NOHA Jr. B DNQ1978-79 40 20 17 3 - -- -- 43 5th NOJHL1979-80 40 18 20 2 - 197 194 38 4th NOJHL1980-81 40 9 26 5 - 203 257 23 6th NOJHL1981-82 42 14 25 3 - 209 273 31 5th NOJHL1982-83 42 19 16 7 - 275 256 45 3rd NOJHL1983-84 40 36 2 2 - 426 165 74 1st NOJHL Won league1984-85 40 23 15 2 - 349 287 48 3rd NOJHL1985-86 41 22 16 3 - 324 274 47 3rd NOJHL1986-87 Did not participate1987-88 40 22 15 3 - 275 211 47 3rd NOJHLLost final1988-89 40 28 7 5 - 289 162 61 1st NOJHL Lost final1989-90 40 19 18 3 - 222 234 41 4th NOJHL Lost final1990-91 40 18 21 1 - 206 231 37 3rd NOJHL Lost final1991-92 48 39 7 2 - 482 195 80 1st NOJHL Lost final1992-93 48 33 13 2 - 353 242 68 3rd NOJHL1993-94 40 18 21 1 - 220 228 37 5th NOJHL1994-95 48 22 26 0 - 233 273 44 5th NOJHL1995-96 44 37 5 2 - 270 129 76 1st NOJHL Won league1996-97 40 36 3 1 - 296 112 73 1st NOJHL Won league, won Dudley Hewitt Cup1997-98 40 35 3 2 - 252 107 72 1st NOJHL Won league1998-99 40 32 7 1 - 213 106 65 1st NOJHL Won league1999-00 40 40 0 0 - 315 80 80 1st NOJHL Won league, won Dudley Hewitt Cup2000-01 40 35 3 0 2 284 101 72 1st NOJHL Won league2001-02 42 37 4 0 1 327 105 75 1st NOJHL Won league, won Dudley Hewitt Cup2002-03 48 30 16 2 - 263 178 62 3rd NOJHL2003-04 48 4 41 2 1 97 299 11 8th NOJHL2004-05 48 14 31 4 0 147 201 31 7th NOJHL Lost quarter-final
Past coaches Larry Bédard
References
Further reading