Thunder Bay is known as a sports town and there was plenty to cheer about in 2022 — even if fans mostly weren’t allowed at the biggest event of the year.
Here’s Dougall Media director of news Leith Dunick’s top 10 local sports stories of the year.
1. After years of waiting and losing the 2021 event to the Calgary bubble, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts finally arrived at Fort William Gardens. Local heroes Krista McCarville, Sarah Potts, Ashley Sippala and Kendra Lilly, who calls Sudbury home, made it all the way to the final, settling for silver against Team Canada’s Kerri Einarson.
2. Eric Staal, who did not get a contract offer after going to the Stanley Cup final with Montreal in 2021, laced up his skates and captained Team Canada at the Olympic Games. His play earned him a professional tryout offer with the Florida Panthers, and he eventually signed a one-year deal to play with brother Marc, another free-agent signee.
3. The Thunder Bay Chill spent two seasons on the sidelines and finally got the go-ahead to return to action as restrictions at the border began to lift. The Chill were in the hunt for a playoff spot until the final weekend of the season.
4. Unfortunately the news was not as great for the Thunder Bay Border Cats, who spent yet another summer awaiting a return to Port Arthur Stadium. The news got better late in the year, when the Northwoods League announced the team would be back on the field in 2023, with manager J.K. Kelly at the helm.
5. The Thunder City Speedway was a runaway hit for thousands of fans who turned out weekly to witness the return of stock car racing to the region.
6. Diver Molly Carlson, who spent her formative years in Thunder Bay, shot to the top of the sport as one of the breakout stars of the Red Bull Cliff Diving Series. Carlson, who boasts 3.5 million Tik Tok followers, returned to the Canada Games Complex in December to inspire the next generation of local divers.
7. The Thunderwolves men’s basketball program continued building on its pre-pandemic success, soaring to No. 7 in the national rankings with wins over No. 2 Ottawa and No. 3 Brock. LU finished the calendar year at No. 9, thanks in part to CEBL veterans Michael Okafor and Laoui Msambya. The women’s team faced turmoil, going winless in 10 games to start the season, which they embarked upon without long-time coach Jon Kreiner, who is no longer with the program.
8. It was a summer of movement for two-time Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray, was traded by Ottawa to Toronto after a couple of injury-plagued seasons with the Senators. Murray has played well for the Leafs, boasting a 8-2-2 record at press time.
9. Thunder Bay welcomed the world — OK, the United States — for a five-game friendly series between the Canadian and U.S. national women’s baseball teams. The Thunder Bay International Baseball Association also announced it is pursuing the 2024 women’s world championship and a 2023 qualifier.
10. The Saint Patrick Fighting Saints ended a 21-year championship drought, capturing the SSSAA senior high school football championship, and followed it up with a 27-13 win over St. Roch in the Central Bowl.
