It was a special year to be a sports fan in Thunder Bay.
But it was an American who tops the list of top accomplishments by an athlete with local ties. The Lakehead Thunderwolves guard may have left for a professional career in Germany, but turned the basketball world on its ears in a magical season LU fans won’t soon forget.
Williams was an easy choice for Thunder Bay’s top sports story of 2015.
1. Jylisa Williams scored 50 points against the University of Toronto to set a new OUA single-game, led the Thunderwolves into the top 10 and the OUA final four, was named most valuable player in the country and will likely be remembered as the best female athlete in Lakehead school history.
2. Year 2 of the Staal Foundation Open was even better than the first. With the star power of Bobby Orr and Grant Fuhr adding to the festivities, the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada event has quickly proven to be one of the most popular on the development tour circuit. Golfer J.J. Spaun captured the title en route to a spot on next year’s Web.com Tour.
3. The year began with surprising news out of the Thunder Bay Chill camp, when long-time coach Tony Colistro announced he would not be returning in 2015. Colistro, who also owns the Premier Development League club, was replaced by Gio Petraglia, who took the Chill back to the playoffs after a one-year absence.
4. NHLer Patrick Sharp saw his run with the Chicago Blackhawks come to an end with a third Stanley Cup win in five years. Sharp, who endured a winter of off-ice rumours, was traded to the Dallas Stars in the off-season after 10 seasons in the Windy City.
5. It was a whirlwind year for goalie Mackenzie Blackwood. Drafted in the second round by New Jersey in June, he was named to the Canadian junior men’s hockey team in December, the first Thunder Bay player to earn the honour since Marc Staal in 2006. Blackwood missed the opening two games of the tournament serving part of an eight-game suspension incurred with Barrie of the Ontario Hockey League.
6. Tandem cyclist Robbi Weldon, beset by recent injuries, returned from Toronto with Parapan Am Games silver, finishing second in the mixed time trial B final with partner Audrey Lemieux.
7. Lakehead runner Kevin Tree followed up an OUA cross-country bronze medal with a second place finish at nationals, earning a berth on Team Canada at the upcoming World University Games. Tree also represented the country earlier in the year at the world championship in China.
8. Goaltender Matt Murray had a stellar freshman season in the professional ranks, winning the American Hockey League’s goaltender and rookie of the year trophies. Murray posted a 25-10-3 record with the Wikes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, to go with 12 shutouts and a sparkling 1.58 goals against average. In December he got the call to the big leagues.
9. The Lakehead Thunderwolves hockey program hit rock bottom in 2015, despite an upset win over Western in the first round of the playoffs. The Wolves dropped their first six games of 2015-16 and once again will struggle to make the OUA post-season with a 2-10-4 record at the Christmas break.
10. Thunder Bay’s Carter McEachern showed he belonged in the Northwoods League, earning an all-star nod and finishing 11th in the league in hitting, with a .324 average. McEachern is a junior at Trinity College.
11. Sudbury’s Tracy Horgan rink edged Thunder Bay’s Kendra Lilly 4-3 at the Fort William Curling Club to capture the inaugural Northern Ontario Scotties crown. Horgan rolled through the pre-qualifier at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and just missed qualifying for the playoffs with a 6-5 record. Later in the year Lilly joined forces with four-time Ontario champion Krista McCarville, who came out of retirement with an eye on a national title.
12. Skier Michael Somppi capped a spectacular week for local skiers, taking the marquee 50-kilometre men’s race at the Haywood Ski Nationals at the Lappe Nordic Ski Centre. Not to be outdone, the Lakehead Thunderwolves men’s and women’s teams captured their respective national titles during the week.
13. Organizers of the Miles with the Giant marathon announced the race was no more, citing a lack of growth after four years.
14. The Thunder Bay North Stars coaching saga came full circle when the team re-hired Jeremy Adduono to take the reins of the Superior International Junior Hockey League franchise. Adduono took over from Gary Wenzel, who was let go mid-season by new owners Scott and Kris Kellaway.
15. Football dominace continued at St. Ignatius High School. The junior squad captured a fourth straight title, continuing an undefeated run that dates back to the 2011 championship game. The senior also took home the title.
