The Fort Frances Thunderhawks were a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

Senior ice hockey club from

Fort Frances Fort Frances is a town in, and the seat of, Rainy River District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census was 7,466 Fort Frances is a popular fishing destination. It hosts the annual Fort Frances C ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. They were eligible to compete for the

Allan Cup The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the senior ice hockey champions of Canada. It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal, and has been competed for since 1909. It was most recently won by the Wentworth Gryphins ...

History

The Thunderhawks were founded in 2009 and are the namesake of the

Fort Frances Borderland Thunder The Borderland Thunder are a defunct Junior "A" ice hockey team from Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada. They were a part of the Superior International Junior Hockey League. History Despite four successful season in the SIJHL and a league title, the T ...

, a former local team that played in the

Superior International Junior Hockey League The Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) is a Junior ice hockey#Junior A, junior A ice hockey league and a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) and Hockey Canada. The league operates in the Canadian province of Ontar ...

. The expansion of the Thunderhawks into the

Northwestern Ontario Northwestern Ontario is a secondary region of Northern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is the ...

region puts them in direct competition with the already established

Kenora Thistles The Kenora Thistles, officially the Thistles Hockey Club, were a Canadian ice hockey team based in Kenora, Ontario. Founded in 1894, they were originally known as the Rat Portage Thistles. The team competed for the Stanley Cup, the ice hockey ...

and the

2005 Allan Cup The 2005 Allan Cup was the Canadian senior ice hockey championship for the 2004–05 senior "AAA" season. The event was hosted by the Lloydminster Border Kings in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan/Alberta. The 2005 tournament marked the 97th year th ...

Champion

Thunder Bay K&A Twins The Thunder Bay Twins were a Canadian Senior ice hockey team from Thunder Bay, Ontario. They played an independent schedule under the supervision of Hockey Northwestern Ontario. They competed for the Allan Cup, the Grand Championship of Canad ...

. Additionally, a third team in the region allows for the potential for the first senior league in the region since the 1980s. On November 10, 2009, the Thunderhawks played their first ever game. In Fort Frances, the Thunderhawks dropped a 7-6 decision in a shootout to the

. At the event they honoured local Senior history with an opening ceremony celebrating the

1952 Allan Cup The 1952 Allan Cup was the Canadian senior ice hockey championship for the 1951–52 senior "A" season. The event was hosted by the Fort Frances Canadians and Fort Frances, Ontario. The 1952 playoff marked the 44th time that the Allan Cup has ...

victory by the

Fort Frances Canadians The Fort Frances Canadians were a Canadian senior ice hockey team in the Northern Amateur League, from Fort Frances, Ontario. The team was organized following World War II, and led by player-coach Pat Wilson. Local radio station CKFI-AM broadcast ...

. On December 4, 2009, the Thunderhawks celebrated their first ever win by defeating the

6-5 at home. The Thunderhawks entered the 2010 HNO Gary Cook Cup tournament on March 11, 2010 for the regional senior championship. In their first game they tied the

3-3. The next night the Thunderhawks trailed the

5-0 in the third period, only to rally and tie the Twins 5-5. It looked as if the Thunderhawks (0-0-2) would be a surprise berth into the tournament final, but at the last minute the Twins filed a protest over a Thunderhawks player. The protest was upheld by the HNO who overturned both of Fort Frances's results, despite the issue seeming to be a clerical error done by the HNO itself, which eliminated the Thunderhawks from the tournament. Despite losing in the semi-final of the

2011 Allan Cup The 2011 Allan Cup was the Canadian championship of senior ice hockey. This was the 103rd year the Allan Cup was awarded. The 2011 Allan Cup was contended in Kenora, Ontario, hosted by the Kenora Thistles of Hockey Northwestern Ontario from A ...

, the Thunderhawks were informed in June 2011 that

Hockey Northwestern Ontario Hockey Northwestern Ontario (HNO) is the governing body of all ice hockey in Northern Ontario, Canada. Hockey Northwestern Ontario is a branch of Hockey Canada. Jurisdiction Empowered by Hockey Canada, Hockey Northwestern Ontario has control ...

had awarded them the Gary Cook Cup as branch champions because of their win over Kenora in the tournament quarter-final. Also, the Thunderhawks were awarded the

Renwick Cup The Gordon Renwick Cup is the trophy for the Senior "AAA" Central Canada ice hockey championship. The winning of this trophy earns the champion the right to compete in the Allan Cup, the national Senior 'AAA' Championship. It is named after former ...

as Ontario Senior hockey champions over the

Dundas Real McCoys The Dundas Real McCoys are a Canadian senior ice hockey team based in Dundas, Ontario. They play in the Ontario Hockey Association's Allan Cup Hockey. The Real McCoys have won four National Championships, winning the 1986 Hardy Cup as Canadian ...

for advancing further in the tournament. In 2011-12, the Thunderhawks could not get enough player commitment and folded just before their final regular season game against Kenora. The team was believed to be sold to a retirement community in South Florida for the start of the 2012-13 season according to veteran player/coach Reg Dunlop.

Season-by-season standings

References

External links

Official WebsiteOfficial Allan Cup Website
{{OHA Senior Senior ice hockey teams Defunct ice hockey teams in Ontario Sport in Northern Ontario Fort Frances 2009 establishments in Ontario Ice hockey clubs established in 2009 2012 disestablishments in Ontario Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2012 Hockey Northwestern Ontario

History

Season-by-season standings

See also

References

External links