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Thunder Bay Thunder Hawks (CoHL, 1992-93)

1992-93 Regular Season:
Thunder Hawks vs. Flint Bulldogs



     The Thunder Bay Thunder Hawks were coming off a successful inaugural season in 1991-92, winning the Colonial Hockey League's first Colonial Cup Championship. General Manager Gary Cook and Head Coach Bill McDonald returned for Season 2, and the team was now affiliated with the Ottawa Senators. 
     The 1992-93 Thunder Hawks remained in third place, but improved to 32-24-4, 13 points behind league-best Brantford. Attendance climbed to 1,783 per game, third-best in the league.
     Thunder Bay scored the third-most goals that year, lighting the lamp 288 times. They were led on offense by former Detroit Red Wings prospect Jason Firth, with 36 goals and 100 points in 49 games. Center Todd Howarth was next in line with a career-high 37 goals and 79 points in 60 games. The other 20-goal scorers were Gary Callaghan (26) and Vincent Faucher (20). Defenseman (and former Montreal Canadien prospect) Barry McKinlay had 17 goals and 56 points in 55 games.
     On defense, the Thunder Hawks were also third-best in the league, allowing just 271 goals. Steve Hogg was back in net for Season 2, playing in 27 games. In his final pro season, Hogg went 11-13-2 with a 4.76 GAA. Mark Michaud, in his only Colonial League season, played in 22 games, with a 12-7-2 record, a 3.84 GAA and 1 shutout. Michaud earned a 12-game callup to the AHL's Prince Edward Island Senators. Jocelyn Provost was acquired from Chatham during the season and played 13 games (8-3-0, 4.01 GAA), and Pierre Gagnon played in 2 games (1-1-0, 4.35 GAA). Hogg and Michaud played in the playoffs.
     I remember the Thunder Hawks as not only a good team, but a tough team. Thunder Bay had the third-most penalty minutes in the league that season, with 1686 minutes. They had three players well over 200 penalty minutes. Leading the march to the sin bin was future coach Tom Warden, with 263 minutes in 59 games (not a goon though, he had 19 goals and 45 points!). Two Colonial League legends were next in line, as left winger "Mad Mel" Angelstad had 256 in 45 games (2 goals, 7 points) and left winger Bruce Ramsay had 234 minutes in 52 games (3 goals, 19 points). Center Bryan Wells nearly cracked the 200-minute club, with 163 in just 34 games (17 goals, 29 points)
     The defending champions were back in the postseason and would matchup with the expansion Muskegon Fury. The Fury were in fourth place, with a 28-27-5 record (61 points), and the two teams battled in a close 7-game series. Thunder Bay took a 3-0 lead, only to see Muskegon storm back to tie the series before the Thunder Hawks finally dispatched the Fury, 5-4 in Game 7.
     Round 2 was a round-robin format, with each team playing four games. St. Thomas and Brantford advanced to the Colonial Cup Finals, as the Thunder Hawks finished just 1-3 and were outscored 23-13. Brantford would knock off St. Thomas in a close five-game series to win their only Colonial Cup.
Thunder Hawks and Bulldogs Rosters
     This is a 70-page program, all in black and white. There are plenty of great photos from the previous season, including the championship picture on the cover and the formal team photo on page 68. This is the first Thunder Hawks program in my collection, and second for the franchise (the other one is a Thunder Cats program). Ticket information is on page 11, and tickets ranged from $3-9, with "Children with Adult" being free. A recap of last season is on pages 15-19. Page 59 has the prices for souvenirs. The prices ranged from $3 (pucks) to $70 (replica jersey). 
     This program is from a January 2, 1993, game between the Thunder Hawks and Flint Bulldogs. Thunder Bay won, 8-3, to improve to 16-13-1.
     Local advertisements include Robin's Donuts, Dudley Nightshades, Hodder Esso Service, and Star-Lite Flooring. The Dave Douglas Jewellers ad on page 30 includes a picture of a Thunder Hawks championship ring. 

Aftermath: After this season, the Thunder Hawks would change their name to "Thunder Bay Senators".

Reference:
Colonial Hockey League Season Statistics: 1992-93, from hockeydb.com
 

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Comments

  1. UnknownDecember 24, 2021 at 12:28 AM

    Very Cool ... I played minor hockey a couple of years with Mel Angelstad. He was always hilarious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CMUBrentJune 4, 2024 at 8:49 AM

      I used to go to Colonial League games in Flint and Fraser. Those Thunder Bay teams were TOUGH.

      Delete

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