Chill Moves Weekend Games

Due to poor field conditions at Tbaytel Field at Chapples Park, the Thunder Bay Chill will play their weekend exhibition games at Fort William Stadium.  The Chill host the Winnipeg Lions Saturday night at 7:30 and Sunday at 1:00.  The Chill open the PDL regular season in Winnipeg on May 31st.  

Cats Sign Pair Of Local Pitchers

The Border Cats pitching staff will have a local flavour this season with the signings of Thunder Bay's Lucas Scocchia and Danny McInnis.  Scocchia and McInnis, who signed temporary contracts,  both attended St. Ignatius High School and our graduates of the Northwest Slam baseball program under the direction of current Lakehead University Thunderwolves coach Jason Hart. 

 

Scocchia, who underwent Tommy John elbow surgery in 2012, just completed his sophomore season at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.  The 6'2", 230 pound righthander appeared in nine games this year and went 0-1 with a 4.05 earned run average.  He will join the Cats in the first week of June.  McInnis just finished his freshman season at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas.  The 5'11", 190 pound righthander drew the attention of college scouts in the fall of  2012 when he threw a no-hitter at a showcase tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

 

The Cats have added more depth on the mound with the signings of pitchers Wes Helsabeck and Devin McLemore of Winston Salem State University in North Carolina as well as teammates Michael Daley and Charles Thielmann of Kean University in Union, New Jersey. 

 

Helsabeck, is a 6'0", 190 pound lefthander.  The native of Rural Hall, NC., made 13 appearances this season, including 10 starts, and compiled a 6-1 record with a 3.02 ERA.  McLemore, a 6'3", 195 righthanded sophomore, pitched in 18 games, going 1-1 with a 5.50 ERA.  The product of High Point, NC., also played shortstop for the Rams and batted .284 in 28 games with one home run and 19 runs batted in. 

 

Daley, is a 5'10", 155 pound junior from Sommerville, NJ.  The righthander went 7-1 this season in 12 games, including nine starts.  Daley recorded a 3.56 ERA and had three complete games and two shutouts to earn all region honours.  Daley's college teammate, Thielmann is a 6'3", 235 pound junior from Piscataway, NJ.  The righthander made nine starts and had a 4-4 record in 10 games with a 3.00 ERA. 

 

The Cats have also signed pitchers Ben Allison (Belhaven University), Nathaniel Leon (St. Peter's University), Tyler Lequire (Pfeiffer University), and Kevin Woebke (Concordia University).  Allison made 10 starts and pitched in 22 games this season overall.  The 6'3", 200 pound junior righthander had a perfect 6 and 0 record with a 2.29 earned run average.      

The Border Cats play their 2014 home opener Tuesday, May 27th, at Tbaytel Park against the St. Cloud Rox at 7:05pm.  Season ticket packages, plus 16-game and 6-game flex packs are on sale at the stadium ticket office or by calling 766-CATS.

 

Cats Add Six To Mix

The Thunder Bay Border Cats are proud to announce the signing of six more players for the 2014 Northwoods League season.  Manager Johnny Hernandez has added three players from St. John's (NY) University, two players from Columbia University, and a pitcher from San Diego State University.  
 
St. John's teammates Matt Hennie, Tyler Sanchez and Ty Blankmeyer will all suit up for the Border Cats this summer.  Hennie is a 6'2", 170 pound right-handed pitcher from Roselle Park, NJ.  The sophomore has appeared in 17 games out of the bullpen for the Red Storm this season and is 2-0 with one save and a 3.07 earned run average.  Sanchez, a 6'3", 205 pound sophomore catcher from Port St. Lucie, FL., has played in 44 games and is hitting .254 with one home run and 18 runs batted in.  Blankmeyer is also a sophomore from Morristown, NJ., and has played in 36 games this year, batting .213 with five RBI.  The 5'7", 155 pound infielder can play second base or shortstop.  St. John's will compete this weekend in the Big East Tournament in Brooklyn, NY.  
 
The Cats have also signed a pair of players from another New York school, Columbia University.  Robb Paller, is a 5'10", 195 pound outfielder from Brooklyn.  In 43 games this season, the sophomore is hitting .299 with 10 doubles, three home runs and 33 runs batted in.  Paller leads the Lions with 50 hits.  Jordan Serena is 6'1", 190 pound second baseman from Parker, CO.  The junior infielder has also played in 43 games this spring and is hitting .286 with nine doubles, two triples and 12 RBI.
 
Joining the pitching staff is 6'2", 180 pound righthander Mark Seyler from San Diego State University.  The sophomore from Agoura Hills, CA., has appeared in 15 games for the Aztecs and has an 8-5 record with a 3.94 earned run average.  Seyler has struck out 75 batters in 89 innings pitched.  
 
The Border Cats play their 2014 home opener Tuesday, May 27th, at Tbaytel Park against the St. Cloud Rox at 7:05pm.  Season ticket packages, plus 16-game and 6-game flex packs are on sale at the stadium ticket office or by calling 766-CATS.

 

The Thunder Bay Border Cats are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League.  Playing its 21st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind.  A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 115 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (DET) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmerman (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB).  All league games are viewable live via Northwoods League YouTube channel.  For more information visit www.bordercatsbaseball.com.  

Wolves Add New Recruit

Lakehead University and the Thunderwolves hockey team are pleased to announce that forward Jake Wright has committed to the program.  Thunderwolves Head Coach Bill McDonald feels that Wright will add depth and toughness to the Wolves’ lineup.  The 6 foot, 205-pounder played two seasons for the Woodstock Slammers of the Maritime Hockey League and led the team in scoring last year, tallying 24 goals and adding 53 assists for 77 points in 52 games. Wright had previously played two seasons for his hometown Soo Thunderbirds of the NOJHL, where he won the Dudley Hewitt Central Canada Junior “A” Championship played at the Fort William Gardens in April of 2012.

Cats Sign Outfielder

The Thunder Bay Border Cats are proud to announce the signing of outfielder Tyler Rolland from Southern Illinois University.  The junior, from Broken Arrow, OK., has played in 31 games this season and is batting .258 with two doubles and 11 RBI's.   Rolland has an on-base percentage of .410, thanks to 21 walks.

Rolland will be joined in Thunder Bay this summer by a pair of teammates from the Northwestern State University as the Border Cats have signed right-handed pitchers Nathan Aultman and Reid Peavy.
The Cats have also announced that outfielder Nick Heath, a recruit from Northwestern State University, will miss NWL season due to an injury.  The redshirt freshman is scheduled to undergo Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery.  Heath was named the top MLB prospect by Baseball America in the Hamptons Summer Collegiate League after leading the North Fork Ospreys to the 2013 championship.  The Cats are hopeful that Heath will be able to play in Thunder Bay in 2015.
The Border Cats open the 2014 Northwoods League season at home on Tuesday, May 27th, against the St. Cloud Rox at Tbaytel Park at 7:05 pm.

McEachern Returns To Cats

The Border Cats 2014 roster will again have a local flavour this season with the signing of Thunder Bay's Carter McEachern.  The outfielder is having an outstanding sophomore season at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX., where he has started all 34 games for the Tigers.  McEachern is batting .331 with one home run, two doubles and 21 runs batted in.  The 19-year old had two stints with the Border Cats last season and hit .333 (10-30),  in 10 games with one double and two RBI's. 

Joining McEachern in Thunder Bay this summer will be his college teammate, pitcher Zach Speer.  The 6'4", 230 pound righthander is the top pitcher on the Trinity University staff with a 7-1 record in 10 starts and a 2.01 earned run average.  The junior from Houston, TX., has struck out 46 batters in 58 innings pitched.  The Tigers are currently 28-6 overall and are the sixth ranked NCAA Division III team in the United States. 

The Border Cats have also signed returning outfielder Alex Bautista from Kentucky's Lindsey Wilson College and pitcher Ryan Powers of Miami of Ohio University.

Bautista, a fan favourite last summer, is hitting .277 in 43 games this season with the NAIA school with seven home runs, eight doubles and 31 runs batted in.  Bautista is in his junior season with the Blue Raiders after transferring from Clarendon College in Texas, where he played for former Border Cats manager Devin McIntosh.   Despite hitting only .171 in 52 games with Thunder Bay last year, the Queens, NY., native showed great promise at the plate with four home runs and 18 RBI's. 

Powers is a 6'5", 230 pound junior from LaGrange, IL.  The righthander has started nine games for the Redhawks this season and is 3-3 with a 4.80 ERA.  Powers has recorded 39 strikeouts in 54 innings.

 

The Border Cats open the 2014 Northwoods League season on Tuesday, May 27th, at 7:05pm versus the St. Cloud Rox at Tbaytel Park.          

Petrie Cup Is Back

The top senior men's hockey teams in Thunder Bay will take to the ice this week at Fort William First Nations Arena for the Petrie Cup Championship.

The Petrie Cup was a staple in Thunder Bay during the 1970's and 80's and is returning this year with six teams battling for the title.  The original championship trophy is again being provided by Tom Petrie, owner of Petrie's Cycle and Sports.

The six teams are made up from three local loops, the Thunder Bay Senior League, the Stanley Rural League and the Superior League, which is based at FWFN Arena.  The clubs qualified for the tournament by winning either their league regular season or playoff championship.  Team rosters are loaded with former Junior "A" players and also include former professional players Bobby Bolt, Jeff Heerema and Malcolm MacMillan.  

The modified round robin tournament opens Tuesday night with three games.  The Knights of the Stanley League play the Lumberjacks from the Superior League at 7:45.  The Hornets of Thunder Bay Senior League take on the Stanley League champion Wolves at 8:45 and in the last game of the night at 9:45, the Wolf Clan, champions of Superior League go up against Coastal Steel, the champs of the Thunder Bay Senior League.

There are three round robin games nightly with the semi finals scheduled for Friday at 7:00 and 8:30 and the championship game Saturday, April 19th, at 7:30.  Admission is free. 

North Stars Season Ends

The Thunder Bay North Stars season came to an end with a 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Iron Rangers Sunday in Hoyt Lakes.  The Iron Rangers won it on a power play goal by Matt O'Dea with just over 4 minutes remaining in the third period to take the semi final 4 games to 2.  The Iron Rangers held period leads of 1-0 and 2-1.  Kenny Turner and Robert McLean scored for the Stars, who were outshot 37-20.  Eric Mann took the loss in goal for Thunder Bay.  The North Stars lost all three games on the road in the series by one goal.  Minnesota now advances to play Fort Frances in the SIJHL Final for the Bill Salonen Cup.

Cats Add Trio From Nicholls State

The Thunder Bay Border Cats are proud to announce to signings of three players from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana.  The Cats have added pitcher Zach Thiac, pitcher Mike Hanchar and catcher Christian Correa to the roster for the 2014 Northwoods League season.  

Thiac returns for his second year in Thunder Bay after appearing in 23 games last summer and going 2-1 with a 2.85 earned run average.  The 5'10", 150 pound lefthander from Kenner, LA., was the Cats lone representative at the 2013 NWL All Star Game and was the winning pitcher for the North Team at the mid-summer classic.  Thiac, who is in his sophomore season at Nicholls State, has pitched out of the bullpen this year and has a 1-2 record in 12 games with a 1.88 ERA. 

Hanchar also pitched for the Border Cats in 2013 and went 1-1 in two games with a 2.07 earned run average.  The 6'5", 200 pound southpaw has made five appearances and four starts this spring for the Colonels and is 0-1 with a 0.95 ERA. Hanchar is a junior from Highland, IN., and is in his first season at Nicholls State after moving from Des Moines Area Community College.   

Correa is a 5'10", 200 junior backstop from Coconut Creek, FL.  He has played in 24 games this season and is batting .167 with one double and seven runs batted in.   The Border Cats open the 2014 Northwoods League at home on Tuesday, May 27th, against the St. Cloud Rox at Tbaytel Park at 7:05 pm.      

The Thunder Bay Border Cats are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 21st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 115 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including MLB All-Stars Max Scherzer (DET), Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYY), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live and free of charge via the Northwoods League YouTube channel.  For more information, visit bordercatsbaseball.com

Cats Home Has New Name

The home of the Thunder Bay Border Cats has a new name.  The Cats will play their Northwoods League home games at TBaytel Park under an expanded partnership with the local company.  Port Arthur Stadium opened its doors in the summer of 1951.  Thunder Bay's first home game is May 27th against the St. Cloud Rox.  Over 115 Northwoods League players have moved on to play Major League Baseball.    

Alcock Leads Wolves

It was the Cody Alcock show in T.O. as the Lakehead Thunderwolves took game one of their OUA West Semi Final Series against Ryerson Wednesday night.  Alcock, a freshman winger, scored 4 times as the Wolves routed the Rams 7-0 at Ryerson's new rink inside Maple Leaf Gardens.  Jeff Bosch turned aside 45 shots for the shutout.  Mike Hammond, Ryan Magill and Carson Dubchak also scored for the Wolves who held period leads of 2-0 and 5-0. LU can wrap up the series with another win Friday night at the Gardens.  Game time is 7:30. If necessary, the third and final game of the series is also scheduled for Thunder Bay at 7:30 on Saturday night.    

Ryerson Up Next for T-Wolves

The LU Thunderwolves will face the Ryerson Rams in the best of three OUA West Semi Finals beginning Wednesday in Toronto.  Game two is set for the Gardens this Friday and game three if necessary would be played Saturday night also in Thunder Bay.  Ryerson finished third in the division, three points behind second place Lakehead.  The Wolves completed an opening round sweep of York with a 5-2 win over the Lions Saturday night at the Gardens before 2,298 fans.  Meanwhile, first place Western survived its first round scare by thumping Guelph 6-1 in the third game of their series Sunday night in London. The Mustangs now advance to take on the Windsor Lancers in the other West Division Semi Final.

Thunderwolves Game Pushed Back

Game two between the Lakehead Thunderwolves and the York Lions is being pushed back due to the poor weather. York was scheduled to land in Thunder Bay last night but the weather re-routed their flight to Winnipeg instead. Game two will now be played Saturday at 7:30 with game three (if necessary) scheduled for Sunday, also at 7:30 from the Gardens. The box office will open at 10 Sunday morning and be open until game time.

Wolves Take Opener

The Thunderwolves took the opener in their OUA West Quarter Final Series, beating the York Lions in Toronto 4-2 Wednesday night.  Jeff Bosch stopped 34 shots and Mike Hammond had the game winner.  David Quesnele, Brennan Menard and Cody Alcock, into an empty net,  also scored for the Wolves who held period leads of 2-0 and 3-0.  The Wolves can wrap up the best-of-three series with another win in game two Friday night at the Gardens at 7:30.  Meanwhile, the basketball seasons at Lakehead are over after opening playoff losses last night.  In men's play, Western knocked off Lakehead at the Thunderdome 68-65.  In Hamilton, the Lady Wolves fell 68-44 to McMaster.

Brown Leads Stars

Cary Brown notched the hat trick to lead the Thunder Bay North Stars to a 6-3 win over the English River Miners Thursday night at the Fort William Gardens.  Kris Kellaway, Brett Wolframe, and Robert McLean also scored for the North Stars, who ran their second place record 32-9-5. The fourth place Miners dropped to 18-22-4.  Eric Mann got the win in goal for Thunder Bay stopping 20 shots.  The Stars and Miners play for the third straight time Saturday night in Ear Falls.  

North Stars Top Wilderness

Matthias Gardiman notched the hat trick and Zach Grzelewski scored a pair as the Thunder Bay North Stars downed Wisconsin 6-3 to complete a home and home series sweep of the Wilderness in Spooner.  The Stars beat the Wilderness 4-2 on Saturday night at Fort William Gardens.  Cary Brown also scored for the Stars, who improved their second place record to 31-9-5.  Eric Mann turned aside 29 shots for his 18th win of the season. The loss dropped the last place Wilderness to 4-39-0.  Thunder Bay plays host to the English River Miners this Thursday at the Gardens at 7:30.  

Currie Brier Bound

For the first time since 2003, a Thunder Bay rink is heading to the Canadian Men's Curling Championship. In an-all Thunder Bay final, the Jeff Currie foursome scored a 9-4 win over the Brian Adams Junior rink to capture the Northern Ontario title Sunday in Timmins.  Adams finished first in round robin play with a record of 6-1.  Currie now moves on to the Brier in Kamloops beginning March 1st.  The last Thunder Bay rink to advance to the Brier was Scott Henderson in 2003 in Halifax.

Stars Blank Iron Rangers

Eric Mann made 31 saves for the shutout as the Thunder Bay North Stars blanked the Minnesota Iron Rangers 3-0 Tuesday night in Hoyt Lakes. Ryan Walsh, Zach Grzelewski and Daniel Delpaggio scored the Stars, who held periods leads of 1-0 and 2-0.  The win improved Thunder Bay's record to 29-8-5 and the Stars moved seven points ahead of the third place Iron Rangers in the SIJHL standings.  The North Stars play host to the first place Fort Frances Lakers this Friday night at the Fort William Gardens at 7:30.

Stars Blank Miners

Matthias Gardiman notched the hat trick and added an assist to power the Thunder Bay North Stars to a 6-0 win over the English River Miners Tuesday night in Ear Falls.  Taylor Santorelli scored a pair of goals while Daniel Delpaggio had the other goal as the Stars ran their second place record to 28-7-5.  Thunder Bay held period leads of 3-0 and 5-0. Nathaniel Dupuis made 34 saves in registering the shutout.  The North Stars take on the first place Lakers in Fort Frances on Friday night.  

Kay Back With Cats

The Border Cats are proud to announce their first player signings of the 2014 Northwoods League season, including outfielder Cory Kay, who will return for his third year in Thunder Bay.  The native of Arlington Heights, IL., is currently in his junior season at Missouri State University.  Kay has belted six home runs in his Border Cats career and batted .257 in 59 games last year with eight doubles, two homers and 24 runs batted in.

Joining Cory on the 2014 club will be his younger brother Gunner Kay, who becomes the third sibling from the Kay family to suit up for the Border Cats. Shortstop Brett Kay played for Thunder Bay in 2011 and 2012 and is currently a member of the San Francisco Giants organization.  Gunner Kay is a 6'2", 180 pound righthander pitcher at Dallas Baptist University.  The freshman was named to the Chicago Daily Herald Cook County All-Area Team in his junior season in high school.  Kay posted a 7-1 record in 2012 with a 1.70 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 61 innings pitched.  

The Cats have also signed infielder Adam Collins of Central Michigan University to the 2014 roster.  Collins played 11 games in the second half of the NWL season last summer and was an offensive force for the Cats. The redshirt freshman from Plainfield, IL., hit .381 with five doubles, three home runs and 11 runs batted in.

The Cats, with new field manager Johnny Hernandez, open the 2014 NWL season at home on Tuesday, May 27th, at 7:05pm against the St. Cloud Rox.

Grzelewski Leads Stars

Zach Grzelewski scored twice as the Thunder Bay North Stars wrapped up the SIJHL Showcase Tournament in Spooner, Wisconsin, with a 9-3 victory over the host Wilderness Thursday night.  Thunder Bay held period leads of 3-1 and 6-3.  Taylor Santorelli, Tyler Brower, Tim Cavar, Matthias Gardiman, Kenny Turner and Ryan Walsh also scored for the Stars, who ran their second place record to 27-6-5. Nathaniel Dupuis got the win in goal, stopping 25 shots.  The loss dropped the last place Wilderness to 3-35-0.  The North Stars return home to face the first place Fort Frances Lakers Saturday night at the Fort William Gardens at 7:30.

Stars Edge Iron Rangers

Zach Grzelewski's 25th goal broke a 2-2 third period tie as the Thunder Bay North Stars beat the Minnesota Iron Rangers 3-2 at the SIJHL Showcase Tournament Wednesday night in Spooner, Wisconsin.
Cary Brown and Mattias Gardiman also scored for the Stars, who ran their second place record to 26-6-5 record.  Eric Mann got the win in goal for Thunder Bay as he stopped 41 shots.  The Stars take on the host Wilderness tonight.

Stars Win Again

Daniel Delpaggio and Tim Cavar both scored twice to lead the Thunder Bay North Stars to a 5-2 win over the Fort Frances Lakers Tuesday night at the Fort William Gardens.  Taylor Santorelli scored a third period shorthanded goal when Thunder Bay was down on a 5 and 3 Lakers power play.  Eric Mann lost his shutout bid in the third period, but got the win in goal, stopping 26 shots.  The North Stars (24-6-4) have now won seven straight and trail the first place Lakers by eight points with two games in hand.  The Stars travel to Hoyt Lakes on Friday to take on the Minnesota Iron Rangers.  Thunder Bay's next home game is against Fort Frances on Saturday, January 25th, at 7:30 at the Gardens.    

North Stars Double Wilderness

Daniel Delpaggio scored his team leading 22nd goal to lead the Thunder Bay North Stars to a 4-2 win over the Wisconsin Wilderness Tuesday night at the Fort William Gardens.  Ryan Walsh, with his first of the year, Alex Vaillant and Zach Grzelewski also scored for Thunder Bay. Grzelewski was playing in his first game back with the Stars following a three-game stint with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. The North Stars (21-6-4) remain in second place, 12 points behind front running Fort Frances.  Wisconsin (1-32-0) remains dead last in the standings.  The North Stars play host to the Dryden Ice Dogs this Friday and Saturday at the Gardens at 7:30 both nights.