Joey Payeur
Expansion teams usually take on the role of the lovable loser—the one that gets welcomed to the house-warming bash and then asked to go keep an eye on the fish tank while everybody else takes part in the limbo contest.
But the Fort Frances MudDogs don’t intend to be wallflowers in the slightest. They would rather be the life of the party.
The team’s inaugural game in the Rainy River District Women’s Fastball League—set for Monday evening against the Fort Frances Juniors—was postponed due to inclement conditions.
But when they do get to take the field (possibly tonight in Big Island against the Huskies), team captain Heather Johnson said the MudDogs will show plenty of teeth—literally and figuratively.
“We’re going to have lots of fun but I think we can make some noise,” Johnson said about the 19-player squad, one of two new teams in what is now a 12-team circuit.
“I’m thinking we can win some games.”
Their credibility becomes greatly enhanced when considering the roster addition of fireball pitcher Ericka Paulsen, originally from the Mississauga area.
“Ericka has professional playing experience down around there so she should be a good addition to the team,” noted Johnson.
Inspired by her daughter, who played in the RRDWFL last year, Johnson decided to find out how much interest there was to get a third Fort Frances team into the mix.
“We got a lot of inquiries,” she remarked.
What resulted was a team that will have a real family feel to it with multiple mother-daughter combinations on the roster.
“There’s a special feel to the team because everyone knows each other,” said Johnson.
The entire opening night of action in the RRDWFL was wiped out Monday because of the weather.
This evening’s slate of games (weather permitting) will see the Juniors host the league’s other new squad, the Pinewood Diggers, at VanJura.
Other match-ups will feature the two-time reigning league champion Red Gut Babes hosting the Fort Frances Herricanes and the Couchiching Lady Raiders hosting Sabaskong Tebinaak.
Northwest Bay will visit the Big Grassy Lynx while the Sabaskong Cougars’ visit the Manitou Blaze.
All games are slated to get underway at 7 p.m.
