Lucas Punkari
Tonight’s scheduled game between the Fort Frances Thunderhawks and Kenora Thistles has been postponed after the Thistles were unable to field enough players to make the trip.
However, both teams are discussing ways to make up the game, which may include a five-game series between the two rivals for the Gary Cook Trophy, named after the longtime Thunder Bay hockey executive.
“What [Thistles’ manager and head coach Ryan Reynard] suggested was having a best-of-five series for the bragging rights for the Cook Trophy, since there isn’t a real playoff series for it this year,” Thunderhawks’ manager Dean Bruyere explained.
Both the T’hawks and Thistles already have punched their tickets to this year’s Allan Cup tournament in Kenora.
The Thistles are in as the host squad while the Thunderhawks clinched a berth after Thunder Bay chose not to enter a team this year and Quebec decided not to send one to the tournament.
“This series wouldn’t jeopardize either of our chances for the Allan Cup, and it would also give us a chance to play in some real games with some real implications before the tournament begins,” Bruyere noted.
The exact dates and times still are being worked out between the two clubs, but the Thistles and Thunderhawks currently are scheduled to go up against one another on the weekend of March 5-6 at the Kenora Recreation Centre.
The T’hawks have proposed hosting games on Saturday, March 12 and Saturday, March 26 at the Memorial Sports Centre here while a fifth game, if necessary, would be held at whichever rink had the better crowds during the first four games, with both teams splitting the gate.
“We’re offering them the Saturday dates so that they could be able to send down a full team,” Bruyere said.
“But at this point we’re still waiting for Kenora to get back to us on that,” he added.
The next action for the Thunderhawks is scheduled for Feb. 12-13 when they will travel to Bottineau, N.D. for a pair of games with the Dakota College at Bottineau Lumberjacks.
Bruyere hoped to have official confirmation for that trip tonight as the team’s staff will find out which players can commit for the weekend following an on-ice practice.
