Thunder moving to different league

Jeff Helsdon, Editor

When the Tillsonburg Thunder hit the ice this fall, it will be as a part of a different league.

Mike Holly, who has owned the team the past 18 seasons, said he didn’t make the decision lightly.

The Thunder started as part of the Western Ontario Athletic Association (WOAA) after Holly, who was playing in Club Oxford, was asked by Peter Hamm, owner of the Brantford Blast of the WOAA, about putting a team in Tillsonburg. After talking to Dan Sanders, who owned the Vipers AAA team, Holly started the Thunder.

Although he won two championships in the WOAA, he found it was a northern league. When he heard of a new league – Western Ontario Super Hockey League (WOSHL) starting during COVID – he made the jump.

Being part of WOSHL since the beginning, he had a soft spot for it, but heard there was a possibility it may not go this year. He applied to the Ontario Elite Hockey League (OEHL) as a back-up.

“You can’t go a season off – you will lose all your volunteers, your players,” he said.

Holly didn’t make this decision himself. He polled the players, all of who agreed they would like to move to the new league, which is governed by the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) It will mean more travel, as the other teams in the league are Saugeen Shores, Tavistock, Lucknow, Creedmoor, Shelburne and Elora. The latter also moved from WOSHL.

The move to the OEHL brings with it exciting possibilities. Holly said if the Thunder were to win their division (A) in OEHL, they would play the AA winner. The winner of that series would go on to the Allan Cup – the Canadian senior men’s national championship.

“The Allan Cup was a good perk and we’ve recruited some players on that,” he said.

The season with the OEHL will be 20 to 24 games. There is a possibility the league will be split between north and south to cut down on travel.

Still, Holly said the move was done reluctantly.

“There’s enough history with us being there at the beginning of the WOSHL, it wasn’t easy for us to switch,” he said.

Holly stressed he has been upfront with WOSHL officials, letting them know the Thunder was looking for options.

Most years see about a third of the Thunder leave, and Holly expects the same this year. Tryouts will start at the end of August.