Lakehead Thunderwolves basketball heads back to the court after year-long pandemic delay

Lakehead Thunderwolves women's basketball captain Tiffany Reynolds says she's excited to take to the Thunderdome court on Friday night.

"There's this energy that just makes you feel really good about yourself," Reynolds said. "The crowd's always going to be there for you, and it just makes your game better."

But the nerves are pretty high, she said, because it'll be her first time playing a regular season game in front of a home crowd in more than 18 months. The team played a pair of non-conference, pre-season games in Thunder Bay earlier in October.

While most of the university varsity winter sports were winding down as COVID-19 restrictions were being put in place, the pandemic forced Ontario University Athletics (OUA) to cancel the entirety of the 2020-2021 season.

That's what makes the hometown return so thrilling, Reynolds added.

"You can see them cheering for us, and it's like a really big family that's watching us play, so we get energized from that."

First time for several players in Thunderdome

For Mariah MacFarlane, she'll actually be playing in front of her family and friends. The forward graduated from St. Ignatius High School in Thunder Bay, and her family will be making the trip along the Lake Superior shore from Marathon to watch her play.

"They're definitely excited to come and see some actual play. And I think a lot of families are going to be really excited to watch a lot of their kids and friends play," MacFarlane said. "It's just so nice to see familiar faces in the stands and talk to people after the games."

It's the energy that you can only get from a live crowd that has team head coach Jon Kreiner excited.

"Just the energy of playing in that environment, not just the fans but the Thunderdome itself … it's almost like walls are right up on top of you and the fans are right up on top of you," he said.

The women's basketball team is also a relatively young squad, Kreiner said, adding he's looking forward to seeing the first-year players compete on their home court for the first time in a regular season game.

But the team, which sports an 0-2 record after a pair of road losses last week against McMaster, faces a tough task against a nationally ranked foe — the No. 7 Brock Badgers.

Reynolds said with the home crowd behind them, she's confident.

"I think they're beatable. I think we have a really good chance if we all just work hard and play good, solid defense," Reynolds said.

OUA confident in return to sport season

It is the competitiveness and energy that has OUA president and chief executive officer Gord Grace so happy they were able to return to play this year.

"Nothing is more rewarding than seeing student athletes compete, doing what they love to do," said Grace.

The OUA president said the association is happy with the success they've had delivering sports so far this year, and feels confident they have the appropriate protocols in place to address the threat of COVID-19, even as cases slowly climb in the province.

There are almost 10,000 student-athletes across the OUA's 23 sports.

A key measure, Grace said, is a vaccination mandate for all athletes that went into effect on Oct. 15, although several schools had implemented the mandate earlier.

"It's been a lot of work and a lot of effort and a lot of stress for people," he said. "And although there is some signs of increases [in COVID cases], we feel like we've got things in place to effectively manage it."

The Lakehead women's basketball team hits the court on Friday at 6 p.m., with the men's team playing afterwards at 8 p.m. The men's team enters the weekend with 1-1 record after splitting their two road contests against McMaster.

The Thunderwolves men's hockey team and the women's volleyball team had their regular season home openers last weekend.

Varsity wrestlers and cross-country athletes have also already seen some action with competitions taking place earlier in the fall.