The Markham Thunder made hockey fun again as they overcame a rocky start to the season that culminated in their first Clarkson Cup.

The 2018 Markham Thunder are one of the best underdog stories in the history of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL). A team that loved coming to the rink and loved playing for each other overcame plenty of adversity in the 2017-18 CWHL season.

After a slow start, the Thunder rallied in the second half of the 2017-18 CWHL season. In their final 16 games they didn’t lose in regulation and made the playoffs as the fourth seed. In the postseason they swept the first seed Montreal Canadiennes before beating Kunlun Red Star in the final when Laura Stacey’s overtime winner secured the Thunder the Clarkson Cup.

The Thunder had their fun both on and off the ice but when the puck dropped they played their hearts out and the results showed. They created a culture where everyone enjoyed coming to the rink and everyone felt welcomed.

“We made sure that everyone in that room felt valued whether you played four minutes or twenty minutes it didn’t matter. Everyone felt valued in that dressing room and I think that’s what made it so special,” said Jamie Lee Rattray.

Rattray led the Thunder in scoring that season with 39 points in 26 games and scored the overtime winner in game one of their eventual sweep against Montreal. “We all had the same goal,” she said. Rattray’s been on many championship teams, with four gold medals for Team Canada at the Olympics, World Championships, and U18s as well as a national championship with Clarkson University and of course with the 2018 Thunder. She said that everyone feeling valued was a theme on every championship team she’s been a part of.

The team’s environment helped Rattray have a good mindset and focus on playing hockey - helping her have that career year. She became a staple on Team Canada rosters the following season and she’s had tremendous success playing for her country.

The feeling of value within the Thunder’s locker room helped players who returned from centralization ease into being a part of the team. “I joined halfway through the season and it was one of the best decisions I’ve made!” Megan Bozek told The Hockey News. “It was such a welcoming group and (I) really found my love for hockey again.”

Bozek joined the Thunder midseason after being released from Team USA and said she felt like she’d been on the team since day one and fit right into the tight-knit group that the Thunder were.

The Thunder were nicknamed the “Funda” which originated from Jenna McParland and Courney Brichard speaking in a British accent on a bus ride. “It started as a British accent then it turned into the Funda have more fun than the Furries,” Rattray said.

Jessica Hartwick played defence for the Thunder recalled a weekend where the Thunder played in Montreal as a weekend that turned their season around. “That weekend itself was definitely a TSN turning point,” Hartwick said.

In the first game of the weekend they picked up a point, snapping a long pointless drought and the Thunder decided to have an evening together after the game. An evening which turned into an early morning according to Hartwick. Despite losing in overtime again the next day it was the weekend the Thunder needed. “We needed time to enjoy hockey again, enjoy each other’s company, and I think that that was one of the best things to happen to us.”

The Thunder’s bond off the ice translated to their on ice success. It revamped players’ love for the game, especially after the early season struggles. Along with winning one of the Thunder’s goals was to make hockey fun again. It applied to the players who went through the drought at the beginning of the season, players like Bozek and Rattray who didn’t make their Olympic rosters that season, and players like Stacey, Jocelyn Larocque, and Laura Fortino.

“I got to enjoy hockey again and that group of girls really helped me,” Rattray said. “We created an environment that was really special and I think a lot of girls will tell you that was one of the best years for them that they were a part of that team.”

The team was full of different personalities but everyone played a role on the 2018 Thunder.

“We were the underdogs,” Bozek said. “That’s what made it exciting! I think the relationships that you have really translate when you get deep into a playoff run, finding those ways to win. We did that.”

The Thunder got stellar goaltending from Erica Howe and Liz Knox, the former was named Clarkson Cup MVP. Meanwhile Rattray mentioned Kristen Richards, Becca King, and Fielding Montgomery playing critical roles on ice and off ice for the Thunder. Everyone on the Thunder gave it their all. “We didn’t have the most depth but we had the heart and we had the character,” said Bozek.

Players from the 2018 Markham Thunder have gone on to do great things since winning the Clarkson Cup. Many of them are still playing in the PHF and the PWHPA while others are carving out great careers in coaching, media, and other endeavors.

The 2018 Markham Thunder were a special team with a special bond. They banded together to overcome adversity and overcame the odds to win the Clarkson Cup.