The last time the Thunder won a Canadian Bowl Championship, Nov. 9, 2013, the person writing this article was catching touchdowns for the team at old Mosaic Stadium. Fast forward 13 years and members of the 2026 squad, like second team All-Canadian receiver Tanner Donovel, want to leave their own mark. “I’m feeling really good, well prepared and everything, excited for sure to go down as one of the best Thunder teams in history,” he said. Thunder Head Coach Scott MacAulay has fond memories of the 2013 season, when his twin sons Chase and Matthew were just kids running around at practice. Both boys are now grown young men and are being coached by their father with a chance to claim a national title as a family. “It’s been an awesome experience for me. You think back in 2013, when you played, Chase and Matthew were actually at those practices sitting on top of garbage cans and they were like six-years-old at the time,” the coach said. “I remember guys sprinting down field on kickoff and them being on the wedge cans and getting scared and stuff. And now they actually will be the ones running down on kickoff,” he added. Both Matthew and Chase, who play linebacker and feature on special teams for the Thunder, said they remember being at those practices at a young age. And even then, aspired to one day play under their dad in the biggest game of them all. “It’s a really special feeling. Scotty’s been coaching here since 2013. It’s always been the goal is to have us play a Canadian Bowl with him So it’s going to be a real family moment. And it’s super exciting, hopefully we can enjoy it all together after the game,” Matthew said. While all the MacAulay’s agreed that the family dynamic is a special one, at the end of the day, there still is one more game to be won to achieve their ultimate dreams. “I’m looking forward to accomplishing the jobs, executing the right stuff, if I get the opportunity to make a tackle, making sure I’m doing everything properly so I can get up and hype the crowd up,” Chase said. This year will mark the third time the Thunder have faced a British Columbia Conference team in the Canadian Bowl, but the first time that they will be playing in the Canadian championship away from home. Regina has a 1-1 record in national championship appearances, winning 55 to 26 over the Vancouver Island Raiders and losing 21 to 19 to the Okanagan Sun in 2022. This year’s iteration of the squad will be looking to etch their name into the history books as just the second team in program history to be named Canadian Bowl champions.
