A trio of sports medicine experts connected to Brock University will be on the sidelines keeping the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers safe and healthy when they clash in the Canadian Football League’s (CFL) 108th Grey Cup this weekend.

Many Brock grads and former Badgers work for the Tiger-Cats and across the wider CFL, but when the Grey Cup kicks off at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton on Sunday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m. Steven Lam (BKin ’17) of the Tiger-Cats and Nicholas Lichti (BKin ’17) of the Blue Bombers will be on the sidelines in athletic therapy roles.

Katie Dalziel

Meanwhile, Brock Sports Medicine’s (BSM) Dr. Katie Dalziel has been assigned to the game by the CFL as a neutral physician.

“This will be the first championship game of this level for me. It is a huge honour,” said Dalziel, who joined Brock in 2018. “I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity, and for it to be in my hometown of Hamilton is a bonus.”

Lam is the Ticats’ Assistant Athletic Therapist, and Lichti has the same role with the Blue Bombers. Both majored in Kinesiology during their time as students in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at Brock.

Nicholas Lichti (BKin ’17)

Brock Sports Medicine Athletic Therapist Jim Bilotta worked directly with Lam and Lichti as student therapists for various Brock Badgers varsity teams and said they were both great students.

“I am very proud of both these young therapists and feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to work with them during their time at Brock,” he said.

A former Badgers soccer player, Lam discovered the field of sports medicine during his time at Brock.

“I knew I wanted to get into sports medicine when I started to have a handful of injuries during the end of my competitive soccer days,” Lam said. “I was then able to become a student trainer the following year, and the ability to help other athletes toward growth in their performance is what drew me in.”

Lam worked as a student therapist for three years with Brock’s cross country team in the fall and wrestling team in the winter seasons.

“Brock was my base in athletic therapy. Being a student trainer drove my passion for the profession that took off into future education in becoming an Athletic Therapist,” said Lam. “Brock gave me opportunities as a student to explore practically in the sports medicine field.”

After graduating from Brock, Lichti completed his Athletic Therapy training at the University of Winnipeg, where he served as student president of the Athletic Therapy and Kinesiology program.

He also received the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association’s Student Leadership Award for demonstrating exceptional leadership skills in the classroom and in the community.

Winnipeg ended a championship drought by defeating Hamilton in the 2019 Grey Cup, before the 2020 CFL season was cancelled.

The first-place Bombers (11-3) earned a bye to the West Division final, where they defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders for their spot in the Grey Cup. Meanwhile, the Tiger-Cats (8-6) finished second behind the Toronto Argonauts in the regular season standings, but overcame the Argos in the East Division final.

“Reaching this point has been a dream realized not only for our players, but for myself and the therapy team,” Lam said. “This was a much different season with COVID-19 protocols. We worked through many adversities to get to this game as an organization. This reflects how we came together and pulled through in the playoffs.”