Lakehead Thunderwolves men's ice hockey team
editThe Lakehead Thunderwolves men's ice hockey team is a men's varsity ice hockey team associated with the Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) that represents Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Usually shortened to the "T-Wolves", they play at the Fort William Gardens. The current coach is Joel Scherban, and is captained by former Anaheim Ducks draft pick, Jordan Smith. The Wolves have the highest average home attendance for university hockey in Canada, and second of all CIS sports behind Laval's men's football. They have never failed to make the playoffs since they joined in 2001-02.
Prior to the 2001-02 season, it was announced that Lakehead would be relaunching it's ice hockey program since the Nor'Westers folded in the 1970s. Pete Beliveau was named head coach and the first roster included forwards Joel Scherban (who was named captain) and Chris Shaffer, defenseman Erik Lodge, and goaltender Grant McCune, all of whom would emerge as superstars and would even gain moderate international recognition (by participating at the Universiade Games). The Wolves started off the season against NCAA teams, the first being the Lake Superior Lakers, the second against the UNH Wildcats. Naturally the young team was overwhelmed by the teams, as they had some players of professional caliber, and lost 5-2 and 9-0 respectively. The first home games were exhibition games against defending University Cup champions, UQTR Patriotes. Goaltender Cory McEachran was named the starter which was somewhat criticized by the Chronicle Journal, as McEachran was the goaltender during the 9-0 pounding at the hands of UNH. Although McEachran improved drastically in such a short amount of time, the Wolves lost 4-1. The following day was another game against the Patriotes at home (Lakehead has since done a two-game series with another school on certain Fridays and Saturdays, due to the immense distance from all the other schools in the OUA) and Grant McCune was named the starting goaltender. He fared well as Lakehead upset the Patriotes 3-1 for their very first win, so an over capacity home crowd. The next two-game series was the regular season opener against the perennial powerhouse, Western Mustangs in London, Ont. McEachran started both games, and the experienced Mustangs demolished the Wolves 7-2 the first night, then 8-2 the next. This was the beginning of a heated, and at times, brutally violent rivally, that still exists today, although not near the same intensity. The home opening series was against the Waterloo Warriors, a historically consistent Top 15 team, that was on the verge of a rebuild. The Wolves took advantage of this rebuilding period and won game 1 by a 3-2 score, then game 2 by 5-3. The Wolves headed into the exam break with a 6-5-1 regular season record (9-10-1 overall) after 2 two-game series against Manitoba universities, two against the Manitoba Bisons, and two against the Brandon Bobcats, splitting both series one game a piece. After getting swept by the Calgary Dinos in an exhibition series just after the exam break, the Wolves played host to a relatively weak Windsor Lancers team. In this series the Wolves earned their first shutout 5-0, then romped the next game 7-1. After playing host to the Mustangs, in which they were manhandled the first game 8-1 but improved the next game but still lost 5-1, the Wolves went on an impressive run, winning 4 and tying 1 of their final 6 games of the regular season. The team started to show some promise heading into the playoffs, finishing above .500 with a 13-8-3 record (and 16-15-3 overall). The Wolves played their first playoff series against the lowly Windsor Lancers. Beliveau stated that McEachran will start the playoff home games, while McCune will start the road games. They had no trouble winning game 1, with a 6-1 victory on the road. They won game 2 with just a little trouble 3-1 at home, thus winning their first playoff series and sweeping their first playoff series in their first playoff series. This setup a series against Western, a match-up fans from both sides loved, even though Wolves fans knew they were huge underdogs, since they were manhandled by the Mustangs during the season series 4-0 by a combined score of 28-6. Game 1 was played in Thunder Bay, and McEachran played surprisingly well, as the Wolves pulled off a huge upset 4-3 off a great game played by the Shaffer-Scherban-Christian Cote line. This put the Mustangs on verge of being humiliated by a first year team after being declared favorites to win the University Cup at the beginning of the season. Game 2 back in London saw McCune and Western goalie Mike D'Alessandro play neck and neck, as the game went into overtime. The Mustangs prevailed however off of heroics from Michael Rice, winning 4-3 setting up a deciding game 3, that was predicted to be a tense battle. This however lacked drama, as the Wolves ran out of gas and lost 5-1 in a game that featured a high amount of penalty minutes. Western did meet preseason expectations and won the University Cup against the team they lost the Queen's Cup finals to, the defending champion Patriotes. This season was considered a success as the future was bright and for a team that was made up of a bunch of former junior A players, and a few major junior players, still managed to make the playoffs and finish with a record above .500. Athletics Director Tom Warden announced at seasons end that only major junior and local junior A players will be scouted, for the intention that Lakehead becomes an ice hockey force and eventually create a dynasty.
The 2002-03 season saw Scherban, Shaffer, and Lodge have breakout years as well as McCune getting more starts after outplaying but playing less than fellow goaltender McEachran. The additions of forwards Jeff Richards, Bryan Duce, Murray Magill, Jason Lange added a huge boost to scoring while new defencemen Hugo Lehoux, Tyler Williamson, Matt Kenny and Mike Jacobson toughened up the generally sub-par defense the Wolves had the previous year. Richards immediately became a scoring sensation and fan favorite with his incredible speed and agility, and found instant chemistry playing on a line with Scherban and Shaffer. The local newspaper compared the Scherban-Richards tandem to Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri, as Scherban consistently setup Richards (who had many multi-goal games) just like how Gretzky was the setup man for Kurri. After opening the season by splitting a series with the Lethbridge Pronghorns, sweeping the CIS runner-up Patriotes, and losing 4-1 to the UMD Bulldogs, the Wolves opened the regular season at home to play a two-game series against the rival Mustangs. The Wolves instantly improved from last year, winning both games by a 4-2 score. After the city celebrated the wins, surprisingly outplaying the Mustangs in every aspect, it became apparent that the Wolves used an illegal player for the series, and had to forfeit the games. The fans were clearly angered, but handled it well, after knowing that they are capable of beating their rivals to get back the forfeited loses. Just before the exam break, the Wolves played host to the Queen's Golden Gaels, where in game 1 they hit another milestone. They dominated from start to finish to go on to win 10-1, making it the first time they scored 10 or more goals in a games. At this time, Shaffer was moved to the second line, and Bryan Duce was brought up to take his place, because he frequently scored goals within the first 60 seconds of games. The newly formed line dominated the game with Scherban scoring 2 goals and 2 assists, Richards with 1 goal and 2 assists, and Duce with 2 assists, while McCune added 23 saves for the win. Game 2 was also dominated by the Wolves in an 8-1 win. The top line went to work again as Scherban got 1 goal and 2 assists, Richards with 2 goals and 1 assist and Duce tallying 1 assist. McEachran was not very busy making just 19 saves for the win. After the exam break, the Wolves hosted a tournament called the Varsity Cup. The tourney included the Wolves, a team invited from the OUA, a team invited from the AUS (the Maritimes), and a team invited from Canada-West. The participating teams for the inaugural tourney were the Wolves, the St. Francis Xavier X-men, the Calgary Dinos, and the Toronto Varsity Blues. The Wolves opened the tourney against the X-Men and it was declared "by far the best game played at the Gardens so far". There was stellar goaltending from both McCune and St. F-X's Dwayne Bateman, and the Wolves offense was led by Scherban who had a goal and an assist, while the X-Men's Patrick Grandmaitre and Ryan Walsh had good games and both had 2 goals and 2 assists, leading St. F-X to a 5-3 win. Richards was almost a none factor in this game, although he did earn an assist. The X-Men defense had Richards on lockdown, ensuring that he could not capitalize on a Scherban pass. Game 2 was a high scoring affair against the Blues, by getting the 7-5 win. The top line provided the bulk of the offense as Richards, Scherban, and Duce combined for 3 goals and and 4 assists. For the Blues Ian Malcom had a solid game with a goal and an assist. McEachran was not even solid, but got the job done with just 12 saves, while at the other end Tim Knight was busy all night making 36 saves. Going into game 3 against Calgary there was still a chance to make the final, which would end up being against Calgary. The Wolves had to win, or if they should lose they had to score more than 2 goals and could not lose by more than 2 goals, to advance to the final. The Wolves did advance to the final despite losing 4-3. The final was against the same Dinos, although this time the Wolves dominated with a 5-2 win. The top line combined for 2 goals and 3 assists while McCune was stellar and bounced back from the round robin game against the Dinos with 28 saves. Lakehead returned to regular play by surprisingly dominating a two-game exhibition series against the #1 ranked team in the country, Alberta Golden Bears winning the first game 5-2 when Bears goalie Clayton Pool was letting in soft goals, and tying (yet completely outplaying) game 2 to a 2-2 score. To show how much of a shock this somehow easy series was, the Bears dominates NCAA teams (while Lakehead usually struggles) and usually beats the Edmonton Oilers rookie team in an exhibition series they have each year just before each season. After the regular season resumed, the Wolves won their next 4 games, before heading to London to avenge to wins they were forced to forfeit. On the first game however, this was far from the case, as Western's Ryan Held dismantled Lakehead with 4 goals and an assist, while goalie D'Alessandro made 31 saves for the win. This was a surprising result, as Lakehead seemed to beat Western with ease at the beginning of the season, and also the fact that Western was ranked #3 and Lakehead was ranked #4 in the country. The next game was far closer, but Lakehead was beaten 5-4. Lodge carried the offense this game for LU with 2 goals, while Western was evenly spread out. McCune made 23 saves in the lose, while D'Alessandro made 24 saves in the victory. After splitting a series with the Guelph Gryphons, LU set a few school records and broke a CIS record in dismantling of the Brock Badgers. In game 1, the Wolves destroyed the Badgers 10-3, in a game where Scherban recorded a CIS record 5 assists in the game, and added a goal to break the school record for most points in a game with 6. Richards with his blazing speed scored 4 goals including a natural hat trick setting a school record for most goals in a game. Duce added a goal and 4 assists, as the line combined for 16 points, setting a new school record and tying the CIS record for most points by a line in a game. It was a rude homecoming for Badgers goalie Shane Delaronde, a Thunder Bay native. The next game LU won 9-2, where Richards scored a hat trick and added an assist. As a rookie he was tied with Scherban for team lead in regular season points with 30, and was leading the team in regular season goals with 20. After ending the season against Windsor, Lakehead was to open the playoffs against Windsor for the second consecutive year. After a close game 1 in Windsor which Lakehead won 4-2, the Wolves played host to a game 2 and won in dominating fashion. After a close 1st period which ended 2-2, the Wolves scored 9 unanswered goals in which Richards and Scherban swapped roles, Richards recorded 3 assists, while Scherban scored 2 goals and 1 assist. This set up a rematch of last year against Western. This was predicted to be an intensely close series, as the teams were much even then last year. This also came with some drama, as the Stangs finished with a perfect 24-0-0 regular season record, which upset Wolves fans, because Western never would have gotten the perfect record had LU had not needed to forfeit the wins they got against them. The series started in Thunder Bay, which was favorable as the Wolves seemed to play better against their rivals when playing at home. This remained true as the Wolves won 5-2 to take the lead in the series just like last year. Richards led the way with a goal and an assist while McCune (who was named the official starter over McEachran) made 23 saves for the win. The next game was a chance to defeat their rivals and end a perfect season in disappointment, but in the teams short history, it was known that the Wolves played extremely poor when playing in London. This would not happen as both McCune and D'Alessandro were unbeatable. The game went to overtime and it was predicted to be a long game, but Huge Lehoux passed the puck to Richards who's centering pass attempt to Duce fooled D'Alessandro who had already committed and was on the other side of his net. The pass was blocked by a sprawled Tim Zafiris and the puck slid into the net that D'Alessandro left open and just 16 seconds into overtime it was over. LU had finally beaten Western and was moving on to the Queen's Cup in just it's 2nd year of existence. Richards scored both goals in the game while McCune was spectacular in the win making 36 saves in the win, while D'Alessandro was just as stellar with 28 saves in the lose. The Wolves semifinal game was against the York Lions, a game in which the #3 Wolves were heavily favored over the #9 Lions. The Wolves lost however 4-1 as Lions goaltender Derek Dolson was unbeatable making 28 saves. Robert Hillier notched the lone LU marker, while McCune made 24 saves. This relegated LU to the bronze medal game against Toronto, where the winner of the game would join UQTR and York as the OUA's representatives at the University Cup in Fredricton. Just like their encounter at the Varsity Cup, this was a high scorer, although both teams used a different goalie and Lakehead's was much more improved this time. Scherban notched a hat trick and an assist, while Richards scored a goal and an assist as the game went to double overtime. Scherban scored his 3rd goal of the game as LU won 6-5 to win the bronze and advance to the University Cup in just their 2nd year. The experience was short lived as LU kept the games close but came up short as they lost to eventual champions UQTR, and the UNB Varsity Reds. The season was considered an overachieved success and expectations were going to be higher the next season.
The 2003-04 season saw both goalies return, and the top line of Scherban, Richards, and Duce return, as well as defencemen Lodge and Kenny. The key additions to the team were forward Mike Wehrstedt and defenceman Kris Callaway. Magill started to find a scoring touch which would continue to improve year after year and eventually developing as a fan favorite, and althought Duce's scoring slipped slightly, he was still scoring at clutch moments that he was known for. McCune's wins slipped slightly from last year, but he still had a win/loss ratio of just slightly under 3:1, while MacEachran never lost a game and for the 2nd straight year never lost a game during the regular season. LU started the season with 5 exhibition games sweeping the UBC Thunderbirds and Wilfred Laurier Goldenhawks in a pair of two-game series before losing the 5th game to the Bisons. In the 2nd game against UBC where the Wolves won 7-1, Magill had an offensive outburst of one goal and 4 assists, including assisting on all three goals for Wyatt Tunnicliffe's hat trick. Tunnicliffe throughout the season would have flashes of offensive firepower, but could not do it on a consistent basis, which caused him to rotate between the 2nd line when he was producing, and the 3rd line so he can throw vicious body checks against other teams 1st lines. In that same game McCune made 34 saves, including an 18 save 2nd period. The opening game of the regular season saw LU dispatch Waterloo 9-3 with the Richards, Scherban, Duce line combining for 5 goals and 4 assists. LU went onto sweep with a 5-2 win. The next series was against the rival Mustangs where it seemed that after that thrilling playoff win last year had exorcised the demons that haunted the Wolves in London. The two teams split the series with the winning team winning by one goal. In the first game both McCune and D'Alessandro played well, both earning 27 and 31 saves respectively. The win was dramatic as Duce scored with just 7 seconds left in the game to give LU the win 3-2. Duce also added an assist while linemates Scherban and Richards had a goal and an assist respectively. Rookie defenceman Jouni Kuokkanen scored the other goal. In the second game Western was determined not to be swept, as they came up with late game heroics of their own, as Tim Zafiris, the player who scored on himself that got them eliminated last year, scored with 1 second left in the game to split the series with a 4-3 win. D'Alessandro was incredible making 39 saves, while McCune was impressive in making 26 saves. It was after this series where the rivalry between the schools had reached its peak as the series later in the season in Thunder Bay demolished the CIS record by far for the most penalty minutes handed out by two teams in a single game. After the series, LU made a rare 3-game weekend with a stop in Windsor which they won 7-3 before heading back to Thunder Bay. The next series saw the improved Chris Shaffer retake his place from Duce on the top line. This made Beliveau look like a genius as LU hammered York by a combined score of 17-5. In game 1 saw the reunited line have its way with the goalie that stopped their dream of a Queen's Cup last year, Derek Dolson. Dolson was not even half as good as he was in this game as Scherban (3 goal, 1 assist), Richards (2 goals, 3 assists), and Shaffer (3 assists) were firing on all cylinders in a 9-2 win. Duce did well on his new line with Hillier and Tunnicliffe, as he tallied a goal and 2 assists, while goalie McCune had an easy night with 23 saves. The second game was just as dominating as the Wolves peppered Dolson until he let in 7 goals before being replaced by backup Scott Della Vedova who let in 1 goal, with both goalies totaling 53 shots against. McCune had an even lighter load as he only had to make 15 saves in the 8-3 win. Richards and Hillier added a goal and 2 assists each while defenceman Erik Lodge showed flashes of his Bobby Orr like style that made him an all star by racking up 2 goals. The Wolves didn't stop their offensive tirade in the next series where they hosted the RMC Paladins, as they won the first game 12-2. The #3 Wolves had the game won after the 1st period as they led 6-1. Cory McEachran started this game and had to make only 14 saves. Blair Robertson didn't last long in net, as he was pulled toward the end of the 1st period after he let in his 5th goal, for Elliott Mould who did not play any better. Many of the players had multi-point games, as Duce got a hat trick, Richards earned a goal and 4 assists, Scherban and Steve Rawski both had a goal and 3 assists, Shaffer tallied 2 goals and an assist, Wehrstedt notched 2 goals, and Matt Kenny added 3 assists. The next night was a cool down night, but nonetheless LU won with ease in a 5-2 win even after clearly looking exhausted from that romp they put on the previous night. This night had very low amounts of shots as McEachran (starting in consecutive games for the first time since February of their inaugural season) and Mould faced just 12 shots apiece. Next was just one game in Windsor before going to Toronto the next night for a two game series against the Blues. In the Windsor game LU was upset by the Lancers as they were beaten by Windsor for the first time since joining the league 4-1. Rookie goalie Jay Ewasiuk kept Windsor from another blowout at the hands of LU by winning them the game. After the Toronto series (a win and a tie) and the exam break, it was time for the 2nd annual Varsity Cup. Participating teams were the Wolves, York, UNB, and Calgary. After winning against the team they beat in the finals last year, Calgary, 5-3, LU played against Maritime powerhouse UNB (that consisted of some NHL draft picks that were never signed). After an impressive effort, LU came up short 4-1. The final round robin game was against York, and the Wolves once again blew out York for the 3rd time in as many games this year. Dolson did not start this game, but newcomer Lance King. He made no difference as Mike Jacobsen lead the Wolves with 2 goals and an assist to a 7-2 win. Cory McEachran made 15 saves for the win. despite finishing with a 2-1 record, LU did not make the finals, as UNB and Calgary also had a 2-1 record, but had a higher goal differential, and in order for LU to advance, it needed to win by 8 goals. They came up just short. Later in January, the Wolves once again encounter their rivals, this time at home where they seem to play exceptionally better than in London. Although they lost the first game 3-2, they won the next game 5-3, where the tandem of Richards and Scherban took over. Scherban finished with a goal and 4 assists, and Richards finished with 2 goals and 3 assists. After splitting both series, fans from both cities anticipated another classic playoff series just like the past 2 years. The Wolves opened the first round against Waterloo, and after winning game 1 in Waterloo by a 5-1 score, game 2 in Thunder Bay was a scoring spree. After Waterloo opened the scoring early in the 1st period, LU went on to score 12 unanswered goals for a 12-1 win to sweep the Warriors and move on to play the Mustangs for the third year in a row. The line of Shaffer (1 goal, 4 assists), Richards (3 goals, 1 assist) and Scherban (3 assists) took over and did their thing just blowing up the scoreboard. The win moved them on against Western, where Lakehead took game 1 in a hard fought 3-1 win in Thunder Bay. Grant McCune, like he always does against Western at home, played spectacularly. The series moved to London, but LU was denied a sweep, as Western won 4-2 with another amazing game from D'Alessandro, who seems like he can never have a bad game. The stage was set for a winner take all game 3, and LU won a classic. Erik Lodge was clutch in the 4th overtime as LU went to their 2nd Queen's Cup in just 3 years of existence. Richards also got 2 goals and 2 assists. McCune was huge, making 49 saves. D'Alessandro was even more amazing in the lose, as he stopped 81 shots. Like last year, LU's first opponent was York, and like last year, Dolson denied LU a Queen's Cup, as York won 3-2 in a 50 save performance. This happened despite the Wolves manhandling the Lions all season long.