THUNDER BAY – The Lakehead Athletics Wall of Fame is set to grow in a big way.
To mark the university’s 60th anniversary and the 25th year since varsity hockey made its return, the school is inducting 19 athletes this year, with the ceremony to take place on Oct. 4 at the Hangar.
Sixteen of the players were former hockey stars, a list that includes goaltenders Grant McCune and Chris Whitley, defencemen Erik Lodge, Jordan Smith, Mike Jacobsen and Mitch Maunu, and forwards Dan Speer, Andrew Brown, Tobias Whelan, Shandor Alphonso, Bryan Duce, Chris Shaffer, Murray Magill, Mike Wehrstedt, Mark Soares and current coach Andrew Wilkins.
A trio of basketball players will be inducted: Dan Zapior, Greg Carter and Ryan Thomson, who continues to serve the Thunderwolves as coach of the men’s basketball team.
Ten of the hockey players getting the nod made up the core of the team’s 2005-06 silver-medal-winning squad that took the Thunderwolves to the national championship game, where they dropped a 3-2 decision to the University of Alberta.
Joel Scherban and Jeff Richards, the catalysts of Lakehead hockey in the early to mid-2000s, were already inducted individually. The school also inducted the 2005-06 team as a whole at the 2015 wall-of-fame ceremony.
The school announced the 1993-94 Nor’Westers women’s volleyball team will also be inducted, along with the Thunderwolves men’s hockey shareholders and executive members, who attain wall-of-fame status in the builder’s category.
“These individuals and teams have made a remarkable impact on Lakehead Athletics,” said Tom Warden, LU’s director of athletics, in a release issued on Thursday.
“It is a privilege to celebrate their contributions and welcome them into the Hall of Fame during this milestone year for our university and our men’s hockey program.”
The Thunder Bay school holds a wall-of-fame ceremony every other year.
