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Wolves Announce Coaching Staff for 08-09

Wed Apr 16, 2008
Written by Mike Aylward
Photo by James Mirabelli

Lakehead Athletics, Thunderwolves Hockey, and Head Coach Don McKee are very proud to announce the coaching staff for Lakehead mens hockey for the 2008-09 season. The staff will see Coach McKee return for his second season at the helm, Darrin Nicholas for his sixth season in the new position of Associate Coach, Bob Bodak in his second season as Assistant Coach, the return of Assistant Coach Dan Bissonnette, and Steve Bailot in his second season as Strength and Conditioning Coach.

Coach McKee said he and his staff have learned a lot from this past season and are ready for next year; Lakeheads first as host of the CIS national championships. McKee also said the return of Bissonnette will add a lot to the coaching staff. In evaluating our coaching staff's performance during the 2007-2008 year, I believe we achieved many goals that we identified for our team and naturally, not getting to the ultimate one - The Nationals - was a big disappointment. We achieved ten more wins than the prior year; our Power Play improved by 7%; our Penalty Kill improved by 2%; we scored 16 more goals than the year before; we cut our Goals Against from 105 to 68, bringing that average to a respectable 2.45 per game. There are many other areas that we evaluated that impact on new direction for this year.

Lakehead Athletic Director Tom Warden said he thinksthe staff looks ready to lead the Wolves when they host the CIS National Championships next year. Coach McKee and his staff did a great job this season and I have every confidence they will lead the Wolves to success this coming season.

McKee said that Darrin Nicholas, Bob Bodak, Steve Bailot and the Lakehead scouts will again be keys for this years coaching team. Darrin Nicholas has been given the title of Associate Coach as he will provide leadership for many areas of the program and will be the only coach accompanying me on road trips. Bob Bodak returns for a second year. Bob's responsibilities are many with a major focus on making all of our forwards solid two-way players. With Bob's direction, it will help many of our players prepare for a pro career, after they win a National Championship. Our strength and conditioning, under Steve Bailot, had a positive impact on our team and resulted in a reduction in injuries. Our scouts had a successful year in recruiting and the future looks bright for 2008-2009.

Darrin Nicholas said he was excited about the coming season. I am honored to return for my seventh season with the Wolves. It was an enriching experience to be able to work with Coach McKee and Bob Bodak last season, and I am looking forward to what will surely be a unique chapter in my coaching career. To have a chance to work with such a fine group of committed athletes, and compete for a national championship on our own ice, in front of our own fans does not come along too often. We are already squarely focused on making the best of this opportunity. It should be an exciting ride!

Bob Bodak said he is looking forward to his second season on the Thunderwolves staff. What a wonderful platform we have to build from ending off last year so close to getting to the Nationals. It will be great to be the host city for the Nationals this year, as Thunder Bay really has the best fan support for this venue than any other city here in Canada. I look forward to a very exciting season.

McKee added that he is very happy to be adding Dan Bissonnette to the staff. After reviewing every aspect of our program, I perceived that adding another coach to our team would be beneficial for a multitude of reasons for both games, practices, and other areas. As a result, Dan Bissonnette, who is extremely familiar with both the program and our athletes, has joined our staff. We are excited to have his energy, knowledge, passion for the game, and his positive interpersonal skills in relating to the players.