Cory McEachran was born on Friday the 13th, but has been anything but bad luck for the Thunderwolves. He may not see a lot of action, but the third-year netminder is still one of the most important members on the Lakehead Thunderwolves hockey team. The one-time member of the Thunder Bay Flyers is the glue that holds the T-Wolves dressing room together, keeping a light-hearted attitude but at the same time knowing there's a time to be serious too.
"Kex runs the show," he joked. "Seriously, I help keep the team together (and help with) the chemistry in the dressing room."
Being a backup goaltender is not an easy job, but it's one the jovial six-foot-two goalie takes in stride. He's only been called upon a couple of times this season, including last Sunday's 7-3 win over Windsor that pushed the team's record to 5-1-0 on the season, but each time coach Pete Belliveau inserts him in the starting lineup he has come through. Last year he was 6-0-0 and sported a stingy 2.05 goals against average, and chances are on just about any other team in the OUA other than perhaps Western and York, he would be the starting goaltender.
He doesn't mind taking a backseat, at least on the ice, to teammate Grant McCune, who is the undisputed No. 1 puckstopper for the No. 4 ranked Lakehead squad.
"I've got the best seat in the house at ice level," said the 25-year old. "I've got a big role in practice trying to get these guys ready for the weekend. When I do have the opportunity to go in I try to do my best."
Perhaps one of the most underrated players on the team, his dedication and skill are not unnoticed by the 3,000-plus faithful who pack Fort William Gardens each time the Thunderwolves are in town. McEachran, who was born in Thunder Bay and spent the 1999-2000 season with the University of Alaska-Anchorage of the NCAA, is easily the most loudly cheered player on the ice. Fans go wild when he plays, especially when he is named one of the game's three stars following another Thunderwolves' win.
As a member of the Flyers McEachran backstopped current teammates like Murray Magill, Jesse Baraniuk (out until the New Year), Tyler Williamson and Chris Shaffer. He said the now-defunct club got its fair share of support, but it's nothing like what he and his teammates are experiencing in university hockey. "It's a great opportunity to play at home. We're in a different boat than when I played for the Flyers, where we'd get a couple hundred fans per game."
McEachran was an integral part of the Thunderwolves team that went to the University Cup in Fredericton last year, and is hoping for a repeat performance in 2003-04, only this time with better results. He said he has a strong feeling about the team this year, saying Belliveau has done a masterful job bringing together the right mix of players to help Lakehead clear the next hurdle in their path to a national championship.
"There are 25 character guys in this dressing room. The guys that have been here three years, the young guys look up to them. They don't lead just by their actions on the ice," he said.
He said last year's experience is the perfect building block for winning a championship, and that they couldn't have gotten a more valuable lesson than their quick exit in the New Brunswick capital. "Now we know how much harder we have to play to (win it all). We've been there once and a lot of the guys in here have been there (so we know what we have to do)."
(Special thanks to Leith Dunick and Thunder Bay's Source for Use of this Article)