While the Lakehead Thunderwolves mens hockey program has scored some phenomenal results in only five seasons of CIS/OUA hockey; winning at least one playoff round each year, two national championship tourney apperances, and one OUA Queen's Cup Championship title; here wed like to discuss a unique feature of Lakehead Hockeys first incarnation; the Lakehead Norwesters.
The Norwesters skated from 1965-66 to 1984-85. For 19 seasons, 236 skaters and 40 goalies donned the Blue and White jersey and went out on the ice to play their best and represent Lakehead. The Norwesters achieved some excellent results and they first participated in the ICHA (International Collegiate Hockey Association) from 1965-66 to 1976-77; playing against American competition such as St. Cloud State. Beginning in the 1972-73 season, they also began playing in GPAC (Great Plains Athletic Conference), where they played against what are now Canada West teams like Manitoba and Saskatchewan. While playing in GPAC in the late 70s and early 80s, the team also participated in a local Thunder Bay league against the local Senior A Thunder Bay Twins, Junior A teams, and Intermediate mens teams.
Lakehead twice was first in the ICHA (66-67, 70-71) and placed second three times. They also were runners-up twice in the NAIA U.S. National Finals in 1970-71 and 1972-73; both times losing to now NCAA Division 1 Team Bemidji State. The 1966-67 ICHA championship team was inducted onto the Lakehead Athletics Wall of Fame in 1999. In 1972-73, Lakehead was GPAC champion and this was the season where they made their only appearance at the CIAU national championships where they posted an 0-2 record; losing by 3-1 and 9-3 scores to Alberta.
The Norwesters most notable player was Vince Fryia; who was named the winner of the Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy as the Outstanding Hockey Player in the CIAU (now CIS) in 1979-80 as well as being named a CIAU First Team All Canadian. Fryia went on to play in Europe and coach the Spanish National Team.
There were many other great players for the Norwesters such as Murray Smith, Larry Zulianello, Dave Vescio, Jim Keyes, Dave Siciliano, Henry Rupert, Dwight Stirrett, Paul Sandberg, Norm Fullum, George Letowski, Henry Staal, Al Avery, and Jim Pronger. Perhaps those last four names seem familiar to you and that familiarity will lead us to the unique point of this article.
Letowski, Staal, Avery, and Pronger were all great players for the Norwesters. Letowski scored 80 goals and 124 assists from 1970-74 which sits him 4th All Time in Norwester scoring; Staal scored 45 goals and 55 assists from 1978-83 which places him 13th All Time, Avery only played one season for Lakehead (77-78) after leading the then OUAA in scoring three times for York but Avery scored 16 goals and 26 assists in only 30 games for Lakehead. Finally, Pronger scored 2 goals and 17 assists in 23 games for the Norwesters in the late 60s.
Yes, these players were great ones. Vince Friyia credits Avery with teaching him everything he learned about hockey and mentoring him to become a better player and a CIAU All Canadian in 1977-78 and Friyia also credits his Joseph E. Sullivan/CIAU MVP season (79-80) to line mates Henry Staal and Norm Fullum whom Friyia said were the fastest players in the league and made his job simple.
But, now, back to our point. It seems that these Lakehead Norwesters have continued to make huge contributions to hockey; not only in Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario, but right to the top of the hockey world. And they did it through their sons, so we will call this group the Lakehead Norwesters NHL Dads Club.
Of course, everybody is by now familiar of the story of Henry Staal and his famous outdoor rink at his sod farm outside Thunder Bay where his four sons, Eric, Marc, Jordan, and Jared played some pretty fierce shinny. Now, of course, Eric is a Stanley Cup Champion with the Carolina Hurrica