Lakehead Thunderwolves Hockey is pleased to announce their partnership with the Thunder Bay Kings, during a reformatted TBayTel Varsity Cup Challenge, December 29-30, 2009 at the Fort William Gardens. The two-day event will honour the late Jim Johnson who served as Thunderwolves president and director of hockey operations from 2000-2005.
Lakehead will take on the Manitoba Bisons of the Canada West Conference on both days of the challenge, with games starting at 7:30pm. The Bisons won the 2007 Varsity Cup, and will be making their fourth appearance in the holiday hockey tradition.
The AAA midget Kings, coached by former Wolves player and strength and conditioning coach Steve Bailot, will face the Capital Centre Pride from Lansing, Michigan in the early draws on both nights.
The new format replaces the former four day, four-team Varsity Cup tournament. Thunderwolves executive director Jason Mallon says that Wolves are excited to host this new event with the Kings.
The TBayTel Varsity Cup Challenge is a new and exciting opportunity for the Thunderwolves. The event will raise awareness of the Kings organization and will give them new funding opportunities to continue their success.
After losing two key players Shandor Alphonso and Pierre-Marc Guilbault to injuries during last years tournament, it became clear that a new format would help our team as they prepare for the Cavendish University Cup in March.
King president Dave Siciliano is equally excited to see his organizations new partnership with the Wolves.
"The Thunder Bay Kings hockey organization is proud to partner with the Thunderwolves. The rich tradition of the Kings is evident in the number of former players who have participated in the Thunderwolves program. These players have helped Lakehead gain national recognition since their inception.
The opportunity to play a team from the Northern Lakes Hockey League prior to a Thunderwolves game after Christmas will go a long way in gaining more exposure for our organization and energize our players. We are looking forward to other opportunities in the future."
Ties between the Kings and the Thunderwolves run deep, with 25 former Kings having suited up for Lakehead, including head coach and all-time leading scorer, Joel Scherban.
The Lakehead University Thunderwolves are pleased to be partners in this exciting tournament format with the Kings program, said Thunderwolves Hockey president Rory Cava. It is consistent with what the Thunderwolves hockey program has always been about, promoting quality hockey at all levels in Thunder Bay.
The Kings program will always be linked to ours. Not only are they our best supply of talent, but also because of the legacy that Jim Johnson has left in each program.
Johnson, who passed away in June 2008 at the age of 63, was instrumental in the foundation of both the Thunderwolves and the Kings. His sons, Greg, Corey and Ryan are all Kings alumni.
This is a perfect opportunity to honour Jim as part of this event as he helped build both programs, Lakehead athletics director Tom Warden says. Lakehead University is very pleased with this grassroots initiative. The strength of the Kings program is a principal reason why the Thunderwolves have been able to showcase quality local talent.