July 17, 2006
LAKEHEAD PAYS TRIBUTE TO SPECIAL CAPTAIN
THUNDER BAY - Heart and soul, determination, skill, tenacity, hustle, leadership, academic achievement, winner; any and all of these terms can be used to describe departing Lakehead hockey star Joel Scherban. Here, we will simply call him"¦The Captain.
The Thunder Bay native has been the new program's only captain for its first five years of existence and, not only did he become the face of Thunderwolves hockey and Lakehead Athletics, he helped to firmly establish Lakehead hockey in the community of Thunder Bay and build it into one of the top hockey programs in the CIS in a very short time.
Along the way, The Captain set towering individual marks, collected some impressive awards and hardware, and, most importantly to him, helped the Wolves to astonishing success in only five years as a CIS hockey program.
The Captain's individual achievements make quite a reading list; Joseph E. Sullivan Trophy winner as the top player in CIS hockey, OUA MVP, five time OUA First Team All Star, CIS First Team All Canadian, CIS Second Team All Canadian, Two Time CIS and OUA Most Sportsmanlike Player, RBC Academic All Canadian, OUA Nominee for Randy Gregg Award, Lakehead Male Athlete of the Year, Captain of Team Canada (and tourney leading scorer) at Innsbruck Winter Universiade, and Lakehead's All Time Overall points, goals, and assists leader.
The Captain led his team to the playoffs in every year and won at least one playoff round each season. The team made it to the OUA Final Four three times and qualified for the CIS National Championships twice. This past season, the Wolves won their first Queen's Cup OUA title and took silver at the CIS National Championships. Additionally, The Captain and his Wolves never lost a home playoff game in five seasons.
How important has The Captain been to Lakehead Hockey and Lakehead Athletics? Let's hear from a few people who have known him both as an athlete and a student.
Lakehead Head Coach Pete Belliveau said The Captain has been the cornerstone and the catalyst for Wolves Hockey. "I was Joel's head coach for the last five years and I can state that Joel has been the most complete student-athlete in my college coaching career of 15 years. He only missed three practices in five years of CIS hockey and those were due to exams and to visiting the doctor over his newly discovered Diabetes. He is the face of Lakehead Hockey and was our heart and soul for five years and came on as our first Captain in our team's first year in 2001-02 to establish the team in Thunder Bay. He put Lakehead University Hockey on the CIS hockey map with his leadership, hockey skills, character, sportsmanship, and student values. I believe he was the perfect ambassador as a CIS Student-Athlete and set the standard here at Lakehead which others in all sports now use to measure against."
Lakehead University President Dr. Fred Gilbert said The Captain was key to making Wolves hockey successful. "Having Joel Scherban as the first captain of the renewed Varsity hockey program was special in many ways. Joel exemplified all those attributes one hopes for in a leader - dependability, a strong work ethic, sportsmanship, and commitment. Furthermore, he was the classic student-athlete and assisted his team mates to balance the expectations of academia and of sport. He truly led by example and in so doing set expectations not just for himself, but for the team as well. The bar has been set high for the next captain and I would like to thank Joel for all that he has contributed to Thunderwolves Hockey. We couldn't have found a better representative for the University in these critical early years of the new hockey program."
Lakehead Athletic Director Tom Warden said The Captain set the standard for Lakehead players of the future. "Joel Scherban personifies what a student-athlete should be. His dedication to his sport is only matched by his work in the class room. Joel was our leader for five years and our team is built on that leadership and the legacy that he has left. He will be missed and we thank him."
So, how did the Captain end up at Lakehead in 2001, and not at a traditional CIS hockey powerhouse like Western or Alberta? Let's take a minute now to zoom back in time to the spring of 2001. Lakehead had just hired Pete Belliveau as Head Coach and Belliveau had to scramble to build a team in only a few months; a difficult task considering that his CIS and OUA opponents had been recruiting all year and most of the blue chip prospects had committed already. However, Scherban, who had just completed five seasons with the OHL's London Knights (two as Captain) had not committed yet.
We'll let The Captain describe this momentous event in Lakehead hockey history. "After finishing my major junior career with the London Knights I decided to get my education instead of turning pro. That was a somewhat easy decision for me because education had always been my priority. The difficult question I needed to answer was which university to attend. After being recruited by almost every university in the country, I narrowed my decision down to a couple of universities; Lakehead and, what would become our biggest rival, Western. Going into the summer Western was my first choice as I had attended Western part time for two years while playing for the Knights, but as the summer went on I began to lean towards Lakehead for two reasons. First, after talking to Coach Belliveau, Athletic Director Warden, and Hockey Director Jim Johnson; I could feel the commitment to building a stable and successful program that was incredibly unique. Secondly, after being in Southern Ontario for five years I realized that Thunder Bay was where I wanted to spend the next few years of my life."
The Captain, along with fellow "Pioneers" Grant McCune, Erik Lodge, Craig Priestlay, and Mark Robinson all made the leap of faith and commitment to Lakehead Hockey that proved be the building blocks of the team's success.
The Captain said being one of the original team pioneers has been an incredibly rewarding experience. "I will never forget being on the five year ride from an expansion team to a national championship runner-up. What has made the organization so successful has been the quality people that have been involved. It goes without saying that there are many people behind the scenes that have dedicated a great deal of time and effort to help make the program successful, and therefore it would be impossible to give credit to them all individually right now, however there is one certain group that deserves special recognition and that is the original players from outside of Thunder Bay. Grant McCune, Erik Lodge, Craig Priestlay, Mark Robinson took a huge risk by moving across the country to play for a new university program. These four players took a great deal of pride in both Lakehead University and the City of Thunder Bay and through their leadership and work ethic over the past five years they have provided the building blocks and stability that has made the Lakehead University Thunderwolves hockey team so successful."
The Thunderwolves have averaged more than 3000 fans per game in five seasons of CIS play (best in CIS hockey and second best to Laval Football overall in CIS) and quite often the Fort William Gardens would be sold out with almost 4000 noisy fans and Scherban has been one of the main reasons for this popularity. Aside from The Captain's substantial on ice contributions and team leadership; his off ice work in the community of Thunder Bay helped imbed the team into the city's consciousness and made him perhaps the most popular athlete in Thunder Bay. Any time, any event, and The Captain would be there representing Lakehead hockey and giving 100% effort to everything he did.
The Captain made countless TV and radio appearances and ads for the Wolves, did numerous volunteer jobs for city charities, worked at Lakehead's summer hockey schools, spoke to public school and high school kids on topics such as career choices, anti-tobacco campaigns, and Learn To Read programs. The list here could go on for pages. And he always had time to sign autographs after home games for the many young Thunderwolves fans.
The Captain added that there have been many ups and down as the team's only captain, but that the positives far outweigh the few negatives. "When I am asked about being the only Captain in the five year history of the team and what that has been like; my first response has always been that I am tremendously proud to have been given the opportunity to lead such a great group of players. In a five year period there are obviously ups and downs. However the ups have greatly outnumbered the downs. One of the reasons for this has been the strong leadership on the team. Assistant Captains Steve Bailot, Chris Shaffer, Bryan Duce, Hugo Lehoux, Jeff Richards, and Erik Lodge have always been on the same page and committed to the success of the program. But the leadership did not stop with the players wearing the letters. Over the years the dressing room has been filled with players who are quality people and who all provide leadership making my role as captain seem easy at times."
The Captain said while he has had the time of my life playing hockey in his hometown, hockey has only been part of his life over the past five years. He is very proud to have graduated with my H.B. Commerce degree and he is currently finishing up his Masters of Science in Management degree which he expects to complete this September. The Captain is an RBC Academic All Canadian this year; a fantastic achievement considering the time demands of playing varsity hockey and studying for a very difficult Master's degree. Combining University with a high level of hockey has taught him many things; such as time management skills, but most importantly it has taught him that, with commitment, dedication, and hard work, a person can be successful at anything they set their mind to.
Not to be forgotten have been the personal health challenges that The Captain has faced. He played his whole Major Junior and Lakehead career with Sports Induced Asthma and this season was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. Incredibly, The Captain rebounded from a very sluggish first half caused by his undiagnosed Diabetes, and once diagnosed and properly treated; he returned to his normal excellence and led his Wolves to a Queen's Cup Title and a national silver medal.
The Captain said there have been many highlights and vivid memories during his Lakehead hockey career. "When asked what my highlights are over the years; there is no doubt that the run we made this past season in the playoffs and at the national championships is number one. It was an experience I will definitely never forget. But that is not the only one that will stick in my memory. Some of the other highlights (there are too many to include all of them) include the first game ever played to a sold out crowd against UQTR in 01-02; beating Western in Game 1 of the playoffs in my first year (2001-02) and almost eliminating them in playoffs that year (Western went on to win the national championship that season); making a surprise appearance at the national championships in my second year; winning the Queens Cup; all of the home games in front of the best university crowds in Canada; the atmosphere at the Gardens during a playoff game; Lodge scoring big overtime goals, McCune stealing games by himself; and, finally and most importantly, being around quality people on a continuous basis."
Now that The Captain's Lakehead career has come to a close; he has some sage counsel for his successor as the Wolves Captain. "My advice to the next captain is to always put the team first, lead by example both on and off the ice, and trust your teammates because there is more than enough leadership present on the existing team. They will make your job easy."
The Captain said he will cherish his Lakehead memories but is very excited about the future. "Now that my days as a hockey player at Lakehead University are over, it is time to move on to the next stage of my life. Whether that is playing professional hockey or beginning a career outside of hockey, I do not know yet. At this time I am keeping all options open. What I do know is that the past five years have been the five best years of my life."
This writer joined Lakehead Athletics in the same year as Lakehead Hockey and The Captain began their hockey journey and I tagged along for the thrill ride that was Joel Scherban and Thunderwolves Hockey's first five seasons. I would like to say, on behalf of all Lakehead Hockey fans, a very fond thanks to The Captain for all the great memories and farewell in all his future journeys.
The Captain: Lakehead Career Stats:
Career All Time Points: (No. 1 in Lakehead Hockey History)
Athlete GP G A PTS PPG Pen PM PPG PPA SHG SHA GWG
Joel Scherban 207 109 154 263 1.27 16 32 11 17 6 4 1
Non Conference All Time Stats: (No. 1 in Lakehead Hockey History)
Athlete GP G A PTS PPG Pen PM
Joel Scherban 51 17 38 55 1.08 3 6
OUA Regular Season All Time Stats: (No. 2 in Lakehead Hockey History)
Athlete GP G A PTS PPG Pen PM PPG PPA SHG SHA GWG
Joel Scherban 104 64 71 135 1.30 7 14 28 35 10 1 5
Playoff All Time Stats: (No. 1 in Lakehead Hockey History)
Athlete GP G A PTS PPG Pen PM PPG PPA SHG SHA GWG
Joel Scherban 38 23 26 49 1.29 6 12 10 9 2 1 1
(Source: Mike Aylward, Lakehead Sports Information.)
(Photo: Captain Joel Scherban adds to his hardware collection following Lakehead's Queen's Cup victory in March. File photo.)
The Thunder Bay native has been the new program's only captain for its first five years of existence and, not only did he become the face of Thunderwolves hockey and Lakehead Athletics, he helped to firmly establish Lakehead hockey in the community of Thunder Bay and build it into one of the top hockey programs in the CIS in a very short time.
Along the way, The Captain set towering individual marks, collected some impressive awards and hardware, and, most importantly to him, helped the Wolves to astonishing success in only five years as a CIS hockey program.
The Captain's individual achievements make quite a reading list; Joseph E. Sullivan Trophy winner as the top player in CIS hockey, OUA MVP, five time OUA First Team All Star, CIS First Team All Canadian, CIS Second Team All Canadian, Two Time CIS and OUA Most Sportsmanlike Player, RBC Academic All Canadian, OUA Nominee for Randy Gregg Award, Lakehead Male Athlete of the Year, Captain of Team Canada (and tourney leading scorer) at Innsbruck Winter Universiade, and Lakehead's All Time Overall points, goals, and assists leader.
The Captain led his team to the playoffs in every year and won at least one playoff round each season. The team made it to the OUA Final Four three times and qualified for the CIS National Championships twice. This past season, the Wolves won their first Queen's Cup OUA title and took silver at the CIS National Championships. Additionally, The Captain and his Wolves never lost a home playoff game in five seasons.
How important has The Captain been to Lakehead Hockey and Lakehead Athletics? Let's hear from a few people who have known him both as an athlete and a student.
Lakehead Head Coach Pete Belliveau said The Captain has been the cornerstone and the catalyst for Wolves Hockey. "I was Joel's head coach for the last five years and I can state that Joel has been the most complete student-athlete in my college coaching career of 15 years. He only missed three practices in five years of CIS hockey and those were due to exams and to visiting the doctor over his newly discovered Diabetes. He is the face of Lakehead Hockey and was our heart and soul for five years and came on as our first Captain in our team's first year in 2001-02 to establish the team in Thunder Bay. He put Lakehead University Hockey on the CIS hockey map with his leadership, hockey skills, character, sportsmanship, and student values. I believe he was the perfect ambassador as a CIS Student-Athlete and set the standard here at Lakehead which others in all sports now use to measure against."
Lakehead University President Dr. Fred Gilbert said The Captain was key to making Wolves hockey successful. "Having Joel Scherban as the first captain of the renewed Varsity hockey program was special in many ways. Joel exemplified all those attributes one hopes for in a leader - dependability, a strong work ethic, sportsmanship, and commitment. Furthermore, he was the classic student-athlete and assisted his team mates to balance the expectations of academia and of sport. He truly led by example and in so doing set expectations not just for himself, but for the team as well. The bar has been set high for the next captain and I would like to thank Joel for all that he has contributed to Thunderwolves Hockey. We couldn't have found a better representative for the University in these critical early years of the new hockey program."
Lakehead Athletic Director Tom Warden said The Captain set the standard for Lakehead players of the future. "Joel Scherban personifies what a student-athlete should be. His dedication to his sport is only matched by his work in the class room. Joel was our leader for five years and our team is built on that leadership and the legacy that he has left. He will be missed and we thank him."
So, how did the Captain end up at Lakehead in 2001, and not at a traditional CIS hockey powerhouse like Western or Alberta? Let's take a minute now to zoom back in time to the spring of 2001. Lakehead had just hired Pete Belliveau as Head Coach and Belliveau had to scramble to build a team in only a few months; a difficult task considering that his CIS and OUA opponents had been recruiting all year and most of the blue chip prospects had committed already. However, Scherban, who had just completed five seasons with the OHL's London Knights (two as Captain) had not committed yet.
We'll let The Captain describe this momentous event in Lakehead hockey history. "After finishing my major junior career with the London Knights I decided to get my education instead of turning pro. That was a somewhat easy decision for me because education had always been my priority. The difficult question I needed to answer was which university to attend. After being recruited by almost every university in the country, I narrowed my decision down to a couple of universities; Lakehead and, what would become our biggest rival, Western. Going into the summer Western was my first choice as I had attended Western part time for two years while playing for the Knights, but as the summer went on I began to lean towards Lakehead for two reasons. First, after talking to Coach Belliveau, Athletic Director Warden, and Hockey Director Jim Johnson; I could feel the commitment to building a stable and successful program that was incredibly unique. Secondly, after being in Southern Ontario for five years I realized that Thunder Bay was where I wanted to spend the next few years of my life."
The Captain, along with fellow "Pioneers" Grant McCune, Erik Lodge, Craig Priestlay, and Mark Robinson all made the leap of faith and commitment to Lakehead Hockey that proved be the building blocks of the team's success.
The Captain said being one of the original team pioneers has been an incredibly rewarding experience. "I will never forget being on the five year ride from an expansion team to a national championship runner-up. What has made the organization so successful has been the quality people that have been involved. It goes without saying that there are many people behind the scenes that have dedicated a great deal of time and effort to help make the program successful, and therefore it would be impossible to give credit to them all individually right now, however there is one certain group that deserves special recognition and that is the original players from outside of Thunder Bay. Grant McCune, Erik Lodge, Craig Priestlay, Mark Robinson took a huge risk by moving across the country to play for a new university program. These four players took a great deal of pride in both Lakehead University and the City of Thunder Bay and through their leadership and work ethic over the past five years they have provided the building blocks and stability that has made the Lakehead University Thunderwolves hockey team so successful."
The Thunderwolves have averaged more than 3000 fans per game in five seasons of CIS play (best in CIS hockey and second best to Laval Football overall in CIS) and quite often the Fort William Gardens would be sold out with almost 4000 noisy fans and Scherban has been one of the main reasons for this popularity. Aside from The Captain's substantial on ice contributions and team leadership; his off ice work in the community of Thunder Bay helped imbed the team into the city's consciousness and made him perhaps the most popular athlete in Thunder Bay. Any time, any event, and The Captain would be there representing Lakehead hockey and giving 100% effort to everything he did.
The Captain made countless TV and radio appearances and ads for the Wolves, did numerous volunteer jobs for city charities, worked at Lakehead's summer hockey schools, spoke to public school and high school kids on topics such as career choices, anti-tobacco campaigns, and Learn To Read programs. The list here could go on for pages. And he always had time to sign autographs after home games for the many young Thunderwolves fans.
The Captain added that there have been many ups and down as the team's only captain, but that the positives far outweigh the few negatives. "When I am asked about being the only Captain in the five year history of the team and what that has been like; my first response has always been that I am tremendously proud to have been given the opportunity to lead such a great group of players. In a five year period there are obviously ups and downs. However the ups have greatly outnumbered the downs. One of the reasons for this has been the strong leadership on the team. Assistant Captains Steve Bailot, Chris Shaffer, Bryan Duce, Hugo Lehoux, Jeff Richards, and Erik Lodge have always been on the same page and committed to the success of the program. But the leadership did not stop with the players wearing the letters. Over the years the dressing room has been filled with players who are quality people and who all provide leadership making my role as captain seem easy at times."
The Captain said while he has had the time of my life playing hockey in his hometown, hockey has only been part of his life over the past five years. He is very proud to have graduated with my H.B. Commerce degree and he is currently finishing up his Masters of Science in Management degree which he expects to complete this September. The Captain is an RBC Academic All Canadian this year; a fantastic achievement considering the time demands of playing varsity hockey and studying for a very difficult Master's degree. Combining University with a high level of hockey has taught him many things; such as time management skills, but most importantly it has taught him that, with commitment, dedication, and hard work, a person can be successful at anything they set their mind to.
Not to be forgotten have been the personal health challenges that The Captain has faced. He played his whole Major Junior and Lakehead career with Sports Induced Asthma and this season was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. Incredibly, The Captain rebounded from a very sluggish first half caused by his undiagnosed Diabetes, and once diagnosed and properly treated; he returned to his normal excellence and led his Wolves to a Queen's Cup Title and a national silver medal.
The Captain said there have been many highlights and vivid memories during his Lakehead hockey career. "When asked what my highlights are over the years; there is no doubt that the run we made this past season in the playoffs and at the national championships is number one. It was an experience I will definitely never forget. But that is not the only one that will stick in my memory. Some of the other highlights (there are too many to include all of them) include the first game ever played to a sold out crowd against UQTR in 01-02; beating Western in Game 1 of the playoffs in my first year (2001-02) and almost eliminating them in playoffs that year (Western went on to win the national championship that season); making a surprise appearance at the national championships in my second year; winning the Queens Cup; all of the home games in front of the best university crowds in Canada; the atmosphere at the Gardens during a playoff game; Lodge scoring big overtime goals, McCune stealing games by himself; and, finally and most importantly, being around quality people on a continuous basis."
Now that The Captain's Lakehead career has come to a close; he has some sage counsel for his successor as the Wolves Captain. "My advice to the next captain is to always put the team first, lead by example both on and off the ice, and trust your teammates because there is more than enough leadership present on the existing team. They will make your job easy."
The Captain said he will cherish his Lakehead memories but is very excited about the future. "Now that my days as a hockey player at Lakehead University are over, it is time to move on to the next stage of my life. Whether that is playing professional hockey or beginning a career outside of hockey, I do not know yet. At this time I am keeping all options open. What I do know is that the past five years have been the five best years of my life."
This writer joined Lakehead Athletics in the same year as Lakehead Hockey and The Captain began their hockey journey and I tagged along for the thrill ride that was Joel Scherban and Thunderwolves Hockey's first five seasons. I would like to say, on behalf of all Lakehead Hockey fans, a very fond thanks to The Captain for all the great memories and farewell in all his future journeys.
The Captain: Lakehead Career Stats:
Career All Time Points: (No. 1 in Lakehead Hockey History)
Athlete GP G A PTS PPG Pen PM PPG PPA SHG SHA GWG
Joel Scherban 207 109 154 263 1.27 16 32 11 17 6 4 1
Non Conference All Time Stats: (No. 1 in Lakehead Hockey History)
Athlete GP G A PTS PPG Pen PM
Joel Scherban 51 17 38 55 1.08 3 6
OUA Regular Season All Time Stats: (No. 2 in Lakehead Hockey History)
Athlete GP G A PTS PPG Pen PM PPG PPA SHG SHA GWG
Joel Scherban 104 64 71 135 1.30 7 14 28 35 10 1 5
Playoff All Time Stats: (No. 1 in Lakehead Hockey History)
Athlete GP G A PTS PPG Pen PM PPG PPA SHG SHA GWG
Joel Scherban 38 23 26 49 1.29 6 12 10 9 2 1 1
(Source: Mike Aylward, Lakehead Sports Information.)
(Photo: Captain Joel Scherban adds to his hardware collection following Lakehead's Queen's Cup victory in March. File photo.)
