“This Year We Will Be In The Playoffs” Says The Wallaceburg Thunderhawks

There is no other option for the Wallaceburg Thunderhawks. This year, they intend to make the playoffs in the PJHL Stobbs Division.

“This year we will be in the playoffs,” stated head coach and general manager Ken Shine.

“It’s been 3 years building to the point kids want to play here. That has been our focus from day one, however we thought we should of been there last year, but we had a lot of growth as a team. No one comes in anymore thinking it’s an easy 2 points.”

The Thunderhawks finished with a 4-35-0-1 record last season, but also lost 7 games by only a a goal. There were far less lopsided contests than years prior.

According to Shine, he’s returning a team with far more veterans and far more motivation.

“This year we have a lot of guys with a burr in their saddle, as I said we thought we had a chance last year. We are a tight group with a lot of lessons learned. Most of the team was overlooked at some point and have something to prove. I think we will be fun to watch and I hope we can entertain the fans by being in the playoffs.”

The only overager who finished the season with Wallaceburg last season was netminder Nolan Hakr, and the Thunderhawks currently have only three players eligible to be overagers this year. The bulk of their team will be comprised of 18, 19 and 20 year old veterans, but Shine says there is still room on the roster for young players to step in and make an impact.

“We are getting pretty close to where we want to be as we had a lot of returning players, but you always leave room for a few surprises.”

Although teams have yet to be able to host official camps, the Wallaceburg Thunderhawks are ready to start the PJHL Stobbs season with renewed optimism.