Faculty defeat students, Salzman and food bank the real winners

Wisdom and experience triumphed once again over speed and youth as Nipissing’s faculty and staff hockey team narrowly defeated the fourth-year BPHE student team, but Kevin Salzman and the North Bay Food Bank were the real winners.

The game raised $420 for Salzman’s Wheel Across Canada tour, while also collecting more than 100-pounds of food for the food bank.

The game itself was a fast, furious and fun affair, with many chances at both ends of the ice. The students earned the lead on two different occasions, before the grizzled veterans of the faculty team caught their breath and tied the game late in the third period to bring on the shootout. Senior development officer, Gil “the Thrill” Pharand lived up to his handle by providing the shootout heroics with a nifty through-the-legs move to bulge the twine, fire up the goal lamp and seal the win.

Lakers head coach, Mike McParland, who played and coached professionally in Europe for many years and coached team Canada to victory in the Loto Cup in 2003 (so he knows a thing or two about great hockey teams), said the faculty team was “not bad”.

Ladies and gentlemen, your three stars of the game:

• 1st Star – Jim “Big Mac” McAuliffe for his stellar play minding the faculty net
• 2nd Star – Gil “the Thrill” Pharand for his game winning goal in the sudden death shootout
• 3rd Star – Joshua Else for his outstanding play in his first game in goal for the student team

Team manager and event organizer, Mark “Bulldog” Bruner, gets the NU News’ MVP for making it all happen. Plans are already underway to make this an annual event.