Dan McCaffery
Special to The Journal
Seven individuals and a team make up the Sarnia-Lambton Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2018.
Carolyne Prevost and Mark McGugan are the amateur inductees while Brian Dobbin is the honoured professional athlete.
Joel Skinner will receive the Bud Morrison Award, Wayne Melanson is being recognized as a builder while Priscillia Harkins is the Earl MacKenzie Award winner. Gerald Shephard is going in under the special achievement category.
The 1986/87 Mooretown Comets Senior 'B' hockey team is also being honoured.
The inductees and various award winners will be celebrated at the 36th annual enshrinement dinner on Sept. 15 at the Sarnia Golf and Curling Club.
Tickets can be obtained by contacting any member of the Hall of Fame Board of Directors or by calling 519-542-0728.
Amateur athletes: Carolyne Prevost has been a hockey scoring ace since she was a youngster. She made the Sarnia Starfires at age six and was so good she was soon skating on boys' teams, where she once played against future NHL goal scoring champion Steven Stamkos.
She now plays professionally with the Toronto Furies of the Canadian Womens' Hockey League.
The other amateur athlete going into the Hall is Mark McGugan, a superstar in football, lacrosse, baseball and basketball, where he won numerous high school and junior championships. Among other things, he once scored 213 points in a single Jr. 'B' lacrosse season.
Professional: Brian Dobbin of Petrolia is being honoured for a career that took him all the way to the NHL, where he played for both the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers. Bud Morrison: Joel Skinner has won the Morrison award, which recognizes a person who has made a significant contribution over many years to youth in their sports endeavours. Among other things, he created a running club that has allowed many athletes to train at top levels.
Special achievement: Gerald Shephard has earned this honour for his outstanding career as a baseball player and coach. The Observer once referred to him as the “Gordie Howe of the Western Counties Senior Baseball League,” noting he had played the sport in six different decades.
Builder: Wayne Melanson is being recognized in this category after his work as a coach, manager and executive in lacrosse. He was a driving force behind the multiple-championship winning Point Edwar Pacers, who over one seven-year period posted a 120-25 won-lost record.
Team: The Mooretown Comets won the Ontario Sr. 'B' hockey championship in dramatic fashion. Although they only finished in third place in the regular season, they won four playoff rounds to take the title.
Other winners include:
Earl Mackenzie award: Priscilla Harkins, for her contributions to rifle marksmanship, archery and hockey.
Rose Hodgson award: Dan Edward, for his outstanding contributions to the community.
Joe DeRush award: Rob Hughes, for his success at the Paralympics, Cerebral Palsy World Championships and Para Pan American Games.