THUNDER BAY – The Bill McDonald era of Lakehead Thunderwolves hockey has come to an end.
The program on Thursday announced that McDonald will be retiring after five years as the Thunderwolves’ bench boss, with assistant coach Andrew Wilkins hired to take the helm as his replacement.
McDonald had his most successful season during his first campaign, where the Thunderwolves advanced to the OUA West Division final and came one game away from advancing to the national championship.
Those peaks were not attained again throughout the following four years his coaching tenure, where the team had a combined record of 43-54-14 which included Lakehead failing to qualify for the postseason for the first time in program history in 2015-2016 with just eight wins.
Lakehead has been ousted by the York Lions in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two years.
McDonald had been a presence in the Thunder Bay hockey scene long before joining the Thunderwolves, beginning in 1986 as the coach of the Thunder Bay Twins and then leading the Thunder Bay Thunder Hawks and Senators to three Colonial and United League championships in four years from 1991 to 1995.
“Bill’s storied life as a head coach speaks for itself,” athletic director Tom Warden said in a statement. “(McDonald) is a consummate professional, an exceptional coach and someone who I was proud to say ran our hockey team.”
Wilkins, the former Thunderwolves team captain who ended his five-year Lakehead playing career end in 2014, was hired just months later as the program’s first full-time assistant coach.
“Andrew was an outstanding captain and when we moved him into an assistant position he continued to develop and do an unbelievable job,” McDonald said. “Over the last couple of years, I have given him more responsibility and he has continued to grow. He is very respected by the players and community.”
