KAMLOOPS – Two of the top high school players in the country, both provenat national championships, have committed to playing with the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack men’s volleyball team.
Winnipeg student Stefan Savoie and Gordon Perrin of Creston, BC join Revelstoke spiker Josh Boruck, who committed to the WolfPack in March,as the CIS team’s 2007/08 rookies.
“These guys are both physically ready to challenge for playing time andwill make our practice environment very competitive,” said WolfPack head coach Patrick Hennelly. “These two guys will make this teamcompetitive for the next five years,” he added.
TRU Athletics Director Ken Olynyk agreed: “The addition of Stefan and Gordon to the men’s volleyball program along with the young players already on the team and should make the men’s volleyball program contenders for years to come. I look forward to watching Stefan andGordon develop in our program and compete for the WolfPack.”
Savoie, who was voted the third-ranked player in Manitoba, stands 6’7″ and will join the WolfPack as a middle blocker. The youth, named to the provincial and graduating Manitoba High School Athletic Association(MHSAA) all-star teams, was a starter on both the 2006 ManitobaProvincial and Youth National teams, and was also named to the all-starteam at the U16 national club championships.
“I like the way Stefan plays the game, very intense and competitive,” said Hennelly. “He brings an edge to the court and is a great emotional leader. When I watched Stefan play last year at the club Nationals Iwas impressed with his physical and emotional leadership. Stefan willbe a big part of our program as a middle blocker and I think he will challenge for a spot on the court. Stefan has been on winning teams inclub and high school and started this summer for the Youth National Team, and these experiences will serve him well.”
Perrin, who stands 6’6″ and has a spike touch reaching 11’5.5″, will join the ‘Pack as an outside hitter. Like Savoie, he was a starter onthe 2006 Youth National team, and was named a first-team all-star atthe BC High School AA Championships, where his team captured the bronzemedal. He was also a member of the U17 Team BC in 2006 and the U16 Team BC in 2005 and 2004, was named MVP at the 2005 Western Elite Championships. Gordon was the top attacker for Canada in the summer of 2006 at the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) youth championships.
“Gordon Perrin is one of the most physically dominant high schoolplayers I have ever seen. He had the biggest spike touch at the youthnational team try-out camp 11 feet 5.5 inches and at 6 foot 6 inches hemay still be growing,” said Hennelly. “His father, Dave Perrin, authorof the “Country Vet” series (www.davespress.com),is 6 feet 10 inches. I watched Gordon win the hardest hitter contest atthe high school provincial championships as a grade 11 athlete; he hita ball that bounced around 35 feet to win the competition: very impressive. When Gordon becomes acclimatized to school and volleyball at the university level he will be force at the net and compete forplaying time in his first year.”
Both youths were major factors in Canada’s fourth-place finish at the2006 NORCECA Youth Men’s Continental Championship held in the Dominican Republic last August, which features the top youth men’s teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
For more information, please contact:
Patrick Hennelly, head coach, at 250-377-6118 or 250-572-6619 or by email.
Stefan Savoie at 204-232-1560
Gord Perrin at 250-428-8764 or by email.
