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Thorne lands spot on All-Academic team

Being a Pontiac is so much more than just brawns, it’s also about brains and heart. Lucas Thorne is excelling in all three, and has found himself on the AJHL 2019 Inter-Pipeline All-Academic Team. “That was awesome.
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Lucas Thorne has been named to the AJHL Inter-Pipeline All-Academic team.

Being a Pontiac is so much more than just brawns, it’s also about brains and heart.

Lucas Thorne is excelling in all three, and has found himself on the AJHL 2019 Inter-Pipeline All-Academic Team.

“That was awesome. It was great to get that recognition for my efforts off of the ice for my schooling, as well as being a student athlete and being able to come to the rink every day and put a full effort in just like everyone else here, and then to be able to go home and focus on my studies,” said Thorne.

For head coach Rick Swan, it’s well-deserved.

“You have to have three things in order to be involved in that team. You have to be a player that’s a great performer, and Lucas is arguably one of the best players in the league, especially with how responsible he is without the puck. Second, he’s a high-end academic student. He’s an Ivy League marked guy. He has high 90’s. The third thing is he has to be a good person and he has to be a good citizen,” he expressed. “People, they really want to do that, to give back, and be servant to make life better and take the initiative to make life better for other people. Lucas is a good person, and that’s how he’s been brought up and he wants to leave the right impression.”

The All-Academic team is made of nominated players from each organization within the AJHL, and are selected based on certain criteria.

For Swan, Thorne was the perfect candidate.

“Our league has a list of player marks, and they have a list of player performance, and what volunteer activities they do. He came to the top of that list,” Swan said. “I’m sure if you compared him head-to-head with anyone within our league there would be a unanimous choice with every coach.”

It takes more than effort to maintain high grades, work within the community, and keep up with his fellow Pontiacs on the ice.

“It’s all about being organized and prepared. You can’t let yourself get distracted. You have to realize that schooling is very important. You play this game for as long as you can, but you always have to have something to back you up,” noted Thorne.

His plan is to continue to focus on his education, with the hopes of landing a spot on a division one team.

Swan said the entire team is proud of Thorne and everything that he’s accomplished so far.

“I think it’s great. We’re a small town, small AJHL market, and maybe one of the smallest Jr. A markets in Canada, but we have a real passionate fan base and community. For our guys to give more back in terms of volunteer initiatives and being servant, is really, at the end of the day, how they’re going to make a difference in other people’s lives,” he said. “These guys live that just as much as playing on the team.”

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