Forester Athletic Hall of Fame
Inducted 2003

The Foresters began the 1977-78 season with a 14-game winning streak which, at the time of their induction, was still the longest in the program's history. After dropping four of seven contests, the team finished the regular season with three consecutive victories and a 20-4 record. They were awarded a berth in the NCAA Division II Regional Championship Tournament and defeated St. Cloud State University 5-1 in the semifinals. A 5-2 triumph over Mankato State University in the regional championship sent Lake Forest to the NCAA National Tournament, played at the Civic Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. Goalie Buddy Fauteux tallied 33 saves against Elmira College in the national semifinals and a pair of scores from Jon Pratt and one each from Bill Sweeney and Don Atrill gave the team a 4-1 victory and a championship game appearance against Merrimack College. A goal by Joe McCarthy in the first period and one by Atrill in the second were not enough to hold off Merrimack, who defeated the Foresters 12-2 for the title. At the time of the team's induction, no other Forester squad in any sport had placed higher in NCAA competition than its runner-up national finish.

Atrill, McCarthy, and Pratt were Lake Forest's captains with McCarthy selected as its Most Valuable Player. Although contributions to the Foresters' success were spread throughout the team, John Handrahan was the statistical leader during the regular season with 32 goals and 35 assists. Atrill scored 31 times and added 20 assists while Bob Baldwin's 21 goals ranked third on the team. Brent Keeley was second in assists with 27 and Tim Rappleye third with 22. Fauteux was the primary goaltender throughout the year as the team outscored its regular season opponents 191-87.
 

Picture Description:

Front Row: Steve Kelly '80, Bill Sweeney '79, Joe McCarthy '78, Buddy Fauteux '78, Al Thermos '81, Chris Burchfield '81, Don Atrill '78, Jon Pratt '78. Middle Row: Head Coach Charles Morrison, Brian Miller '80, Bob Baldwin '79, Jeff Hibbard '78, Sandy Middendorf '81, Dan Burns '81, Tom Zweber '79, Bob Clisby '81, Brent Keeley '81, Brian Curtin '80, Ian Hughes '79, John Martin '80. Top Row: George Longo '81, Jack O'Brien '81, Jeff Mills '79, John Handrahan '79, Tim Rappleye '79, David Hearn '80, Bart Tiernan '80. Not Pictured: Jamie Mannion '80, John Wynn '81.