NSSHF announces class of 2023: 1993 Axemen hockey & former Axemen soccer coach included

HALIFAX, N.S. - The Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame is pleased to announce its 2023 inductee class. Four athletes, one team and two builders will be celebrated for their outstanding contributions to Nova Scotia sport. Included in the class of 2023 were Acadia's 1993 Axemen hockey team and former Axemen soccer head coach John Kehoe.

The Hall will also welcome the 1993 Acadia Axemen CIAU Championship-winning men's hockey team. In the builder category, former Axemen Soccer coaches and legendary Halifax region women's soccer coach John Kehoe along with longtime sport journalist/promoter/volunteer Joel Jacobson will be inducted.

Stanley Cup winner, 3-time NAIG Gold Medalist, women's soccer trailblazer, and Vanier Cup champion are all accolades that can be used to describe this year's athlete inductees, and the 2023 class will also include two incredible builders as well as one team that achieved a milestone Canadian championship win.

The athletes who will be enshrined are Stanley Cup and Calder Cup winner Joe DiPenta, 3-time NAIG Gold Medalist and 2006 Open World Taekwondo champion Sara-Lynne Knockwood, former Canadian Women's National Soccer Team member Suzanne Gerrior, and 3-time AUS MVP and 1973 Vanier Cup Champion Bill Robinson. 
Induction Night 2023 will take place on Saturday, November 25 at 7pm, at the Lighthouse Arts Centre in Halifax.

For the 23rd consecutive year, the ceremony will be hosted by Hall of Fame CEO and CBC broadcaster Bruce Rainnie, and, thanks to a continuing partnership with Eastlink Community TV, this will be the fourth year that the ceremony will be broadcast live.

Here is a closer look at the 1993 Axemen hockey team and former Axemen soccer coach who comprise the class of 2023:

Acadia Axemen Hockey Team 1992-93:

One of the most dominant university hockey teams to ever play in this country, the Axemen became the first Nova Scotia school to ever win the CIAU University Cup National Hockey Championship, steamrolling the University of Toronto 12-1 on March 21, 1993. Axemen players received 10 awards of MVP or All-Star at either the conference or national level during the season, and four of these were awarded to Nova Scotia-born members of the team. Coach Tom Coolen was named CIAU Coach of the Year and Captain George Dupont was named a CIAU
All-Canadian.

Team Members: Sean O'Reilly, Scott Gallant, Rob Ryan, Mark Pound, Colin Gregor, Ken Cullihall, Denis Sproxton, Paul Sutcliffe, Malcolm Cameron, Norm Batherson, Morgan Mann, Jeff MacLeod, Sean Rowe, Kevin Knopp, George Dupont, Duane Dennis, Milan Dragicevic, Mark McFarlane, Craig Fraser, Arnie Caplan, Derek Kletzel, Brent Presswood, Darren Burns, Scott Farrell, Tom Coolen (Head Coach), Mark Hanneman (Assistant Coach), Mike Alcoe (Assistant Coach), Jan Hooper (Therapist), Mike Smith (Manager), and Dave Beech, Rocky Randall, Pete Sheehan (Equipment Managers).

John Kehoe, Soccer, Dartmouth:

While John Kehoe is not being inducted due to his success at Acadia as head coach of the Axemen, we do want to acknowledge his great contribution to Acadia and the Halifax region in women's soccer.

Kehoe was the driving force in the development of high-performance girl's and women's soccer in Nova Scotia from 1985 to 2015 Highlights of his coaching career include 11 provincial championships, 11 Atlantic championships, 13 appearances at national championships, a silver medal at the 1993 Canada Games, and a silver medal at the Canadian U16 Girls Soccer Championships (the first-ever medal for an Atlantic Girls squad at any age level). He played an integral role in the development of NS soccer legends Suzanne Muir, Suzanne Gerrior, Mary Beth Bowie and Cindy Tye.

Tickets are available for purchase online through Eventbrite and nsshf.com— $50 for adults, $20 for students, and children 12 and under are free.