This fall, the University of Windsor is celebrating its 50th anniversary, culminating with a celebration weekend from September 19 to 22.  Over the course of this summer, the Windsor Lancers are proud to highlight the most memorable intercollegiate teams in school history leading up to the university's 50th birthday.  Many of these Blue and Gold squads have been honoured by the Alumni Sports Hall of Fame with the Team Achievement Award, while a number of their athletes and coaches are Hall of Fame Inductees.

The Windsor Lancers men's hockey program was revitalized with the arrival of future Hall of Famer Rick Cranker in 1985. The former Lancers player (1974-75) and three-time OUA coach of the year recipient guided Windsor to 12 playoff appearances in his 14 year tenure behind the bench.

Before their memorable 1997-98 journey, the men had made just one Queen's Cup appearance in 1986-87 where they lost to York University. However, the Lancers were looking to rectify that just over a decade later, as they posted a remarkable 22-3-1 record in the regular season.

Windsor skated through the conference playoffs, and earned their second-ever Queen's Cup Final appearance against the powerhouse Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) Patriotes on Sunday, March 2, 1998.

Backstopped by another brilliant goaltending performance from Chris Sharland, the Lancers downed UQTR 2-1 to claim their first OUA men's hockey crown. Scott Hillman was awarded the Jack Kennedy Trophy for being the most outstanding player in the Queen's Cup championship game.

A Queen's Cup victory also allowed the Lancers to book their inaugural ticket to the CIAU University Cup national championship.

For additional information on this team or other Lancer greats, visit the Alumni Sports Hall of Fame Website, and to find out more about the University's Celebration Weekend, please visit the 50 Year Anniversary Website.