After an exhaustive search, General Manager Marc Bernique is happy to announce the hiring of Charles Lavigne as the next head coach of the Hawkesbury Hawks.
Lavigne spent the last 4 years as part of the Rockalnd Nationals organization, most recently as their General Manager. Along with his knowledge of the CCHL from his playing days, the Flock’s new bench boss has a variety of experience that will benefit the organization.
The St. Bernardin native was a goaltender with Hawkesbury from 2005-2007, sporting an impressive 3.24 GAA in 37 games, .905 save percentage and a Bogart Cup championship. From there, he made his way to the CHL, where he had stints between the pipes for the Kitchener Rangers, Moncton Wildcats and Quebec Remparts.
With his junior hockey days a thing of the past, Charles focused his sights on U Sports, playing for the St Thomas University and the University of New Brunswick, earning himself a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, a Masters in Business Administration and winning a CIS National Championship (UNB 2013-14).
After completing his masters, Coach Lavigne had the opportunity to join the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) for the remainder of that season. He then finished his playing career overseas in the Ligue Magnus (France) winning a French Championship (2014-2015).
We spoke to the Hawks new coach and he had this to say:
“I’m excited for the opportunity to join the club that I played for during my time in the CCHL. Rick (Dorval) has built a consistent contender, and I plan, along with the rest of the staff, to continue to add to it. I want to thank the Rockland Nationals’ organization for the last 5 years. Thank you to the ownership group (Amelie, Andre, Sophie, JR, Julie, Luc & Chopper) for giving me the chance to get back into the game and develop a new passion for the coaching side.
To Jeff and Dan, thank you for the mentorship, guidance and more importantly, your friendship. And to all of the players, past and present, it has been an honour to work with you and be part of your progress. I wish you all the best moving forward.”
Welcome home, Charles!
