Men's Ice Hockey | July 26, 2017
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan hockey program will induct Chris Brooks, Troy Thun and Russ Kreis into the WMU Hockey Ring of Honor on Saturday as part of the annual Friends and Alumni Weekend,
The Ring of Honor ceremony, sponsored by Gun Lake Casino, will take place at 12:30 p.m. prior to the Ziegler Automotive WMU Hockey Golf Outing at The Moors in Portage. Tickets for the induction ceremony are still available for $15 by contacting Lynn Ross at lynn.ross@wmich.edu and at 269-387-3049.
Brooks (1992-96) was one of the top players for the program in the 1990's. He played in 147 total games with 57 goals and 127 assist for 184 points. Brooks sits eighth all-time in program history in total points and 12th in points per game at 1.25. He led the team in scoring as a freshman during the 1992-93 season with 46 points. That season he was named the CCHA Rookie of the Year, the first Bronco to earn the award in program history. Brooks had a career-high 49 points during his sophomore season, 46 his junior season and 43 during his senior campaign. He played both the 1993 and 1996 NCAA Tournament teams, as well.
After his playing career Brooks got into coaching and served as an assistant coach and an associate head coach at WMU under Jim Culhane, helping bring in talent like Pat Dwyer and Mark Letestu, among others. He left WMU in 2008 and had a stint in the CHL as the head coach of the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, making the playoffs twice. Brooks then moved on and was the head coach of Wisconsin Stevens Point, leading them to a Division III NCAA Championship in 2016. He has recently been hired as an assistant coach at Michigan Tech.
Thrun (1983-86) was a prolific scorer in his three seasons at WMU, helping win the program's first Central Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament Championship and berth in the NCAA Tournament in 1986. When it was all said and done, Thrun racked up 183 points in 122 games on 81 goals and 102 assists. He ranks sixth all-time in points per game with 1.50 and 9th all-time in total points. Thrun led the team in goals scored with 25 during the 1984-85 season and holds the school record for game-winning goals in a season with six in 1985-86. He is just one of three Broncos to ever score a record five goals in a game.
After leaving Western Michigan he played five seasons in Germany, averaging 1.45 points per game and totaling 199 goals and 144 assists. Thrun remains active in youth hockey in the Grand Rapids area.
Kreis enters the Ring of Honor in the "builder" category and was a member of the WMU club team from 1960-63 under the great Harry Lawson. Kreis went on to graduate from Wayne State University Law School and returned to Kalamazoo to practice law, while helping promote hockey in the area. He became a strong supporter of the Kalamazoo Optimist Hockey Association as a coach, administrator and fund raiser. He also volunteered as both an on and off-ice official for the WMU club hockey team. He worked to secure a developer for Kalamazoo's first indoor hockey rink. He was a strong supporter of Western Michigan hockey as it became a Division I program and was a part of the two-person search committee that brought in eventual Hall of Fame coach Bill Wilkinson. Kreis also chaired a committee to raise funds specifically for the hockey program and was appointed to serve on the WMU Foundation board, also getting elected to the WMU Founder Society for Continuous Giving.
