Former UNBC men’s soccer standout Gordon Hall often received the ultimate compliment from his opponents while competing on the pitch for the Timberwolves.
He carried the label “hard to play against” like it was a badge of honor every single game and was quite often the heart and soul of the T-Wolves backline.
Hall is the latest athlete to be recognized in the Timberwolves Wall of Honour.
“At first when I got the call I was kind of in shock. I had no idea what was going on and then Loralyn (Murdoch) called me and told me about that and I couldn’t comprehend what was going on. For me, it’s a huge honour.”
Before moving to Prince George, he was a product of the Abbotsford Mariners program and graduated from Chilliwack Secondary School.
Then UNBC head coach Alan Alderson convinced Hall to make the trek north along with Conrad Rowlands, Josh McAvoy, and Brandon Wallace.
“I honestly didn’t even know where Prince George was or what was even up there but I was like ready to go and play soccer. When Al was up there he did a pretty good job of recruiting a couple of other guys from the Lower Mainland,” added Hall.
In his rookie campaign, Hall quickly established himself as a hard-nosed defender opposing players would think twice about attacking.
He started ten games in his rookie year and was a cornerstone moving forward.
Prior to the 2015 season, Steve Simonson took over the program less than a week before the regular season kicked off but it didn’t take him long to figure out that Hall would be part of his leadership group.
Hall stated the new philosophical shift paved the way for the team to reach new heights.
“He totally changed myself as a player. His standards and philosophies that he brought in it was something that I had never been accustomed to before but just being able to be there for that and help build what he has done was a great experience.”
At the conclusion of the year, the Chilliwack product was named UNBC Best Defensive Player and team MVP.
In 2016-2017, UNBC set program marks for goals scored, and wins, establishing themselves as one of the toughest teams in the conference.
For his efforts, Hall was once again selected as UNBC’s Best Defensive Player and became a Canada West All-Star.
Everything fell into place for the Timberwolves the following season where the backline was anchored by their Canada West All-Star, Rowlands, and Cody Gysbers.
This led to the T-Wolves cutting their goals against in half from the previous season, while also leading to program records for wins, points, and goals surrendered.
“We were really focusing on working defensively as a team because if we were able to prevent goals then we would have a better chance at winning the game. I think that was our strongest part was just defensively everyone knowing what their job was,” said Hall.
This also meant Hall and the Timberwolves qualified for the Canada West playoffs for the first time.
Hall added even more accolades winning Timberwolves’ Most Valuable Player, UNBC Male Athlete of the Year.
In his senior season, he was as dominant as ever.
The program earned its first winning season with a 6-4-5 record.
Hall concluded his career top ten in games played and starts in a UNBC kit, and managed to finish the top twenty in goals and points.
He graduated from UNBC with a degree in natural resources and environmental studies and still calls Prince George home.
WATCH:
Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
