Sudbury — Sault College is honouring alumni Ryan Vendramin, a local police officer who is recovering after being shot in the line of duty in September, at the men's hockey team's season opener.
Vendramin is a former captain of the Sault College Cougars, a national hockey champion, and two-time American Collegiate Hockey Association player of the year, the Sault Ste Marie school told CTV News in an email.
A special ceremony will be held at the Rankin Arena on Friday at 7 p.m. before the game against Trine University.
"Vendramin, 26, recorded 255 points in his 65 games with the Cougars. In the 2018-2019 season, Ryan led his team to the school's first national championship with 13 goals and seven assists in five games. He graduated from the Police Foundations program with a 4.0 GPA and began his career with the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service in December 202," Sault College said.
Mark Hebert, the college's director of hockey, said Vendramin had a big impact on the school and its hockey program and the pre-game ceremony aims to reward him for his courage throughout his continued recovery.
Vendramin's lifelong dream was to become a police officer and it is his first year on the job, Hebert told CTV News.
He was injured while responding to a domestic disturbance on Pine Street on Sept. 19 and a 19-year-old man was killed during an exchange of gunfire with police. Ontario's Special Investigations Unit is investigating.
Vendramin spent three weeks at Sudbury's Health Sciences North after the shooting and was flown home to Sault Ste. Marie on Oct. 10, said his parents, Mark and Sheila, in a Facebook post. He was released from the Sault Area Hospital on Halloween.
Hebert is hoping to fill the arena Friday night.
