2013-13 Canada West men's hockey major awards and all-stars announced
EDMONTON - The 2012-13 Canada West men’s hockey Most Valuable Player and CIS Sullivan Trophy nominee is fourth-year Manitoba Bisons forward Blair Macaulay.
Source: Canada West Communications
EDMONTON – The 2012-13 Canada West men’s hockey Most
Valuable Player and CIS Sullivan Trophy nominee is fourth-year
Manitoba Bisons forward Blair Macaulay.
Macaulay becomes only the second player to repeat as conference MVP
since the award’s inception in 1978-79 and is only the second
Manitoba Bison (Paul Deniset in 2004-05) to win the honour.
The 24-year-old Winnipeg native finished tied for second in
conference scoring with 35 points (12 goals, 23 assists), while
playing all 28 conference games. He was also top 10 in numerous
Canada West categories including assists (tied for second with 23),
goals (tied for eighth with 12), plus/minus rating (tied for ninth
with +16), power play assists (tied for eighth with eight), shots
on goal (second with 103) and game-winning goals (tied for third
with four).
Macaulay was named Husky-WHL Graduate of the Month for January
after collecting 4-11-15 over eight games. The 5-11, 185-pound
forward also had a nine-game point streak from Dec. 1-Jan. 26,
during which he recorded 18 points.
“Blair is a quality person and student who is an excellent
representative of the University of Manitoba and the CIS,”
commented Bison men’s hockey head coach Mike Sirant.
“He is a highly competitive athlete who plays the game with
passion and pride. His on-ice strengths are his speed, skill and
vision but it is his ability to make plays at top end speed that
make him a special player. Blair's leadership style is to lead by
example as he is highly respected for his exceptional work ethic in
practices, games and in the gym.”
Macaulay’s teammate, James Henry, has been voted Rookie of
the Year, becoming the sixth member of the Bisons to win the
honour.
Henry, 21, was third in conference rookie scoring with 22 points
(eight goals and 14 assists) while playing in all 28 conference
regular season games. With the Bisons, he was fifth in team scoring
and fifth on the team with 14 assists. The Winnipeg native was also
top Canada West rookie and tied for sixth overall with three
game-winning goals in 2012-13 season. The 5-9 forward added a +6
plus/minus rating with one power-play goal.
Head coach Mike Sirant talked about Henry by saying, “James
more than fulfilled our expectations and is a very deserving winner
of the award. He played a key role centering one of the
Bisons’ top lines and made an important contribution on our
successful power-play and penalty-killing units. He is a complete
player who has an excellent understanding of the game plus is tough
and relentless defensively while having the skill, vision and
patience to make great offensive plays. James is an exceptional
leader by both his actions and words and is a positive influence on
his teammates.”
Kyle Bortis of the Saskatchewan Huskies has won the Dave
“Sweeney” Schriner Scoring Trophy after leading the
conference with 10 goals and 26 assists in 28 games. For his
efforts, he was also named a Canada West First Team All-Star. It is
his second straight selection as a conference all-star.
The fourth-year Agriculture & Bioresources student becomes the
sixth Huskie in history to finish first in the Canada West scoring
race. In his highlight reel season, Bortis was named the
WHL-Graduate of the Month in October, as well as Canada West
Athlete of the Week once.
“Kyle has really stepped up his game this year for our
team,” said Huskie head coach Dave Adolph. “He has been
one of our top performers every year for the past four
seasons.”
Jesse Craige, a third-year with the Alberta Golden Bears, has been
named the 2012-13 Mervyn “Red” Dutton Trophy recipient
as Canada West Defenceman of the Year.
The Edmonton born rearguard, and former Chiliwack Bruin, led all
conference defencemen in points with 24 in 27 games. Those totals,
which include a Canada West best 23 assists, were good enough to
finish third in CIS defencemen scoring as well. His 14 power-play
assists led the conference, while his +21 ranking was second best
in Canada West as well.
The Golden Bears, owners of a 23-4-1 regular season record, led CIS
in goals scored for much of the season, and finished with 116,
while also giving up the fewest goals against (45) in the entire
country. Craige, a key power-play contributor, helped Alberta to a
23.4% rating with the man advantage, which was best in Canada West
and third highest in CIS.
“Not only has Jesse produced offence for the team every game,
leading Canada West defencemen in scoring, he has also been a big
part of our team’s record setting defence,” noted Ian
Herbers, a former Golden Bears’ defenceman himself. “He
has become a leader on the Golden Bears because of his work ethic,
determination, competitiveness and positive attitude. His on-ice
energy drives the defence.”
Sophomore Alberta Golden Bears forward Jordan Hickmott is the
winner of the UBC Hockey Alumni Trophy awarded to the
student-athlete who best exemplifies sportsmanship and ability.
Hickmott, a 2012 CIS All-Rookie team member, led the nation’s
number two offence in goals (15) and points (35) during a 28 game
regular season in which the No.1 ranked Golden Bears recorded a
23-4-1 record. He finished inside the top 15 for both points and
goals in CIS as well. On top of that, the former Edmonton Oil King
took just two minor penalties this is season, and also recorded the
fourth best plus/minus in Canada West at +19, which was also the
highest mark recorded by a forward in the conference.
“Jordan is developing into one of the premiere two-way
players in CIS Hockey,” said Golden Bears head coach Ian
Herbers. “He is a highly skilled forward that plays in every
situation. He is an offensive threat at any time, and creates many
of his offensive opportunities with solid, responsible hockey.
Jordan employs his size, skills, hockey sense, along with his
determination, in all facets of the game to excel while staying out
of the penalty box.”
Fifth-year Alberta forward Greg Gardner is the Canada West nominee
for the CIS Dr. Randy Gregg Award for excellence in hockey,
academics and community service.
Gardner, who has served as Alberta’s captain since the
2011-12 season, was +13 this season as the centre on
Alberta’s third line, and he scored 12 points this season,
including five goals as Alberta finished first in Canada West with
a 23-4-1 record.
The Cold Lake, Alta. born forward and former Prince George Cougar,
is also active within the community. He volunteers his time with
the University Athletes Board, which gets Golden Bears and Pandas
student-athletes to events at the Stollery Children’s
Hospital for the Bear Hugs Program, Read in Week and the Government
of Alberta’s Family Day skate. During the first semester of
2012-13 he volunteered at the Saville Community Sports Centre with
the “Little Aces Program”, which is for young tennis
players who have been selected by Tennis Canada through a motor
skills test and is funded by the national sports governing body to
develop the athletes into elite players. He has served as an on-ice
instructor at the Vimy Ridge Hockey Academy, and volunteers at the
Golden Bear Pee-Wee hockey tournament which takes place over the
Christmas holidays. He also has helped the Golden Bears organize
and run the “Skills Competition” that is part of the
highly successful Brick Invitational Super Novice Hockey Tournament
each summer at West Edmonton Mall.
“Greg has proven himself to be a natural leader for the
Golden Bears the past two seasons,” said Golden Bears head
coach Ian Herbers. “As our team captain, he has shown
tremendous leadership on the ice and in the dressing room, as well
as in both the classroom and in the community. Greg leads by
example with his work ethic, determination and attitude. He is an
outstanding two-way forward that is used in all situations. A CIS
Academic All-Canadian, Greg has always been willing to give the
extra effort for the school and community.”
In his first year behind a CIS bench as a coach, Alberta Golden
Bears head coach Ian Herbers has been chosen as the Coach of the
Year.
Herbers led the Golden Bears to a Canada West best 23-4-1 record in
his debut season, as well as the No.1 ranking in the nation in nine
of the 17 weeks. The lowest Alberta ever dipped in the rankings was
No.4. The Golden Bears had a banner 2012-13 campaign under Herbers,
finishing first in CIS in fewest goals against (45), first in shots
on goal (1,124), second in goals scored (116), and with the third
best power-play in the nation (23.4%) and the ninth best penalty
killing unit in Canada (83.5%).
Hebers played four years with the Golden Bears between 1989 and
1992, serving as team captain and earning a Bachelor of Physical
Education degree with distinction, and a national championship in
his final season. He rejoined the Golden Bears in the spring of
2012.
“We are very proud that a former Academic All-Canadian,
graduate of the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, and a
captain of the Golden Bears has made a successful return as head
coach to his hometown,” stated Director of Athletics Ian
Reade. “It has been a pleasure to have Ian Herbers as part of
our coaching team.”
The tandem of Alberta’s Réal Cyr and Kurtis Mucha has
repeated as winners of the Adam Kryczka Memorial Trophy for lowest
combined team goals against average. The Golden Bears allowed a
conference record-low 46 goals in winning 23 of 28 games to finish
atop the Canada West standings.
Claiming the Fair Play Trophy for fewest penalty minutes are the
UBC Thunderbirds, which also won the award in 2011-12. In 28
regular season games, the T-Birds had 343 penalty minutes for an
average of 12.25 minutes per contest.
AWARDS
Most Valuable Player (Sullivan Trophy nominee as CIS Player
of the Year): Blair Macaulay, Manitoba
Dave “Sweeney” Schriner Scoring
Trophy: Kyle Bortis, Saskatchewan
Mervyn “Red” Dutton Trophy (Outstanding
defenceman): Jesse Craige, Alberta
University of Alberta Hockey Alumni Trophy (Outstanding
Freshman): James Henry, Manitoba
UBC Hockey Alumni Trophy (Sportsmanship &
Ability): Jordan Hickmott, Alberta
Dr. Randy Gregg Award (Athletic ability, Academics &
Citizenship): Greg Gardner, Alberta
Coach of the Year: Ian Herbers, Alberta
Adam Kryczka Memorial Trophy (Canada West only, best team
GAA): Réal Cyr & Kurtis Mucha, Alberta
Fair Play Trophy (Canada West only, fewest team penalty
minutes): UBC
ALL-STARS
First
Team
Second Team
G: Kurtis Mucha,
Alberta
Jordan White, UBC
D: Jesse Craige,
Alberta
Thomas Carr, Alberta
D: Dane Crowley, Manitoba
Jeremy Schappert, Manitoba
F: Kyle Bortis, Saskatchewan Tyler Dittmer,
Manitoba
F: Jordan Hickmott,
Alberta Johnny Lazo,
Alberta
F: Blair Macaulay,
Manitoba Brock Nixon,
Calgary
Award winners are now finalists for Canadian Interuniversity Sport
(CIS) annual awards, to be handed out during University Cup week,
March 14-17 in Saskatoon.
The Canada West championship takes place this weekend as the
Alberta Golden Bears host the Saskatchewan Huskies in a
best-of-three series atrting on Friday at Clare Drake Arena in
Edmonton. All games are live on canadawest.TV, with real-time stats
available on LeagueStat.
In addition to a conference banner, the winner also heads to the
CIS University Cup, hosted at Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon by
the University of Saskatchewan.
About Canada West Universities Athletic Association
Canada West is consistently the most decorated of the four
conferences in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), winning at
least 10 CIS national titles every year, 1997 to 2010. Comprised of
16 schools from the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta
and British Columbia, Canada West produces numerous major award
winners and Academic All-Canadian student-athletes each year, with
many going on to athletic success around the globe in pro leagues
or events such as the Olympics, Paralympics or Universiade Games.
@cwuaa on Twitter. #cwTV / #cwchamps
