Taking Home Hardware

Just as they do prior to every U SPORTS National Hockey Championship, U SPORTS honours its best from the past season as the U SPORTS Awards Gala. Tonight, in Charlottetown and Halifax, the nation's best university hockey players had honours bestowed upon them and hardware awarded to them for their outstanding efforts on the ice and in the community. While only one team will go home as National Champions, there will be a few players of whose teams and schools can be proud, and it's likely we haven't heard the last of these players following this season. If there is one absolute certainty about all these players, it's that they're the best of the best when it comes to the individual awards they've won.

WOMEN'S HOCKEY

COACH OF THE YEAR

Vicky Sunohara wins her first U SPORTS national coaching accolade after spending the last nine years behind the bench for the Toronto Varsity Blues. Sunohara guided the Varsity Blues to the 2019 U SPORTS National Championship as the eighth seed and OUA Finalist last season before winning the McCaw Cup this season with a squad that put together an 18-4-2 record. Toronto was one of the top defensive teams in the nation all season long, and used that strong defensive play to help them earn the second-seed at the 2020 U SPORTS National Championship this season as the OUA Champions.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Madison Willan was Canada West's best rookie scoring threat by a large margin, and her abilities helped the Alberta Pandas capture their 14th Canada West Championship this season. There was some excitement to see Willan join the Pandas after an outstanding career at the AAA level with the St. Albert Slash, and she found her groove early playing alongside the likes of Autumn MacDougall, Kennedy Ganser, and Alex Poznikoff on the top lines and the top power-play unit for the Pandas. Her 25 points ranked her 10th-overall in national scoring as she was easily one of the best players in the country this season as a freshman.

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

I've argued for the longest time that this award might be more important than Player of the Year, and this year's recipient is McGill's Emilia Cotter. The reason I believe the previous statement to be true is that we're talking about students who must maintain a minimum grade-point average with a required amount of credits in order to play hockey, they must play hockey at a high level to make a university team, and they still find time to volunteer and give their time generously to others who benefit from their compassion and friendship. Those are the traits that true leaders exhibit - they put others ahead of themselves and sacrifice their own time to help others while still maintaining a high standard for themselves.

The efforts and initiatives that Cotter was involved with this season included McGill's annual "Shoebox Project" game that aids the organization that distributes gift-filled boxes to homeless women in Montreal; "McGill Students for Best Buddies" which is an international not-for-profit program that creates opportunities and friendships for people with intellectual disabilities; assists Special Olympics by serving as the McGill Martlets coordinator for a "Motionball" fundraiser and attending hockey practices for children with disabilities; assists patients and doctors in the Cancer Care Unit at St. Mary's Hospital in Montreal; helps plan financial literacy and time-management workshops for student-athletes as part of the McGill Varsity Council; assist with the annual Christmas gift-wrapping initiative for Sun Youth, a Montreal-based organization that provides services for needy families; and, works as the Martlet's liaison and leader for the "Bell Let's Talk" mental health program as well as the annual "Shoot for the Cure" game, a fundraiser for breast cancer research and awareness.

That is simply amazing in terms of everything Cotter is involved with and doing, and there should be absolutely no doubt that she earned this high-distinction award!

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Unless there are some outstanding circumstances, normally the nation's leading scorer will be named as the Player of the Year. That's precisely what happened in Charlottetown tonight as St Francis Xavier X-Women forward Tyra Meropoulis was named as the nation's top player. Meropoulis lit the lamp 26 times while adding 11 helpers, and she had a U SPORTS-best seven game-winners in that total. Meropoulis' outstanding efforts are part of a current 16-game winning streak that the X-Women are on as they come into the National Championship, and she helped the X-Women win the AUS title on the strength of a 22-5-1 regular season record.

U SPORTS ALL-CANADIAN TEAMS

FIRST TEAM: F Tyra Meropoulis (StFX), F Autumn MacDougall (Alberta), F Rosalie Bégin-Cyr (Concordia), D Lindsey Donovan (StFX), D Cayle Dillon (Alberta), G Kelsey Roberts (Calgary).

SECOND TEAM: F Taytum Clairmont (Waterloo), F Ashley Stratton (UNB), F Jade Downie-Landry (McGill), D Brigitte Laganière (Concordia), D Kiana Wilkinson (Saint Mary's), G Camille Scherger (UPEI).

ROOKIE TEAM: F Madison Willan (Alberta), F Emmy Fecteau (Concordia), F Malory Dominico (Nipissing), D Emma Bergesen (Mount Royal), D Nicole Escano (Ontario Tech), G Jamie Johnson (StFX).

MEN'S HOCKEY

COACH OF THE YEAR

Toronto Varsity Blues head coach Ryan Medel earned his first national coaching accolade by guiding the Varsity Blues from eighth-place to first-place this season while tying a program record for wins with 21 in just his third year behind the University of Toronto bench. His work in getting the Varsity Blues to the top of the standings saw him revamp a power-play that ended the season with the top efficiency in nation at 30.8% while improving the offence from 70 goals-for last season to an incredible 125 goals-for this season.

MOST SPORTSMANLIKE PLAYER

Saskatchewan Huskies forward Levi Cable recorded his second consecutive penalty-free season this year while contributing ten goals and 14 assists. He will graduate with just 18 penalty minutes in his U SPORTS career - a stat that's hard to fathom when some players acquire that many in one period! That being said, Cable's not just a floater on the ice for the Huskies as he's routinely sent over the boards to play a 200-foot, two-way game for the Huskies. To not record a penalty in two-straight seasons with that role is rather amazing, and Cable will be counted on in Halifax as the Huskies push for a National Championship!

DEFENCEMAN OF THE YEAR

McGill's Nikolas Brouillard picked up the honour as the nation's best rearguard after scoring seven goals and 23 points this season. Brouillard was the power-play quarterback for McGill this season where his bomb from the point was regularly used to generate offence in and around the opposition net. His smooth skating and great vision on the ice made him a threat no matter where he was on the ice as he routinely pushed the puck up the ice. While McGill didn't advance to the U SPORTS National Championship, Brouillard will be a name that will on the radars of general managers for all pro levels across the continent.

GOALTENDER OF THE YEAR

There should be no surprise who earned the honour of Goaltender of the Year as Saskatchewan Taran Kozun was named as the nation's best stopper. He led the Canada West Conference in every major statistical category as he backstopped the Huskies to a second-place finish in the regular season before capturing the Canada West Championship over the UBC Thunderbirds. Kozun has been a major reason for the Huskies continuing to be as dominant as they were when Jordon Cooke was at the University of Saskatchewan, and he will undoubtedly play a major role in determining what colour medal the Huskies bring home from Halifax.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

I was a little shocked that Jared Dmytriw's name wasn't called for this award, but Saint Mary's Huskies forward Mitchell Balmas is absolutely deserving of the honour after looking deeper into his first season at the U SPORTS level. Balmas scored 17 goals and added 26 helpers after joining the Huskies out of the QMJHL after one breakout season as a 20 year-old with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. The freshman was second-overall in scoring in the AUS and third-overall in the nation as his offensive talents followed him from the QMJHL to the AUS where it seems he'll have a very productive U SPORTS career with the Huskies.

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

Once again, I'll insist that this award might be more important than Player of the Year award due to the impact that this award-winner has on the community in which he plays and attends school. This year's winner of the Dr. Randy Gregg Award for Student-Athlete Community Service is Acadia Axemen captain, senior, and defenceman Liam Maaskrant. The three-time academic All-Canadian already shows that he's committed to a high standard in the classroom while his leadership on the ice as one of the pillars on the Acadia defence shows he plays at a high level.

However, what Maaskrant has done off the ice is rather amazing. He's the co-president of the Acadia Players' Association. He works with the SMILE program (Sensory Motor Instructional Learning Experience) as a leader and program buddy. He works with a number of minor-hockey programs in and around Halifax including Acadia's Hearts on Ice, which raises money for the Valley Cardiac Rehab Society, and the Hannah Miller Memorial Tournament, which gives back to the local hockey community. His efforts in the community have helped hundreds, if not thousands, of children in the Halifax area, and that is truly amazing!

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

He was Canada West's best netminder. He backstopped the Saskatchewan Huskies to a Canada West Championship and a berth at the U SPORTS National Championship. He even scored a goal, becoming just the second netminder to ever record a goal and the first to physically shoot the puck into an opponent's net. Taran Kozun had himself one of the best seasons in memory with the Huskies this season, and he was awarded the Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy as the U SPORTS Player of the Year for his efforts.

U SPORTS ALL-CANADIAN TEAMS

FIRST TEAM: F Tyler Boland (UNB), F David Thomson (Toronto), F Grayson Pawlenchuk (Alberta), D Nikolas Brouillard (McGill), D Nick Welsh (Saint Mary's), G Taran Kozun (Saskatchewan).

SECOND TEAM: F Mitchell Balmas (Saint Mary's), F Matt Alfaro (Calgary), F Chris Paquette (RMC), D Adam Henry (Manitoba), D Owen Headrick (UPEI), G Logan Flodell (Acadia).

ROOKIE TEAM: F Mitchell Balmas (Saint Mary's), F Chris Paquette (RMC), F Jared Dmytriw (Saskatchewan), D Dawson Davidson (Alberta), D Jordan Sambrook (Brock), G Samuel Harvey (UNB).

So there are all the players whose names were announced tonight in both Charlottetown and Halifax when it came to being honoured for their seasons. Both the U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Championship and Men's Hockey Championship start tomorrow, and you can watch every second of action on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports App, and the CBC Gem app starting tomorrow as Mount Royal and Toronto will open the women's tournament with their game while the men's draw will see Western and Saskatchewan play the opening game!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!