2010-11 Canada West major awards and all-stars announced

Photo credit David Moll

CANADA WEST - Canada West announces the 2010-11 women’s hockey individual award winners and All-Stars, as selected by conference head coaches.

Taking top honours as Canada West Player of the Year is National Team captain and Canadian Olympic champion Hayley Wickenheiser of the University of Calgary Dinos.

Playing just 15 of 24 games due to injury and commitments with Team Canada, the three-time Olympic champion from Shaunavon, Sask. still managed to finish tied for the conference scoring lead with 40 points and led Canada West with 17 goals on the season. Her 2.67 points-per-game clip was easily the best in CIS hockey, and she was dangerous in all situations at all times. She recorded four short-handed goals on the year along with five game-winners and finished with a +22 rating, the best in Canada West in all three categories. She is the first Dino in program history to be named the Canada West MVP and the first conference all-star since the 2000 season.

Wickenheiser is studying in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary and plans to attend medical school.

“Hayley was a great addition to our team, raising the level and intensity for our players,” stated U of C head coach Danielle Goyette. “She has been the best addition to our team not only on the ice but off the ice, where she is a mentor to the other players and a respected figure in the dressing room.”

After winning the scoring race among true freshman in the conference, forward Jenna Smith of the Calgary Dinos is the 2010-11 Rookie of the Year.

In 20 games, the Swift Current, Sask. native tallied nine goals and 16 points, including a two-goal, three-point night against the Regina Cougars Nov. 27. She finished as the third-leading scorer on the team and recorded an impressive +14 rating on the season.

A first-year student in the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Arts, Smith is the first Dino in history to be named the Canada West Rookie of the Year.

“Jenna is naturally talented and makes great decisions with the puck. She has been a great addition to our team and will be for many years to come,” commented Danielle Goyette.

Named the top 2010-11 Student-Athlete and a finalist for the Marion Hilliard Award is Champion, Alberta native Megan Bach of the Lethbridge Pronghorns.

The fourth-year Bio-Chemistry student is an important member of the Pronghorns penalty-killing unit and checking line, but her contributions off the ice are as valuable as on the ice, as she scored twice in 24 games. She is also one of the team’s top penalty-killers, while maintaining a high level of energy and enthusiasm that spreads to her teammates.

In the classroom, Bach was the recipient of the Presidents Cup Award last year, awarded to the Pronghorn athlete with the highest GPA (4.0). In each of her first three season’s she has been named a CIS Academic All-Canadian. After her under-grad is completed she plans to apply to medical school, specializing in neurosurgery. Always one to volunteer her time, Megan has been involved with our youth female hockey camps, Coaldale (Alberta) youth recreation day, Picture Butte Olympic Day, Operation Red Nose (designated driver program) and she has been the team tutor for anyone in sciences.

“Megan brings excitement and hard work to whatever she puts her mind to,” said Pronghorns head coach Chandy Kaip. “She goes above and beyond her coaches and professors expectations as a student athlete. She fits the mold of the "ideal" student athlete.”

In 13 seasons, inaugural Alberta Pandas head coach Howie Draper has amassed an impressive list of accomplishments, including seven CIS national championships, two silver medals, 11 Canada West titles and three CIS Coach of the Year awards.

To that Draper can add the title of 2010-11 Canada West Coach of the Year, his sixth such selection. He was also named conference Coach of the Year in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2009.

This season he led a younger Pandas team to a 17-4-3 record, good for first place and the right to host a conference semifinal. Draper and the Pandas have since won a semfinal series over Saskatchewan and qualified for CIS Nationals, where they are defending champions.

Since being named head coach of the women’s hockey program at his alma mater in September 1997, the former Golden Bears defenceman has amassed a conference record of 227-17-11 and post-season mark of 66-8.

“I congratulate Howie on this well deserved honor. He is an outstanding coach who manages to get the most out of his players year in and year out. Now that the Canada West league is so competitive, and there is such parity, these accolades are even more impressive,” said Acting University of Alberta Director of Athletics Vang Ioannides.

The 2010-11 Canada West All-Star team consists of Wickenheiser, 2010 conference Player of the Year, Saskatchewan’s Breanne George, and her Team Canada Universiade gold medal teammates Andrea Boras (Alberta) and Addie Miles (Manitoba). Other notable selections include Manitoba’s Caitlin MacDonald, named 2010 CIS Rookie of the Year, and Pandas fifth-year forward Leah Copeland.

Following is a breakdown of all individual award winners and All-Stars:

AWARDS

Player of the Year: Hayley Wickenheiser, Calgary
Rookie of the Year: Jenna Smith, Calgary
Marion Hilliard Award nominee: Megan Batch, Lethbridge
Coach of the Year: Howie Draper, Alberta

ALL-STARS

First Team                                                  Second Team
F:  Hayley Wickenheiser, Calgary               Addie Miles, Manitoba
F:  Breanne George, Saskatchewan           Rianne Wight, Regina
F:  Leah Copeland, Alberta                        Cara Wooster, Saskatchewan
D:  Andrea Boras, Alberta                          Caitlin MacDonald, Manitoba
D:  Melissa Zubick, Calgary                        Kristin Bews, Saskatchewan
G:  Amanda Tapp, Calgary                         Tara Lacquette, Manitoba

Major award are now considered for national awards, to be handed out by Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) at the 2011 national championship, hosted March 10-13 in Waterloo, Ont. by Wilfrid Laurier University.

This weekend’s best-of-three Canada West final between the Alberta Pandas and Manitoba Bisons takes place at Clare Drake Arena in Edmonton, Feb. 25-27. It marks the seventh consecutive season that the two sides have met in the conference final, won six of those times by Alberta, though both sides have already qualified for the 2011 CIS championship.

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 since 1997-98. Comprised of 14 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.

A proud member of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).

-Canada West-