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

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

Conference Most Valuable Player and CIS Sullivan Trophy nominee is fourth-year Alberta Golden Bears forward Derek Ryan.

Ryan, a Spokane, WA product who also picked up the Dave “Sweeney” Schriner Scoring Trophy after earning career-highs across the board, tallying 17 goals and adding 30 assists for 47 points in 28 conference games. He recorded the most points by a Canada West player since 2005-06, while the 24-year-old led CW in goals, hat tricks (2) and was second in assists and placed third in CIS scoring

Named October’s Husky-WHL Graduate of the Month back in October, the Science major also makes a second consecutive appearance as a First Team All-Star.

“Shift in and shift out, Derek is one of the hardest-working, most highly skilled players in the CIS,” said Bears head coach Eric Thurston. “His ability to play in all situations, in all three zones makes him one of the most solid performers in the country. In four seasons of watching him mature and develop with the Golden Bears, he has proven that he is not only a solid hockey player and a strong student, but also an exceptional young man who combines a desire to succeed on the ice, in the classroom and in life.”

Taking the Mervyn “Red” Dutton Trophy for a third straight season as the league’s Outstanding Defenceman is Alberta’s Kyle Fecho.

In his fifth and final Canada West season Fecho, a 26-year-old Business student from Hanna, AB, matches a mark established by former U of C defender Doug Quinn, who won the award in 1989, 1990 and 1991. The golden Bears alternate captain also gets a third consecutive All-Star nod from conference voters

In 28 games, Fecho scored two goals and had 13 points, producing a +7 rating as first-place Alberta went 19-6-3 on the season. No stranger to success with the championship tournament-bound Bears, Fecho has already won a CIS title (2008) and three previous Canada West banners (2008, 2009, 2010) entering this weekend’s conference final.

Head coach Eric Thurston stated, “Once again this season we have relied upon Kyle for leadership on the blue line and he has delivered. Over the five seasons with the Golden Bears he has consistently been one of the CIS outstanding defencemen. He has done it all, playing on both our power-play and penalty-killing units, while playing against opponents top lines game in and game out. His consistent defensive play and outstanding play in all areas on the ice make him one of the keys to our success.”

Awarded the University of Alberta Hockey Alumni Trophy as Outstanding Freshman is Manitoba’s Jeremy Schappert.

Schappert, a 22-year-old former member of the Western hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds, had a strong rookie campaign with the Bisons, placing fifth in scoring among defenceman, eighth overall in rookie scoring, with 14 points (6G-8A-14) while playing in all 28 regular season games.

With the Bisons, he was the top defenceman in scoring and was asked to play heavy minutes against the top lines throughout the 2010-11 Canada West season. The Winnipeg native added a +4 plus/minus rating with four power play goals and 22 penalty minutes with Manitoba.

Bison men’s hockey head coach Mike Sirant said, "Jeremy was consistently one of the Bisons top performers this season. He quickly earned the trust of the coaching staff and was heavily relied upon in all key situations, including power play and penalty killing. Jeremy is an intelligent and mobile defenseman with an excellent offensive skill set, who also plays a physical, solid defensive game. He competes hard every game and is committed to team goals and winning.”

Another member of the Golden Bears, Edmonton native Sean Ringrose, wins the UBC Hockey Alumni Trophy for Sportsmanship & Ability.

The 5-10 Physical Education & Recreation student is the 10th University of Alberta player to win the honour. Offensively, Ringrose finished fifth in league scoring with 14-13-27 and just five penalties for 10 total minutes. As one of the league’s top power-play producers, he had five goals and 12 points with the man advantage. He had an impressive eight-game scoring streak early in the season and helped the U of A to a CIS No. 3 national ranking.

“Sean is one of the premier two-way players in CIS hockey, who combines offensive ability and defensive determination. He is a highly skilled centre who is used in all situations,” stated head coach Eric Thurston. “His skill set makes him an offensive threat and his work ethic and determination makes him a solid defensive player, who sees considerable time on our penalty killing unit. He has a willingness to accept any role for the team’s success, while he displays a respect for his teammates, opponents and the game.”

Named the Canada West nominee for the prestigious Randy Gregg Award for Athletic ability, Academics & Citizenship is Alberta Golden Bears team captain, forward Eric Hunter.

In his fourth year of eligibility Hunter, a Business student who hails from Oakbank, MB, moved into the role of captain after two seasons as an alternate captain. On the ice he picked up 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points, good for 11th in Canada West scoring.

Off the ice, the two-time CIS Academic All-Canadian had a 3.40 grade point average (GPA) and will graduate from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Business degree.

In the community Hunter has been the Golden Bears hockey representative on the University Athletic Board for the past two seasons. , working with various community groups and charities. Programs include Athlete visits to the Stollery Children’s Hospital located in the University of Alberta Hospital, food drives for the University of Alberta Food Bank, fund raising efforts for the charity “Kids Sport”, a program dedicated to helping underprivileged children participate in youth sport and participation at Read-In Week.

Hunter has also worked with the University of Alberta’s “U School”, a program that brings elementary school students onto the campus, where one of the key components to this is the “stay in school” approach that is discussed with the children. He served as the Assistant Director of the 2010 University of Alberta Golden Bears Summer Hockey Camp, in charge of staffing the camp’s on-ice instructors, registration, ice rentals, etc.

“Eric has proven himself to be a natural leader for our team this season. As our team captain he has shown tremendous leadership on the ice, in the classroom and in the community with his hard work and effort.

Alberta head coach Eric Thurston offered his thoughts: “Eric’s leadership has been very important to the team this season as we have a very young team that has 15 players in either their first or second season in the lineup for most games. He has shown the new players in our program what it takes to be a successful student-athlete in the CIS. His skill and physical play makes him one of our top offensive players and his highly competitive nature makes him a solid example of the ultimate power forward.”

University of Calgary head coach Mark Howell is the Canada West Coach of the Year after leading his team to its best finish in 15 seasons.

After the Dinos missed the playoffs in 2009, Howell took over and has reeled off back-to-back post-season appearances, a second-place finish this season, and home ice advantage. Calgary defeated Saskatchewan in the semi-final last weekend to advance to the Canada West Final for the first time since 1996 and earn the program’s first University Cup appearance since 2000.

Including this season’s 17-8-3 finish, Howell has racked up a 30-17-9 record in his first two seasons and will lead the Dinos against the University of Alberta Golden Bears – the team he played for in the early 1990s – in this weekend’s conference championship series.

“In just two short years, Mark has re-established the University of Calgary as one of the premier hockey programs in Western Canada,” said Wayne Giles, Dean of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. “His dedication and tireless work have led to success and a trip to the University Cup, and we congratulate him on this well-deserved honour.”

Compiling the lowest team goal against average was the Calgary Dinos goaltending duo of Dustin Butler and Kris Lazaruk, who earned the Adam Kryczka Memorial Trophy. The Dinos surrendered 67 goals over 28 games, an average of 2.29 per contest.

Taking the Fair Play Trophy for the eighth time in nine years are the Alberta Golden Bears, which had a league-low 325 penalty minutes over 28 games.

As top goalkeeper, Butler will also try to become the second straight Canada West winner of the CIS Goaltender of the Year Award, won last year by the Bisons’ Steve Christie, who has made the All-Star team again this season.

Selections to the 2010-11 All-Star team include Ryan, Fecho and Butler, who all make the First All-Star list, while Schappert was selected to the Second Team. Fecho and Chad Klassen each make a third straight appearance on the Canada West first team, while Ryan and Steve Christie are All-Stars for a third straight year. Reid Jorgensen has now been voted to the all-conference roster two years running, and 2009 All-Star Kyle Ross is back on the roster after making the jump from Regina to the University of Saskatchewan.

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

AWARDS

MVP (Sullivan Trophy nominee as CIS Player of the Year): Derek Ryan, Alberta

Dave “Sweeney” Schriner Scoring Trophy: Derek Ryan, Alberta

Mervyn “Red” Dutton Trophy (Outstanding defenceman): Kyle Fecho, Alberta

University of Alberta Hockey Alumni Trophy (Outstanding Freshman): Jeremy Schappert, Manitoba

UBC Hockey Alumni Trophy (Sportsmanship & Ability): Sean Ringrose, Alberta

Randy Gregg Award (Athletic ability, Academics & Citizenship): Eric Hunter, Alberta

Coach of the Year: Mark Howell, Calgary

Adam Kryczka Memorial Trophy (Canada West only, best team GAA): Dustin Butler & Kris Lazaruk, Calgary

Fair Play Trophy (Canada West only, fewest team penalty minutes): Alberta

ALL-STARS

First Team                             Second Team
G: Dustin Butler, Calgary        Steve Christie, Manitoba
D: Kyle Fecho, Alberta            Dane Crowley, Manitoba
D: Cory Pritz, Calgary            Jeremy Schappert, Manitoba
F: Chad Klassen, Alberta        Blair Macaulay, Manitoba
F: Derek Ryan, Alberta           Kyle Ross, Saskatchewan
F: Reid Jorgensen, Calgary    Andrew Bailey, Saskatchewan

Canada West Multiple All-Star Selections

                                      2010-11     CW Previous
Steve Christie (G) Man     2nd            09 2nd, 10 1st
Kyle Fecho (D) AB             1st             09 1st, 10 1st
Reid Jorgensen (F) Cgy    1st             10 2nd
Chad Klassen (F) AB        1st              09 1st, 10 1st
Derek Ryan (F) AB           1st              09 2nd, 10 1st
Kyle Ross (F) Sask          2nd             09 2nd

Award winners are now considered for national awards, to be handed out by Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) at the 2011 University Cup, March 24-27 in Fredericton, NB.

The Canada West championship takes place in Edmonton this weekend, where the Alberta Golden Bears host the Calgary Dinos in a best-of-three series beginning Friday night at Clare Drake Arena. Both teams have qualified for the University Cup.

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.

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