2012-13 AUS men's hockey major awards and all-stars announced

March 4, 2013 (HALIFAX, N.S.) - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2012-13 AUS men's hockey major award winners and all-stars as selected by the conference's eight head coaches following regular season play.

Third-year Saint Mary’s forward Lucas Bloodoff was named the Atlantic University Sport most valuable player, Monday.
Other AUS major award winners announced today were Acadia’s Mike Cazzola of Guelph, Ont., who was named rookie of the year; UNB’s Chris Culligan of Howie Center, N.S., who was selected as the most sportsmanlike player; UPEI’s Jordan Knox of Skinner’s Pond, P.E.I., who received the student-athlete community service award; and Saint Mary’s head coach Trevor Stienburg, who was named the AUS coach of the year for the fourth time in his career.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER (Kelly Trophy): Lucas Bloodoff, Saint Mary’s

The Atlantic University Sport men's hockey most valuable player is Lucas Bloodoff of the Saint Mary’s Huskies.
Bloodoff, a third-year forward from Castlegar, B.C., led the Atlantic conference in scoring this season with 38 points in 28 games played. Lucas, also named a first team all-star today, netted a league-high 20 goals and added 18 assists this year. His totals included three game-winning markers and a CIS-leading 12 power-play goals.

He becomes the seventh Saint Mary’s player to claim the Kelly Trophy since 1979-80 and the fourth league MVP from the Huskies program in the past seven seasons.

In three seasons of university hockey, Bloodoff, a former player with the WHL's Kelowna Rockets, has now accumulated 76 career points in 82 career regular season games played.

“At 6-foot-2, 230 lbs., Lucas is a pro-level conditioned athlete who has gained a reputation as a punishing fore-checker and extremely hard to play against,” said Saint Mary’s head coach Trevor Stienburg. “Whether at practice, in the gym, or during a game, the expectations on Lucas have been extremely high and he has delivered on those expectations.

Lucas is a natural leader who brings the most out in his teammates and those around him. After 16 years of coaching at this level his commitment to his team and teammates is second to none and he has made our team, department and school a better place with his personality, professionalism and passion.”

Lucas will represent the conference at the CIS championship banquet this month as the AUS nominee for the Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy as the nation's top player.

The Atlantic conference has claimed four of the past five CIS player of the year awards, with Acadia’s Andrew Clark as the most recent recipient last season.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (A.J. MacAdam Trophy): Mike Cazzola, Acadia

The Atlantic conference rookie of the year and recipient of the A.J. MacAdam Trophy for 2011-12 is Acadia Axemen forward Mike Cazzola.

In just his first year with the Acadia program, Cazzola, a native of Guelph, Ont., played in all 28 games for the Axemen, finishing second in the team in scoring behind last season’s CIS player of the year Andrew Clark.

Mike’s 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points, tied him for sixth overall in AUS scoring, and his six power-play goals ranked third in the conference.

“Mike had an excellent rookie season for our team finishing sixth in AUS scoring with 29 points, which would be considered excellent production for any player in our league,” said Acadia head coach Darren Burns. “He is a very creative player who competes hard and sees the ice well. His final statistics are very impressive given the level of competition in our league which is usually dominated by veteran players.”

Mike, who played with the Erie Otters and the Ottawa 67’s prior to joining the Axemen, becomes the fourth Acadia player to be named the conference’s top rookie, joining Derek Kletzel (1992-93), Christian Skoryna (1994-95) and Jonathan Laberge (2008-09) as previous recipients. 

Cazzola will now look to become the first Acadia player to ever be selected as the CIS rookie of the year later this month at the CIS awards banquet in Saskatoon.

COACH OF THE YEAR (Bob Boucher Trophy): Trevor Stienburg, Saint Mary’s

In his 16th season as head coach, Trevor Stienburg has been selected by his peers as the 2012-13 AUS coach of the year for the fourth time in his career.

Stienburg guided the CIS No. 4-ranked Huskies to an 18-7-3 regular season record this season and a second place finish in the Atlantic conference standings with 39 points.

Since taking over the Saint Mary's University hockey program in 1997-98, he has led the Huskies to three AUS crowns (2001-02, 2008-09 and 2009-10), claimed two CIS coach of the year awards (1998-99 and 1999-00) and in 2007 he was the head coach of the AUS team that represented Canada and won gold at the 2007 World University Games in Torino, Italy.

Trevor was also the head coach of the 2001 AUS squad that claimed silver at the World University Games in Poland.
This is Steinberg’s fourth AUS coach of the year award and his overall coaching record (regular season, AUS and CIS post-season play) now stands at 289-210-22.

“I feel very fortunate to be re-united with Coach Stienburg,” says Dr. David Murphy, Director of Athletics at Saint Mary’s. “Trevor brings intensity and integrity to work every day and it shows in the character of his players. He teaches discipline, respect in athletics and dedication to studies and academics. It is no wonder the Saint Mary’s hockey team has had success in both the classroom and on the ice.”

Stienburg and former Huskies' head coach Bob Boucher are the only Saint Mary’s head coaches to win the Father George Kehoe Memorial Award as the CIS coach of the year. Boucher was named the nation's top coach in 1972-73 as well as 1976-77.

MOST SPORTSMANLIKE PLAYER (Don Wells Trophy): Chris Culligan, UNB

UNB forward Chris Culligan has been chosen as the Atlantic University Sport most sportsmanlike player and recipient of the Don Wells Trophy.

Culligan, a fourth-year forward from Howie Center, N.S., finished third in AUS scoring with four goals and a league-leading 27 assists for 31 points in 26 games played this season. In four seasons with the Varsity Reds, Chris has racked up 131 career points in 105 career regular season games.

Culligan, the team captain, often receives a significant amount of attention from opposing teams as one of the league's top players, yet he remains very disciplined, picking up just eight minor penalties this season.

“Chris has had another outstanding season for our team, taking on the responsibility of team captain and again leading our team in point production,” said UNB head coach Gardiner MacDougall. “He is dynamic with his speed, skill and smarts and he is also very responsible away from the puck. Chris is a very team oriented player who competes at a high level and logs heavy minutes. He is highly respected around the conference for his character and sportsmanship.”'

Culligan is the third Varsity Reds player to receive this award. Dax MacLean (1997-98) and Peter MacKellar (1999-00) are the previous UNB players to have been recognized.

STUDENT-ATHLETE AND COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD (The Godfrey Award): Jordan Knox, UPEI

UPEI’s Jordan Knox is the 2012-13 Atlantic conference recipient of the Godfrey Award and is nominated for the prestigious Dr. Randy Gregg award. The Godfrey Award, named after Dr. Bill Godfrey, is given annually to the player who best represents the spirit of intercollegiate hockey by his leadership both on and off the ice and by his conduct throughout the season.

Knox, a fourth-year forward from Skinner’s Pond, P.E.I., has been an Academic all-Canadian in each of the four seasons he has played in the Atlantic conference. Having already graduated with Bachelors in Business (with a major in accounting), he is currently working towards his Honors in Business degree.

Jordan finished 16th in AUS scoring this season with nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 28 games played. His totals included four power-play goals, one short-handed marker and a game-winner. In four seasons of playing with the Panthers, he has collected 33 goals and 67 assists for 100 points in 108 career regular season games with UPEI.
In addition to his academic and athletic commitments, Jordan volunteers with many hockey associations, fund raising events and community awareness activities.

In his second year at UPEI he contributed significantly to a fundraising event that raised close to $7,000 for a member of the UPEI alumni that had one of his children involved in a life altering accident. More recently, another member of the UPEI alumni had tragically passed away and Jordan again played a key role in organizing an event that contributed close to $5,000 towards helping the family. Another recent tragedy claimed a young member of Jordan’s community (Kameron Cooke, six-years old) who suddenly passed away. Jordan is currently serving on a committee that will have fundraising activities set up to benefit a Memorial in Kameron’s name.

Each year UPEI men’s hockey has a ‘Santa Clause Run’ that raises money for gifts for those who are less fortunate in the community. This event was initiated during Jordan’s time at UPEI, and he has played a significant contributing role. Knox also participates in the ‘Movember’ fundraising event and this past season volunteered on a weekly basis at the East Wiltshire Hockey Academy, a school program designed to introduce kids to the game of hockey.

“Jordan exemplifies exactly what the spirit of this award represents,” says UPEI head coach Forbes MacPherson.

“Jordan is the epitome of outstanding AUS achievement in hockey, academics, and community involvement. Jordan ‘gets it’ and he is a model student-athlete. He is a leader in our program, is becoming a young strong leader of our community and is a tremendous nominee for the Dr. Randy Gregg Award.”

FIRST AND SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS AND ALL-ROOKIE TEAM

The Atlantic University Sport first and second team all-stars were also announced today, along with this year's all-rookie team.

First team all-stars:
Goaltender: Wayne Savage, UPEI (3rd year - St. Thomas, Ont.)
Defence: Michael D’Orazio, Saint Mary’s (2nd year – Richmond Hill, Ont.)
Defence: Chris Owens, Acadia (3rd year - St. John's, Nfld.)
Forward: Lucas Bloodoff, Saint Mary’s (3rd year – Castlegar, B.C.)
Forward: Andrew Clark, Acadia (4th year - Brandon, Man.)
Forward: Colby Pridham, UNB (5th year - Alberton, P.E.I.)

Second team all-stars:
Goaltender: Anthony Peters, Saint Mary’s (2nd year – Blyth, Ont.)
Defence: Marc-Antoine Desnoyers, UNB (3rd year - St. Hippolyte, Que.)
Defence: Josh Day, StFX (4th year - St. John’s, Nfld.)
Forward: Chris Culligan, UNB (4th year – Howie Center, N.S.)
Forward: Eric Faille, Moncton (3rd year – Lachine, Que.)
Forward: Tyler Carroll, UNB (2nd year – Strathroy, Ont.)

All-rookie team:
Goaltender: Jonathan Groenheyde, St. Thomas (Surrey, B.C.)
Defence: Bronson Maschmeyer, StFX (Bruderheim, Alta.)
Defence: Kyle Pereira, Saint Mary’s (Brampton, Ont.)
Forward: Mike Cazzola, Acadia (Guelph, Ont.)
Forward: Cam Braes, UNB (Shawinigan Lake, B.C.)
Forward: Brett Thompson, Acadia (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.)

The 2013 Subway Atlantic University Sport men's hockey championship resumes Tuesday night at the Halifax Forum.
The championship schedule for the final series (Best 2-of-3) is as follows:

Game 1: Saturday, March 2 – Saint Mary’s 0 at UNB 1 (2-OT)
Game 2: Tuesday, March 5 – UNB at Saint Mary’s, 7:00pm
Game 3: Thursday, March 7 – Saint Mary’s at UNB, 7:00pm*
(*if necessary)

All games of the 2013 Subway AUS men’s hockey championship will be webcast live at www.AUStv.ca.

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