Posted: Mar 06, 2008
StFX's Ferguson named player of the year
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Championship website:
www.cisport.ca/e/championships/w_hockey/2008
Ferguson becomes the first Atlantic University Sport player to claim the Brodrick Trophy as season MVP since women's hockey became a CIS-sanctioned sport in 1997-98.
Top-ranked McGill swept the three other major awards presented Thursday night in Ottawa. Ann-Sophie Bettez of Sept-Iles, Que. was honoured as the nation's top rookie, Canadian national team pilot Peter Smith of Lachine, Que. received his second coach-of-the-year nod, and Shauna Denis of Stittsville, Ont. claimed the Marion Hillard Award recognizing her excellence in hockey, academics and community involvement.
Ferguson led the nation in goals (25), assists (25) and points (50) during the regular season while leading the X-Women to a perfect 21-0 record and first place in the AUS standings. The 21-year-old left winger and team captain also ranked first in the country with six game-winning markers and a +45 plus/minus differential.
The fourth-year arts student was equally lethal in the playoffs as she was named AUS championship MVP after tallying three goals and three assists in two contests to help StFX capture its third conference crown in four years.
Ferguson, who became the first player in AUS history to reach the 50-point plateau on two occasions, has racked up 163 conference points (89-74-163) in 79 games over her career. A first-time all-Canadian, she was named to the first AUS all-star squad for the first time this season after three second-team nods.
"Brayden has been one of the top scorers in our conference since day one. She has the ability to win a game by herself," said StFX head coach David Synishin. "She is an unassuming leader both on and off the ice and has been a pleasure to coach for the past four years."
Bettez captured the Quebec conference scoring title with 15 goals and 29 points in 18 games. The 5-foot-4 forward led all CIS freshmen in points and assists per game (1.61 and 0.78, respectively) and ranked second in goals per game (0.83), statistics that earned her a spot on the second all-Canadian team. She also led the QSSF in winning goals (4), was second in assists (14) and third in power-play goals (3).
The 20-year-old management major heads into the Nationals with an impressive 27-39-66 resumé in 39 contests overall, establishing McGill single-season records for most assists and points. In 15 games against teams that have been ranked in the CIS Top 10 this season, she has registered 11 goals and 26 points.
"Ann-Sophie is a real dynamic young player who has fit in well with two veterans on our top scoring line," said Peter Smith. "One of the fastest skaters on our team, she is a hard-worker who has developed good hockey sense and possesses great finish around the net."
Smith, 54, previously shared the CIS coach of the year trophy as a co-winner with Saint Mary's Lisa MacDonald in 2002-03.
Named head coach the Canadian national women's team in June 2007, Smith guided the Martlets to an unblemished 18-0 conference record, marking the first perfect season in team history. His squad heads into the Nationals with a 34-4-1 record overall, including an impressive 32-1-0 mark against CIS opponents and a 14-1-0 record against teams that have been ranked in the weekly CIS Top 10 this season.
Appointed head coach at McGill in 1999, Smith is the women's hockey program's winningest coach. He enters the CIS championship for the eighth time in his nine seasons and brings an impressive 219-102-27 lifetime record (.668) over his 348 games coached at McGill. Under his leadership the Martlets have claimed six medals at the CIS tournament, including two silver and four bronze.
"I like our balance and depth," said Smith of his team's chances at the Nationals. "It's what I talk about more than anything and that's what makes our team real solid. We've got players who can score, keep the puck out of our own end and out of our net, and we've got great leadership. You're going to have success with that formula.
"We're a talented team, but our players know they have to work hard and I think they've done a pretty good job of that so far this year," he added.
Denis, the McGill team captain, is the first Martlet to receive the Marion Hillard Award.
The fifth-year forward was third in the Quebec conference scoring race with a 9-12-21 record in 18 league games. Heading into the Nationals, she has 22 goals and 49 points in 39 contests overall. With a career total of 67-92-159 in 122 games, she needs three assists this week to become the team's all-time leader in that category.
Voted the most improved player on the Martlets in her freshman year, Denis continued to hone her skills and earned team MVP honours while leading the league in scoring during her third year. She has served as team captain in her final two seasons. A three-time conference all-star and the 2005-06 Quebec conference player of the year, Denis was voted team captain of the inaugural CIS all-star squad that competed against Canada's national under-22 squad during their selection camp at York University, in August 2007.
A four-time CIS Academic all-Canadian and honouree on the McGill Principal's student-athlete honour roll, Denis is now doing post-graduate work in public relations after graduating last spring with a marketing degree.
Off the ice, she sits on an endless list of committees and has been a tireless volunteer in many endeavours, including McGill's First-Year Buddy Program, plus Project Horizons, a tutoring and mentoring program, and Mentors in Motion, which attempts to increase self-confidence in overweight children while promoting and encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle through weekly activities. She has also worked with the McGill Varsity Sports Council's Community Outreach Committee, participating in community events such as Raise-a-Reader Day and Centraide's March of 1000 Umbrellas. As a leader of the McGill Right to Play Champions program, she organizes visits to local elementary schools to speak about the importance of positive values.
"Shauna is one of the hardest working players in the league," said Smith. "She is one of our most consistent performers and competes hard in every game. She has the rare ability to be both a goal scorer and a checker. She scores most of her points after out-battling her opponents. Shauna is a very coachable student-athlete both on and off the ice who has developed into a team real leader."
The all-Canadian teams were also announced on Thursday.
Joining Ferguson on the first CIS squad are a trio of McGill teammates, goaltender Charline Labonté of Montreal, defenceman Catherine Ward of Montreal and forward Vanessa Davidson of Kirkland, Que., as well as Laurier rearguard Andrea Bevan of Collingwood, Ont., and Alberta forward Jennifer Newton of Norglenwold, Alta.
Labonté, Davidson, Bevan and Ward, who was voted CIS top rookie a year ago, are all selected for a second straight season.
Labonté led Canada to Olympic gold in 2006 and was confirmed Tuesday as a member of the Canadian side for the 2008 world championship in Harbin, China (April 4-12). Ward is a member of the national under-22 team.
In addition to Bettez, the second all-Canadian team is comprised of Toronto goaltender Stephanie Lockert of Thunder Bay, Ont., StFX defenceman Marilynn Hay of Sombra, Ont., Carleton first-year rearguard Kerri Palmer of Holland Landing, Ont., Toronto forward Janine Davies of Peterborough, Ont., and Laurier forward Lauren Barch of Burlington, Ont.
Moncton goaltender Kathy Desjardins of Loretteville, Que., Alberta defenceman Andrea Boras of Calgary, Manitoba forward Addie Miles of Winnipeg and Dalhousie forward Jocelyn LeBlanc of Moncton, join Bettez and Palmer on the all-rookie squad.
The 2008 CIS women's hockey championship, hosted by the University of Ottawa, gets under way on Friday with round-robin match-ups between No.1-McGill and No.5-Manitoba at 4 p.m., and No.2-Alberta and No.6-Ottawa at 7:30 p.m. The gold-medal final is set for Monday at 7 p.m. live on The Score Television Network.
2007-08 CIS WOMEN'S HOCKEY AWARDS & ALL-CANADIANS
Brodrick Trophy (player of the year): Brayden Ferguson, St. Francis Xavier University X-Women
Rookie of the year: Ann-Sophie Bettez, McGill University Martlets
Coach of the year: Peter Smith, McGill University Martlets
Marion Hillard Award (outstanding student-athlete): Shauna Denis, McGill University Martlets
First Team
Position - Athlete - University - Year - Hometown - Faculty
Goaltender - Charline Labonté - McGill - 2 - Montreal, Que. - Physical Education
Defence - Andrea Bevan - Laurier - 4 - Collingwood, Ont. - Sociology
Defence - Catherine Ward - McGill - 2 - Montreal, Que. - Management
Forward - Brayden Ferguson - StFX - 4 - Toronto, Ont. - Arts
Forward - Jennifer Newton - Alberta - 4 - Norglenwold, Alta. - Science
Forward - Vanessa Davidson - McGill - 2 - Kirkland, Que. - Physical Education
Second Team
Goaltender - Stephanie Lockert - Toronto - 5 - Thunder Bay, Ont. - Arts & Science
Defence - Marilynn Hay - StFX - 2 - Sombra, Ont. - Science
Defence - Kerri Palmer - Carleton - 1 - Holland Landing, Ont. - Arts
Forward - Ann-Sophie Bettez - McGill - 1 - Sept-Iles, Que. - Management
Forward - Janine Davies - Toronto - 5 - Peterborough, Ont. - OISE
Forward - Lauren Barch - Laurier - 3 - Burlington, Ont. - Psychology
All-Rookie Team
Goaltender - Kathy Desjardins - Moncton - 1 - Loretteville, Que. - Physical Education
Defence - Kerri Palmer - Carleton - 1 - Holland Landing, Ont. - Arts
Defence - Andrea Boras - Alberta - 1 - Calgary, Alta. - Arts
Forward - Ann-Sophie Bettez - McGill - 1 - Sept-Iles, Que. - Management
Forward - Addie Miles - Manitoba - 1 - Winnipeg, Man. - University - 1
Forward - Jocelyn LeBlanc - Dalhousie - 1 - Moncton, N.B. - Kinesiology
-CIS-