2009-10 AUS Women's Hockey Major Awards Announced

(HALIFAX, NS) - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2009-10 women's hockey major award winners as selected by the conference's seven head coaches.

The 2009-10 Atlantic University Sport Most Valuable Player is CIS scoring leader Mariève Provost of the No. 4 ranked Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues. Provost, a fourth year forward from Laval, PQ, who led the nation in goals and points, was also named the conference's top player in 2006-07 as a rookie.

Mariève, who has now won the AUS scoring title for the third time in four seasons, had her best season yet, netting 29 goals and 22 assists for 51 points in 24 regular season games for the Aigles Bleues. Provost, the 2006-07 AUS Rookie of the Year and a two-time CIS first team all-Canadian, also scored seven power-play goals, three game-winning goals and registered two hat-tricks this season.

She was named to the tournament all-star team at last year's CIS championship after the Aigles Bleues captured a bronze medal and is currently the Atlantic conference's active career scoring leader with 175 points through four seasons of play.

Mariève will represent the conference at the CIS Championship banquet next month as the AUS nominee for the CIS Player of the Year award. StFX forward Brayden Ferguson was named CIS Player of the Year in 2007-08 and is the only Atlantic University Sport player to have won the national award.

The Atlantic conference Rookie of the Year for 2009-10 is StFX X-Women forward Abygail Laking.

In just her first year with the StFX program, Aby, a native of Cambridge, ON, played in all 24 games for the X-Women and finshed ninth in AUS scoring with 15 goals and 10 assists for 25 points, the most of any first year player in the conference this season.

Laking, who's 15 goals were the fourth highest total in the AUS, also scored three power-play goals and two game-winning goals.

Abygail is the first StFX player to be named the conference's top rookie since 2003-04 when Rebecca Davies took home the honour and will look to become just the third Atlantic conference player to be selected as the CIS Rookie of the Year. Former Saint Mary's Huskies stars Lindsay Taylor (2002-03) and Courtney Schriver (2004-05) are the only AUS players to have won the CIS award.

For the second year in a row, Denis Ross of the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues has been selected by his peers as the AUS women's hockey Coach of the Year.

Ross guided the CIS No. 4 ranked Aigles Bleues to an impressive 21-2-1 record this season and a first place finish in the conference standings for the second year in a row. Moncton, hosts of this week's Subway AUS women's hockey championship, are currently riding an 18-game winning streak dating back to November 13th when they lost in a shoot-out to the St. Thomas Tommies.

In three seasons as head coach of the Moncton program, Denis has now compiled an impressive regular season record of 58-7-4. Last year, his Aigles Bleues captured the Atlantic University Sport conference's first-ever medal at the CIS women's hockey championship with a 3-2 bronze-medal win over the Manitoba Bisons.

Ross and former Moncton head coach Rhéal Bordage are the only Université de Moncton coaches to have been named AUS Coach of the Year. Saint Mary's head coach Lisa Jordan, Dalhousie head coach Lesley Jordan and Bourdage are the only Atlantic conference coaches to be selected as CIS Coach of the Year.

Suzanne Fenerty of the CIS No. 5 ranked StFX X-Women has been chosen by the coaches as the conference's Most Sportsmanlike Player. This award recognizes a student-athlete who best represents the spirit of the game by leadership on and off the ice by her conduct throughout the season.

Fenerty, a third year defenseman from Cole Harbour, NS, appeared in all 24 of StFX's games this season, scoring 2 goals and 14 assists for 16 points to finish second in scoring among defensemen.

Named a second team AUS all-star in 2007-08 and a first team AUS all-star this season, Suzanne is the StFX team captain and has also received the R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award at each of the past two CIS Championship tournaments.

She was assessed just two minor penalties in 2009-10.

Kaitlyn McNutt of the Dalhousie Tigers is this year's Student-Athlete and Community Service Award recipient and the AUS nominee for the Marion Hilliard Award. This award recognizes outstanding achievement in hockey, academics and community involvement.

A fifth-year defenseman from Ottawa, ON, Kaitlyn has been an assistant captain with Dalhousie for four years and wraps up her university career having scored 11 goals and 33 assists for 44 points in 99 career games with the Tigers.

McNutt is a two-time CIS academic all-Canadian who will graduate this spring with a Chemical Engineering degree. Last year, she was named one of the top five engineering students in Canada by the Canadian Engineering Memorial Foundation (CEMF). The honour is part of the CEMF scholarship given to stand-out women who inspire others.

Despite a demanding academic schedule and training year round as a varsity hockey player, Kaitlyn also finds time to be involved in the community as a volunteer.

She has participated as a delegate at the Global Youth Leadership Conference in Europe, served on the Dalhousie Student Affairs Committee and has been a member of the Dalhousie Athletics Council.

McNutt has been involved in a number of initiatives during her time at Dalhousie, including fundraising for the Canadian Cancer Society, canvassing on behalf of the Canadian Arthritis Society and volunteering with Feed Nova Scotia's Parade of Lights Food Drive.

She has also been a volunteer and coordinator with 'Pulling for the Kids', in support of Camp Triumph, helping to raise over $7,000 to provide summer camp experiences for children of families affected by chronic illness or disability.

Courtesy Atlantic University Sport