Meropoulis named AUS MVP, Schurman receives AUS top defensive player award

2019-20 AUS women's hockey major awards and all-stars announced
StFX X-Women forward Tyra Meropoulis named MVP

(HALIFAX, N.S.) - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2019-20 AUS women's hockey all-stars and major award winners as selected by the conference's eight head coaches.

Second-year StFX forward Tyra Meropoulis (Edson, Alta.) was named the AUS most valuable player.

Other AUS major award winners announced today were Saint Mary's Ellen Laurence from Kentville, N.S., who was named rookie of the year; StFX's Lydia Schurman from Summerside, P.E.I., who was named the league's top defensive player; UNB's Ashley Stratton from Mount Pearl, N.L, who was selected as the most sportsmanlike player; Dalhousie's Annika Rose from North Vancouver, B.C., who earned the student-athlete community service award; and Saint Mary's Huskies head coach Chris Larade who was named the AUS coach of the year.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Tyra Meropoulis, StFX X-Women

The Atlantic University Sport women's hockey most valuable player is second-year forward Tyra Meropoulis of the StFX X-Women.

A business student from Edson, Alta., Meropoulis led the conference and the nation in both points (37) and goals (26) scored this season.

Her 26 goals scored put her in a tie for third in the AUS record books for most goals scored in a single season.

She also led the conference in game-winning goals with seven, and in short-handed goals with three on the season.

Meropoulis's plus/minus rating of +19 was the fourth best in the conference and nationally. She was also fourth in the AUS in power-play goals with four and was one of three Atlantic conference players to record a hat trick this season.

Meropoulis is the fourth player from the StFX X-Women to win the conference MVP award. Former StFX standouts Daley Oddy (2017-18) and Sarah Bujold (2016-17) most recently earned the honour, with StFX's Alexa Normore earning the honour in four straight seasons from 2011-2015. The X-Women's Brayden Ferguson was also recognized as Atlantic conference MVP in the 2007-08 season.

Meropoulis now becomes the AUS nominee for the Brodrick Trophy as U SPORTS player of the year. Oddy most recently earned the national honour in the 2017-18 season, with Bujold and Ferguson also earning the honour in 2016-17 and 2007-08, respectively.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Ellen Laurence, Saint Mary's Huskies

Ellen Laurence, a first-year forward from Kentville, N.S., is the AUS women's hockey rookie of the year.

Laurence, also named to the AUS all-rookie team today, played in all 28 games for the Saint Mary's Huskies.

The commerce student finished with 17 points (nine goals and eight assists) in her rookie season, as the Huskies finished atop the women's hockey standings with a 22-5-1 record.

Laurence finished third in the conference in power-play goals with five, and had a plus/minus of +5. She also finished the regular season with two game-winning goals.

She is the sixth player from the Saint Mary's Huskies to be named the conference's top rookie. Laurence's teammate goaltender Rebecca Clark last earned the honour in the 2015-16 season, with Breanna Lanceleve (2013-14), Sienna Cooke (2012-13), Courtney Schriver (2004-05) and Lindsay Taylor (2002-03) also earning the conference rookie of the year honour.

Laurence now looks to become the fourth AUS player to be selected as the U SPORTS rookie of the year.

StFX's Alexa Normore (2010-11), and former Saint Mary's players Taylor (2002-03) and Schriver (2004-05), are the only AUS players to have won the national award.

MOST SPORTSMANLIKE PLAYER: Ashley Stratton, UNB Reds

This season's Atlantic University Sport most sportsmanlike player is Ashley Stratton of the UNB Reds.

This award recognizes an individual who maintains the standards of fair play and treats those around her with respect at all times.

Stratton, a second-year kinesiology student from Mount Pearl, N.L., appeared in all 28 regular season games this season for the Reds.

The UNB forward finished second in the conference and third nationally with 30 points on the season. She finished third in the conference in goals (13), assists (17) and in game-winning goals with four.

She also had two power play goals this year. Through the entirety of the regular season, she took just one minor penalty.

Stratton becomes the second player from UNB to be recognized with this award. Meghan Ward last earned the honour in the 2005-06 season.

TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Lydia Schurman, StFX X-Women

StFX X-Women forward and team captain Lydia Schurman has been awarded the Atlantic University Sport Top Defensive Player award.

This award, established in 2016-17, is given annually to a skater who consistently excels in defensive aspects of the game and displays strong play in all areas of the ice individually and as part of their team's defensive tactics.

A fourth-year science student in her final year of eligibility from Summerside, P.E.I., Schurman helped the X-Women finish second in the standings this season with a 22-5-1 record.

She played in all 28 games for the X-Women, finishing with the sixth best plus/minus rating (+17). She recorded four goals and eight assists on the season. She also finished with two power-play goals, and one game-winning goal.

This season she became the all-time StFX leader in career AUS regular season games played with 128, having never missed a game in her entire five-year career.

StFX boasted the top penalty kill percentage in the league and second best in the country (92.9%). The X-Women also led the conference and U SPORTS in short-handed goals, with seven.

Schurman was selected as the winner of this award based upon criteria such as faceoffs, blocked shots, forechecking, rush-zone defending, penalty killing, and shutting down the opposition's top players.

She is the first player from the X-Women to be named the league's top defensive player since the award's inception in 2016-17.

STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Annika Rose, Dalhousie Tigers

Dalhousie Tigers defender Annika Rose has been selected as the AUS student-athlete community service award recipient for the 2019-20 season.

This award honours the individual who best combines academics, athletics and community involvement.

Rose, a fourth-year kinesiology student from North Vancouver, B.C., played in all 28 games for the Tigers this season, anchoring the Dalhousie defence and finishing with eight assists.

In the classroom, she is in her final year of a BSc degree. This past semester she finished with a 4.18 GPA and held a 3.8 GPA last year—earning academic all-Canadian status last season, and on pace to repeat again this year.

Rose has been a leader for Dalhousie in her four seasons with the program, being named chair of a leadership group within the Tigers hockey program. She was the sole person responsible for team activities and events within the community.

She serves as president of the Dalhousie Varsity Council, which involves organizing events and volunteer opportunities in the community for student-athletes. She is also part of the Student-Athlete Mental Health Initiative (SAMHI), which organizes events to raise money and awareness around mental health.

Rose is a volunteer with Halifax Health Walk & Talk, a program run by chiropractors and physiotherapists that features a 30-minute talk about a health-related topic followed by a 30-minute walk. She also helps out with the Halifax Bengal Lancers Therapeutic Riding Program, assisting during riding lessons to ensure patient safety and comfort.

Rose volunteers with the Special Tigers Sports Program, which connects children and teens with cognitive disabilities with Dalhousie varsity student-athletes through sport. She also serves as an assistant coach for the Metro East Bantam Girls AA team.

She volunteers doing meal assistance at the QEII Health Sciences Centre, assists with Sunday suppers at St. Andrews United Church, makes meals at the Ronald McDonald House and volunteers at the Motionball Marathon of Sport event (a Special Olympics fundraiser). 

Rose is the fifth player from the Tigers to receive this award since its inception in 2002-03, joining Lori Jones (2002-03), Leah Kutcher (2005-06), Kaitlyn McNutt (2009-10) and Sarah MacNeil (2014-15 and 2015-16).

She will now represent the conference as the AUS nominee for the U SPORTS Marion Hilliard Award. The last AUS student-athlete to take home the national honour was St. Thomas' Kayla Blackmore following the 2012-13 season.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Chris Larade, Saint Mary's Huskies

Saint Mary's head coach Chris Larade has been selected by his peers as the 2019-20 AUS coach of the year. This is his third time earning the honour, previously being named coach of the year in back-to-back seasons in 2015-16 and 2016-17.

This season, Saint Mary's finished first in the regular season standings with a 22-5-1 record and earned a bye through to the Subway AUS Women's Hockey Playoffs semi-final round.

The Huskies led the league and the country this season in goals (90), assists (153), goals-per game (3.21), shots (986) and power-play percentage (27.1). They also finished first in the Atlantic conference and second in the country in power-play goals with 29.

Larade now becomes the Atlantic conference nominee for the U SPORTS coach of the year award.

He previously earned the national honour in back-to-back seasons in 2015-16 and 2016-17. Other Atlantic conference coaches to earn the national honour are Moncton's Rheal Bordage (2006-07), Dalhousie's Lesley Jordan (2005-06), and Saint Mary's Lisa MacDonald (2002-03).

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

This year's Atlantic University Sport first and second team all-stars, along with the all-rookie team members are as follows:

First Team All-Stars:
Goaltender: Camille Scherger, UPEI (3^rd year – Lloydminster, A.B.)
Defence: Lindsey Donovan, StFX (4^th year - Miramichi, N.B.)
Defence: Kiana Wilkinson, Saint Mary's (5^th year – Prince George, B.C.)
Forward: Tyra Meropoulis, StFX (2^nd year – Edson, A.B.)
Forward: Ashley Stratton, UNB (2^nd year – Mount Pearl, N.L.)
Forward: Shae Demale, Saint Mary's (2^nd year – Red Deer, A.B.) 

Second Team All-Stars:
Goaltender: Kendra Woodland, UNB (2^nd year – Kamloops, B.C.)
Defence: Alexandra Woods, St. Thomas (4^th year - Courtice, Ont.)
Defence: Jenna MacLean, UNB (2^nd year – Wilcox, Sask.)
Forward: Miranda Hatt, Saint Mary's (2^nd year – Eastern Passage, N.S.)
Forward: Brooke Murphy, Saint Mary's (4^th year – Balla Philip, N.B.)
Forward: Jolena Gillard, UPEI (2^nd year – Deer Lake, N.L.) 

All-Rookie Team:
Goaltender: Jamie Johnson, StFX (Victoria, B.C.)
Defence: Marley Van Den Oetelaar, UNB (Whitby, Ont.)
Defence: Aislynn Byers, St. Thomas (Melancthon, Ont.)
Forward: Ellen Laurence, Saint Mary's (Kentville, N.S.)
Forward: Erin Arsenault, St. Thomas (Oakville, Ont.)
Forward: Lexie Murphy, UPEI (Summerside, P.E.I.)

The semi-final series of the 2020 Subway AUS Women's Hockey Playoffs, presented by Keep It Social, are set to begin Saturday. The two best-of-three playoff series will see the Saint Mary's Huskies face off against the UNB Reds, while the StFX X-Women take on the UPEI Panthers. The schedule is as follows (seeding in brackets):

Semifinal #1 (Best-of-three): UNB (4) vs. Saint Mary's (1)

Game 1: UNB at Saint Mary's – Saturday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.
Game 2: Saint Mary's at UNB – Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.
Game 3: UNB at Saint Mary's – Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.*
(*if necessary) 

Semifinal #2 (Best-of-three): UPEI (3) vs. StFX (2)

Game 1: UPEI at StFX – Saturday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.
Game 2: StFX at UPEI – Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.
Game 3: UPEI at StFX – Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.*

(*if necessary)

All matches of the AUS semifinals will be webcast live at www.AUStv.ca.

The winners of each series will advance to the Subway AUS Women's Hockey Championship best-of-three final series.

The 2020 U SPORTS Women's Hockey Championship is being hosted by UPEI at the MacLauchlan Arena in Charlottetown, P.E.I., March 12-15.

The AUS will have two berths at the national championship. They will be awarded to UPEI as host and the AUS champion.

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For further information, please visit www.atlanticuniversitysport.com, or contact:

Jessica Burns

Communications & Marketing Manager

Atlantic University Sport

O: 902-425-4235

C: 902-478-7057