Redmen get 4 all-stars, Poitras named League MVP Mar 03, 06 Ice Hockey (M)
By Earl Zukerman
POITRAS BAGS BILL L’HEUREUX TROPHY AS LEAGUE MVP; McGILL GETS FOUR STARS,
TWO MAJOR AWARD WINNERS IN OUA HOCKEY
HAMILTON – McGill goaltender Mathieu Poitras has won the Bill L’Heureux
Trophy as the most outstanding player in Ontario University Athletics men’s
hockey, presented by Sher-Wood Hockey. The 22-year-old native of Gatineau, Que.,
was also recognized as the MVP in the East Division for the second consecutive
year and was one of four McGill players to earn conference all-star honours
as the OUA all-stars and major award winners were announced, Friday.
Teammates joining him on the six-man OUA East all-conference first team, included
sophomore defenceman David Urquhart of Thorold, Ont., plus forwards Shawn Shewchuk
of Lloydminster, Alta., and Doug Orr of Newmarket, Ont.
McGill mentor Martin Raymond guided the Redmen to a 20-1-3 first-place record,
earning his second straight and third overall coach-of-the-year award. Two other
Redmen players, goaltender Jean-Michel Filiatrault of Laval, Que., and defenceman
Louis-Simon Allaire of Sherbrooke, Que., earned OUA East all-rookie honours.
Poitras had a record-breaking season between the pipes for the No.2-ranked
Redmen in the wake of his CIS rookie-of-the-year award received last season.
He established a CIS single-season shutout record with seven, eclipsing the
previous mark of six, set by Chuck Goddard from Saint Mary’s in 1972-73
and Luc Belanger from UQTR in 1997-98. The mechanical engineering sophomore
also led the country in most major goaltending categories including goals against
average (1.40), save percentage (.947) and wins (tied for lead with 14). He
posted a 14-1-2 record in 17 starts and helped the Redmen set a CIS single-season
team record with a stingy 1.21 goals-against average.
Raymond, in his 11th season behind the bench following an All-Canadian career
as a forward with Redmen, wins his second consecutive East Coach of the Year
award and third overall. The all-time winningest coach in McGill’s lengthy
hockey history, he has racked up a 208-146-30 record overall (heading into Game
2 of the OUA EAST finals). The storied program, renowned as the first organized
hockey team in 1877, climbed to the top of the CIS national poll this season
for the first time in school history.
Urquhart, who measures 6-feet and weighs 195 pounds, was the OUA's top scoring
rearguard with a 7-17-24 record in 24 games.
He netted four power-play markers and three game-winners. The 21-year-old finance
major earned OUA all-rookie honours last year.
Shewchuk, a 6-foot, 195-pound left winger, led the Redmen and finished fifth
in the OUA scoring race with 11-22-33 in 22 contests. The 23-year-old chemical
engineering junior was recruited out of Lloydminster in the Alberta Junior Hockey
League.
Orr, a fifth-year right winger, was among the top three OUA scoring leaders
for most of the season before being sidelined with a concussion in late January.
A nephew of Hall-of-Famer Bobby Orr, he had a 9-12-21 record in 16 games and
was leading the country in power-play goals with nine at the time of his injury.
He also nagged a pair of game-winners.
The other OUA East major awards were handed out to UQTR's Mathieu Gravel of
St. Hubert, Que., who garnered the division’s rookie-of-the-year award,
Gee-Gees forward Ben McLeod of Edmonton, who was picked as most gentlemanly
player and Concordia's Frederic Faucher of St. Raymond, Que., who won the nomination
for the Randy Gregg Award, presented to the player who best combines, hockey
with academics and citizenship.
Gravel, a left-winger scored 14 goals and added 22 helpers to finish with 36
points, second in the OUA scoring race. Gravel netted seven of his 14 goals
on the power play. McLeod provided an offensive spark for the Gee-Gees, scoring
12 goals and adding 13 assists in 24 games. Also a Sunday school teacher he
accumulated just eight penalty minutes. Faucher, a third-year left winger and
exercise science major, had four goals and 16 assists in 18 contests, while
also making a significant impact in the Montreal community.
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OUA EAST DIVISION FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS:
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Goalie - Mathieu Poitras - McGill
Defence - Louis Mandeville - UQTR
Defence - David Urquhart - McGill
Forward - Shawn Shewchuk - McGill
Forward - Doug Orr - McGill
Forward - Mathieu Gravel - UQTR
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OUA EAST MAJOR AWARD WINNERS:
------------------------------
BILL L’HEUREUX TROPHY
MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER
(NOTE: this is an all-OUA award, presented by Sher-wood Hockey)
Mathieu Poitras - McGill
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Mathieu Poitras - McGill
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Mathieu Gravel - UQTR
SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR
Ben McLeod - Ottawa
RANDY GREGG AWARD NOMINEE
Frederic Faucher - Concordia
OUA EAST COACH OF THE YEAR
Martin Raymond - McGill
OUA EAST SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS:
Goalie - Dany Dallaire - UQTR
Defence - Brent Maurice - RMC
Defence - Samuel Gibbons - UQTR
Forward - Thiery Poudrier - UQTR
Forward - Ben McLeod - Ottawa
Forward - Karl Gagne - Concordia
OUA EAST ALL ROOKIE TEAM
Goalie - Jean-Michel Filiatrault - McGill
Defence - Louis-Simon Allaire - McGill
Defence - Tommy Lafontaine - UQTR
Forward - Kevin Glode - Ottawa
Forward - Mathieu Gravel - UQTR
Forward - Karl Gagne - Concordia
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OUA WEST FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS:
------------------------------
Goalie - Curtis Darling - Waterloo
Defence - Matt Bannan - Western
Defence - Erik Lodge - Lakehead
Forward - Jesse Pyatt - Guelph
Forward - Jeff Richards - Lakehead
Forward - Joel Scherban - Lakehead
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OUA WEST WEST MJOR AWARD WINNERS:
---------------------------------
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Curtis Darling - Waterloo
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Matt Willoughby - Guelph
SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR
Joel Scherban - Lakehead
RANDY GREGG AWARD NOMINEE
Joel Scherban - Lakehead
COACH OF THE YEAR
Clarke Singer - Western
OUA WEST SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS:
Goalie - Scott Dickie - Western
Defence - Steve Chabbert - York
Defence - Marcus Smith - York
Forward - Jamie Chamberlain - Western
Forward - Sal Peralta - Western
OUA WEST ALL ROOKIE TEAM:
Goalie - Brad Topping - Western
Defence - Dan Ehrman - Laurier
Defence - Matt Jacques - Lakehead
Forward - Shawn Doucet - Brock
Forward - Matt Willoughby - Guelph
Forward – Evan Kotsopolous - Western
