Source: Atlantic University Sport
(HALIFAX, N.S.) - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2015-16 AUS women's hockey all-stars and major award winners as selected by the conference's seven head coaches.
Fourth-year St. Thomas forward Kelty Apperson was named the Atlantic University Sport most valuable player.
Other AUS major award winners announced today were Saint Mary's Rebecca Clark from Keswick, Ont., who was named rookie of the year; StFX's Taylor Dale of Oromocto, N.B., who was selected as the most sportsmanlike player for the second year in a row; Dalhousie's Sarah MacNeil of Albert Ridge, N.S., who earned the student-athlete community service award for the second time; and Saint Mary's Huskies head coach Chris Larade who was named the AUS coach of the year.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Kelty Apperson, St. Thomas
The Atlantic University Sport women's hockey most valuable player is fourth year forward Kelty Apperson of the St. Thomas Tommies.
The New Hamburg, Ont. native finished second in the AUS in points this season, tallying 26, with 12 goals and 14 assists in 24 games played. She led the Tommies to a third-place finish in the regular season, with a 16-7-1 record.
Apperson led the conference in empty-net goals with two and short-handed goals with two. Following her performance this season, Apperson has 29 career goals and 34 career assists in her four years with the Tommies.
"Kelty Apperson is the driving force behind the St. Thomas team this year," said head coach Peter Murphy. "She plays a 200-foot game heavy on the forecheck, but also does her part defensively, whether it be back-checking a rush or breaking out the puck, she covers it all. She has the ability to play at a consistently high level and can also elevate her game when necessary. She plays a very strong game, but at the same time, she plays well within the rules as she has only tallied six penalty minutes [this season]."
Apperson is the first St. Thomas player to be named the AUS most valuable player in school history.
She now becomes the AUS nominee for the Brodrick Trophy as CIS player of the year. StFX's Brayden Ferguson (2007-08) is the only Atlantic conference player to earn the national honour.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Rebecca Clark, Saint Mary's
Rebecca Clark, a first-year goaltender from Keswick, Ont., is the AUS women's hockey rookie of the year.
Clark, also named to the AUS all-rookie team today, played in 16 regular season games this year for the Huskies.
The 5-foot-9 environmental science student led the conference in wins with 13 this season, finishing second in the league with a 1.86 goals-against average, adding a .914 save percentage.
The Huskies finished first in AUS regular season play with a 17-6-1 record.
"Rebecca has come in and handled the bulk of the workload and provided great stability for her team," said Huskies head coach Chris Larade.
Clark becomes the fourth Saint Mary's player to be named the conference's top rookie. She joins current teammate Breanna Lanceleve (2013-14), and former Saint Mary's players Sienna Cooke (2012-13), Courtney Schriver (2004-05), and Lindsay Taylor (2002-03).
Clark will look to become the fourth Atlantic conference player to be selected as the CIS rookie of the year. StFX's Alexa Normore (2010-11) and former Saint Mary's players Courtney Taylor (2002-03) and Lindsay Schriver (2004-05) are the only AUS players to have won the CIS award.
COACH OF THE YEAR: Chris Larade, Saint Mary's
Saint Mary's head coach Chris Larade has been selected by his peers as the 2015-16 AUS coach of the year in his fifth season with the Huskies program.
Prior to joining the Huskies program, Chris served as assistant coach for the StFX X-Women's varsity program where the team captured an AUS title and made two CIS national championship appearances.
This season, he led the Huskies to a 17-6-1 record, including a first-place finish in the AUS conference standings.
The Huskies led the conference in short-handed goals with five, as well as assists with 109. Saint Mary's finished second in goals for and goals against this season with 69 and 47, respectively.
"Coach Larade has worked long and hard to rebuild the Saint Mary's University women's hockey program," said Huskies athletic director Kevin Downie. "This award is a fitting testament to a job well done by a truly dedicated players coach."
Larade's past coaching experiences include three years as head coach of the Metro Boston Pizza Female Midget AAA program of the NSFMHL, where the team captured three provincial and league titles and two Atlantic silver medals, and where he was twice named coach of the year.
He was an assistant coach for Team Nova Scotia at the 2011 Canada Winter Games, which were held in Halifax. He has also been heavily involved with Hockey Nova Scotia's High Performance Program at the U18 and U16 levels, winning five Atlantic Challenge Cups.
Larade becomes the second Saint Mary's coach to earn AUS coach of the year honours. Former Huskies coach Lisa MacDonald won the honour in both the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons.
Larade will look to become the fourth Atlantic conference coach to be selected as the CIS coach of the year. Moncton's Rheal Bordage (2006-07), Dalhousie's Lesley Jordan (2005-06), and Saint Mary's MacDonald (2002-03) are the only Atlantic conference coaches to earn the national honour.
MOST SPORTSMANLIKE PLAYER: Taylor Dale, StFX
This season's Atlantic University Sport most sportsmanlike player is Taylor Dale of the StFX X-Women for the second season in a row.
This award recognizes an individual who maintains the standards of fair play and treats those around her with respect at all times.
Dale, a fourth-year business student from Oromocto, N.B., appeared in all 24 regular season games this year, finishing with six goals and seven assists. In two games so far this postseason, the team captain has contributed two goals and two assists. Through the entirety of the regular season and so far in the postseason, she has taken only two penalty minutes.
"Taylor plays a regular shift as well as both power plays and penalty kills," said X-Women head coach David Synishin. "She plays an honest, hardworking game and does not play on the perimeter."
Dale becomes the fourth StFX player to be recognized with this award. She joins the likes of Suzanne Fenerty (2009-10), Sheila Kelly (2004-05) and Jill Bowie (2003-04).
Dale is the third Atlantic conference player to earn the honour more than once, following in the footsteps of Mount Allison's Ashlynn Somers (2011-2013), and Saint Mary's Zoe Launcelott (2006-2009).
STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Sarah MacNeil, Dalhousie
Sarah MacNeil of the Dalhousie Tigers has been selected as the AUS student-athlete community service award recipient for the second year in a row.
This award honours the individual who best combines academics, athletics and community involvement.
MacNeil, a fifth-year forward from Albert Ridge, N.S., played in 12 of Dalhousie's regular season games this year.
The recreation management student is a four-time academic all-Canadian, on pace to continue the trend this year, and an assistant captain for the Tigers.
Heavily involved in the community as her team's liaison for community volunteering and fundraising, MacNeil lends her time and efforts to numerous causes and charities.
This past November, she organized a team volunteering initiative with the Chronicle Herald Holiday Parade of Lights, raising over $1,000 for Elevate—a program which provides direct assistance to Atlantic Canadian athletes striving for the international podium.
She serves as the student at large board member for Recreation Nova Scotia. For two years, she has served as the team spokesperson and organizer for Hockey Players for Kids (HP4K), a two-month long reading competition at a local elementary school.
Some of the other initiatives MacNeil volunteers with include the Easter Seals sledge hockey program, the North End Parent Resource Centre in Halifax, and the 'La Coupe Mustache' charity hockey game which raises money for breast and prostate cancer research.
"I can't think of a more deserving person for this award," said Tigers head coach Sean Fraser. "Sarah is not only a great representative for our hockey team, but also for our university and all student-athletes. Sarah works hard not only at the rink but equally as hard in the classroom."
MacNeil is the fourth player from the Tigers to receive this award since its inception in 2002-03, joining Kaitlyn McNutt (2009-10), Leah Kutcher (2005-06) and Lori Jones (2002-03). She also becomes the third Atlantic conference player to earn the honour in back-to-back years, joining St. Thomas' Kayla Blackmore (2010-2012) and Saint Mary's Kori Cheverie (2007-2009).
MacNeil will now represent the conference as the AUS nominee for the CIS Marion Hilliard Award. The last AUS student-athlete to take home the CIS honour was St. Thomas's Kayla Blackmore following the 2012-13 season.
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: Émilie Bouchard, Moncton (4th year – Casselman, Ont.)
Defence: Sarah Douglas, Saint Mary's (4th year – Whitby, Ont.)
Defence: Emily van Diepen, Mount Allison (5th year – Morell, P.E.I.)
Forward: Breanna Lanceleve, Saint Mary's (3rd year – Middle Sackville, N.S.)
Forward: Kelty Apperson, St. Thomas (4th year – New Hamburg, Ont.)
Forward: Marie-Pier Corriveau (2nd year – Magog, Que.)
Second Team All-Stars:
Goaltender: Marie-Soleil Deschenes, UPEI (4th year – Ile-Perrot, Que.)
Defence: Jessica McCann, St. Thomas (1st year – Grand Bay, N.B.)
Defence: Emma Martin, UPEI (3rd year – Winsloe, P.E.I.)
Forward: Daley Oddy, StFX (3rd year - Cranbrooke, B.C.)
Forward: Marie-Pier Arsenault, Moncton (5th year, Bonaventure, Que.)
Forward: Lisa MacLean, Dalhousie (Inverness, N.S)
All-Rookie Team:
Goaltender: Rebecca Clark, Saint Mary's (Keswick, Ont.)
Defence: Jessica McCann, St. Thomas (Grand Bay, N.B.)
Defence: Kiana Wilkinson, Saint Mary's (Prince George, B.C.)
Forward: Kathrine Dubuc, Moncton (Victoriaville, Que.)
Forward: Heather Richards, Mount Allison (St. Anthony, N.L.)
Forward: Hayley Hallihan, Saint Mary's (Miramichi, N.B)
The 2016 Subway AUS Women's Hockey Championship semi-final series are set to begin this Thursday and Friday night, respectively. The two best-of-three playoff series will see the Saint Mary's Huskies face off against the StFX X-Women, while the St. Thomas Tommies take on the Moncton Aigles Bleues. The schedule is as follows:
Semifinal Series #1 (Best 2-of-3): Saint Mary's (1) vs. StFX (5)
Game 1: Friday, Feb. 26 – StFX at Saint Mary's, 7 p.m.
Game 2: Sunday, Feb. 28 – Saint Mary's at StFX, 2 p.m.
Game 3: Tuesday, Mar. 1 – StFX at Saint Mary's, 7 p.m.*
(*if necessary)
Semifinal Series #2 (Best 2-of-3): Moncton (2) vs. St. Thomas (3)
Game 1: Thursday, Feb. 25 – St. Thomas at Moncton, 7 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, Feb. 27 – Moncton at St. Thomas, 7 p.m.
Game 3: Tuesday, Mar. 1 – St. Thomas at Moncton, 7 p.m.*
(*if necessary)
The winners of each series will advance to the Subway AUS Women's Hockey Championship best-of-three final series.
All matches of the AUS championship semifinals will be webcast at www.AUStv.ca.
The 2016 CIS Women's Hockey Championship is being hosted by the University of Calgary at the Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary, Alta., March 17-20. The Atlantic conference receives two berths at the national championship. These will be awarded to the AUS champion and runner up.