Canada West announces men's hockey major awards
Vicars and Harvey win, Beuker wins three
Fourth-year senior forward Dean Beuker claimed three awards, including conference most valuable player, to lead the University of Saskatchewan Huskies to four of the eight Canada West Hockey awards for the 2005-06 season.
Beuker becomes the seventh member of the Huskies to be named Canada West Hockey MVP since the award was inaugurated in 1978-79. The 6’0”, 190-pound Arts & Science student from Watson, Saskatchewan also won the University of British Columbia Hockey Alumni Trophy as the player who best combines sportsmanship and athletic ability, and the Dave “Sweeney” Schriner Trophy as the conference’s leading scorer.
Joining Beuker as conference individual award winners are Huskies teammates Jeff Harvey and Thomas Vicars, University of Alberta Golden Bears goaltender Aaron Sorochan and defenceman Chris Ovington and forward Paul Deniset of the University of Manitoba Bisons. The University of Alberta Golden Bears won the only team award handed out by the conference, receiving the Fair Play Award for being assessed the fewest penalty minutes over the conference schedule.
Beuker earned five of the seven first place votes and one second place vote to outdistance Ben Thomson of Alberta by five points in the MVP balloting conducted by the seven Canada West Hockey coaches. University of Manitoba Bison Kevin Saurette was third in voting and freshman forward Jarret Lukin of the University of Calgary Dinos was fourth.
Beuker scored a single-season career-high 47 points with 22 goals and 25 assists in 27 games to win the conference scoring title for the third time in the last four seasons. He becomes only the fourth player in Canada West Hockey history to win the scoring title three times, joining Vern Pachal of Alberta (1957, 1958, 1960), Jarret Zukiwsky of Lethbridge (1994, 1995, 1996) and Alberta’s Russ Hewson (1999, 2000, 2001). With the 47 points, Beuker also tied for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) scoring title with Jesse Pyatt of the University of Guelph Gryphons (26-21-47 in 24 games) and Acadia University Axemen forward Kevin Baker (24-23-47 in 28 games).
The Huskies goaltending tandem of Jeff Harvey and Thomas Vicars combined to win the Adam Kryczka Memorial Trophy for the lowest team goals-against average. The duo posted a 2.32 team goals-against average, allowing 65 goals in 28 games. It is the seventh time that Saskatchewan has won the award and the first time since 1998-99. It ends a run of six consecutive seasons that the trophy had been won by the Alberta Golden Bears.
Harvey led the conference in both goals-against average and save percentage with a 2.03 GAA and .926 save percentage in 15 games and Vicars was fourth in the conference with a 2.58 GAA in 14 outings.
First-year goaltender Aaron Sorochan of Alberta won the University of Alberta Hockey Alumni Trophy as the outstanding freshman in the conference. In 20 games, Sorochan posted a 15-4-1 record to top Canada West Hockey in wins and was second in goals-against average with a 2.29 GAA and .908 save percentage.
Ovington was the unanimous winner of the Mervyn “Red” Dutton Trophy as the conference’s outstanding defenceman. The fifth-year Golden Bear, who was named to the Canada West Hockey’s first all-star team, finished fourth in scoring among conference defencemen with 6-12-18 in 28 games. Ovington becomes the 11th Golden Bear to earn the Dutton Trophy.
Previous Golden Bears to win the defenceman-of-the-year award are Randy Gregg (1978-79), Tim Krug (1983-84), Parie Proft (1986-87 & 1987-88), Ian Herbers (1991-92), Serge Lajoie (1992-93), Trevor Sherban (1997-98), Dion Zukiwsky (1999-00), Mike Garrow (2000-01), Jeff Zorn (2001-02) and Blair St. Martin (2003-04).
Manitoba Bisons assistant captain Paul Deniset is the conference’s winner of the Dr. Randy Gregg Award, which is awarded to the player who best combines athletic ability, academics and citizenship. Deniset becomes the third member of the Bisons to win the award joining Ryan Campbell (1992-93) and Marc Gaudet (2000-01). Despite missing eight games due to injury, Deniset finished eighth in the conference scoring race with 20-9-29 in 20 games and was second in goal scoring. Named to the Canada West Hockey second all-star team, he was also a finalist for the UBC Hockey Alumni Trophy. An outstanding student, he is a two-time CIS Academic All-Canadian and he was honored as one of the nation’s Top 8 Academic All-Canadians in 2004-05.
The Alberta Golden Bears were awarded the Fair Play Trophy. Donated to the conference by the Calgary Oldtimers Hockey Association, the Fair Play Trophy is awarded to the team with the fewest penalty minutes during the Canada West Hockey conference schedule. Alberta won the award for the fifth consecutive season and for the ninth time since the trophy was awarded in 1978-79, finishing the 2005-06 season with 205 penalties for 418 penalty minutes. The University of Regina Cougars had the second fewest penalty minutes in the 28-game conference schedule with 526.
Following are the 2005-06 Canada West Hockey award winners:
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER - Dean Beuker (F), Saskatchewan
(Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy Nominee)
DAVE “SWEENEY” SCHRINER TROPHY - Dean Beuker (F), Saskatchewan
(Canada West Hockey Leading Scorer)
MERVYN “RED” DUTTON TROPHY - Chris Ovington (D), Alberta
(Canada West Hockey Outstanding Defenceman)
U OF ALBERTA HOCKEY ALUMNI TROPHY - Aaron Sorochan (G), Alberta
(Canada West Hockey Outstanding Freshman)
UBC HOCKEY ALUMNI TROPHY - Dean Beuker (F), Saskatchewan
(Sportsmanship & Ability)
DR. RANDY GREGG AWARD - Paul Deniset (F), Manitoba
(Athletics, Academics & Community Service)
ADAM KRYCZKA MEMORIAL TROPHY - Jeff Harvey & Thomas Vicars, Saskatchewan
(Lowest Goals Against Average)
THE FAIR PLAY TROPHY - Alberta Golden Bears
(Fewest Team Penalty Minutes)
