March 7, 2007
PRESTON TAKES BILL L�HEUREUX TROPHY
HAMILTON, Ont. – Every team has their go to guy, the player who is relied upon to bring up the tempo of the game, to build momentum when they game looks out of reach. This year’s recipient of the Bill L’Heureux Trophy as the Most Oustanding Player in Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Men’s Hockey, presented by Sher-wood Hockey is just that in Windsor Lancer Jordie Preston (Bedford, Nova Scotia). Preston was the most dominant offensive player in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) men’s hockey this season as he led the country in scoring by a wide margin (55 points), as well as tallying the most goals in the CIS this season with 26 in 28 games.
Preston was also recognized as the Most Valuable Player in the West Division. A graduating senior and assistant captain, he played both the power play and killed penalties and was a leader on the ice for the Windsor Lancers this season who compete in a tough OUA Far West Division. Preston was in on an amazing 56% of Windsor’s total team goals on the year, as he was a driving force for the Lancers this season. “Jordie exemplifies what a CIS student-athlete is all about. He is the kind of young man that any coach, regardless of sport, would love to coach and be around. He reached his full potential as a hockey player in our program and he leaves a better person than when he arrived,” commented Windsor Lancer Head Coach Dr. Vern Stenlund. “As his coach, it is great when your best player is also your most committed player. He never missed a practice, played hurt and always came up big in the important games. Jordie was truly a pleasure to coach and be around.”
Goaltender Ryan Grinnell (Toronto, Ontario) led the University of Toronto Varsity Blues this season as they clinch their seventh straight OUA Mid-East title. For his standout season, Grinnell has been named the OUA East Most Valuable Player. An education student in his fourth year of eligibility, Grinnell finished the season with a CIS leading 2.20 goals against average, and had two regular season shut outs. He finished with a record of 18-9-1. Prior to meeting UQTR in a playoff series which would ultimately end their season, Grinnell lead the Varsity Blues over a strong McGill squad, shutting out a team in back to back games, who had not been held off the score sheet all season. Grinnell was the backbone of the Varsity Blues this season, and was a tough competitor who held his team in the game, making the important game saving stops to give his team a chance every time they stepped on the ice.
Dallas Beaton (Oshawa, Ontario) of the Brock Badgers is this year’s OUA West nominee for the Randy Gregg Award which is presented to the CIS athlete who best exhibits achievement in the areas of academics, community and hockey. In his fifth season, Brock three-year captain, Beaton suffered a broken neck early in season, ending his playing career. Always one to turn a negative into a positive, Beaton provided an example of leadership and perseverance as he returned to Brock, after a lengthy recovery. He has been the co-coordinator of the Brock Badgers “Winning at Life” Community Youth Outreach Program for the past three years. In this role, he arranges for Brock athletes to visit Niagara region elementary and high schools. The athletes engage their audiences and share life experiences focusing on such topics as goal setting and dealing with adversity or failure. He co-leads and participates in the “Winning at Life” Community Outreach Program; participates in a Youth Boys’ Literacy Program; as well as being an active member of IMPACT, a program involving troubled youth. Prior to his season ending injury, Beaton was averaging a point a game with five assists in five games in 2006-07. He played in 99 career games for the Badgers adding 10 goals and 31 assists for 41 points. He was selected as Badgers Rookie of the Year in 2002-03 and was named the Brock MVP in 2004-05.
The OUA East nominee for the Randy Gregg award has been presented to McGill Redmen, David Urquhart (Thorold, Ontario). Urquhart is the Co-Chair of the McGill Intercollegiate Sports Council, and is responsible for the Community Involvement Council. His role is to promote community service events to students involved in Athletics which includes: The Montreal Gazette Raise a Reader Day; Centraide March of 1000 Umbrella’s; as well as organizing Spin-a-thon, raising money for Right to Play. He is currently working with Julia Myer, a special projects coordinator from Right to Play. Together they are initiating a pilot project attempting to involve Canadian universities in Right To Play, as the project involves McGill students helping establish a curriculum to be used by other Canadian universities. On the ice, Urquhart is an assistant captain and leads all OUA defensemen in assists with 25 on the season. He had the eighth best point total by a McGill rearguard in team history and the most in 10 years. He finished the season tied for second in the OUA in defensemen points with two goals and 25 assists, and is a lethal force, quarterbacking McGill’s power-play.
Ottawa Gee-Gees Ben McLeod (Edmonton, Alberta) has been named the East Division Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year. As Gee-Gees team captain, McLeod was assessed only nine minor penalties in 28 games this season. He leads the University of Ottawa’s chapter of Athletes In Action, which includes fellow athletes from football, basketball and cross-country, working together. McLeod is one of the most explosive offensive players in the CIS who has shown that he is capable of combining his gifted vision with his pin point accurate shot – many of his goals were indicative of this special skill-set. He is a classic late bloomer as his development has been realized over his three year career which saw him finish the season with 23 goals and 23 assists, for 46 points, while 12 of his markers came on the power-play. In the West, fellow recipient Mark Voakes (St.Thomas, Ontario) of the Laurier Golden Hawks has also had a breakout season. Voakes finished the year leading point getter on a dominate Laurier squad. He finished with just 22 penalty minutes, combined with 18 goals, and 25 assists for 43 points on the year.
Rookie of the Year honours have been awarded to Lakehead Thunderwolves, Mark Soares (Burnaby, British Columbia) in the West, and Queen’s Ryan Gibb (Scarborough, Ontario) in the East. Soares did not disappoint in his first season at Lakehead, leading all OUA rookie scorers with 16 goals and 16 assists for 32 points. He sat tied for 11th in OUA scoring in a year that saw OUA scorers come to the forefront in the CIS. Soares is a perfect example of the expression that good things come in small packages. In his case; a great hockey player comes in a small package. At 5’6” and a solid 180 pounds; he is one of the smaller players in the OUA and the CIS but he plays the game of hockey with skill, speed, and fearlessness. Although small in stature, Soares is huge in heart. Gibb was one of only two goalies in the OUA to start all 28 league games. He was first in the country in shots faced (1048) and saves (961) and Head Coach Brett Gibson says "Without Ryan there is no way we make the playoffs". In only one of the 28 OUA games this season did Gibb not face at least 30 shots and in 13 of those he faced at least 40.
West Division Coach of the Year honours go to Waterloo Warriors bench boss Brian Bourque, who has been with the team for the past four season. For the first two seasons he was an assistant coach to Karl Taylor who is currently coaching in the ECHL, and Bourque has been at the helm for the past two seasons as Head Coach. The season prior to Bourque joining the Warriors, the team had a record of 1-22-1, which was the worst record of any CIS hockey team in Canada. Since then the team has made steady improvements each year and the 2006-07 team finished the regular season tied for first in the OUA (2nd in CIS) with 45 points (21-4-2-1). This season saw the Warriors earn the best record, winning percentage, and play-off success that a University of Waterloo hockey team has had in over ten years. The Warriors have been finding success both offensively and defensively. Since taking over as head coach the Warriors have a record of 36-11-5. Bourque is known for his tireless work ethic towards game preparation and creative use of video for teaching and motivating. In the East, Coach of the Year honours have been awarded to UQTR’s Jacques Laporte. His second time with this honour Laporte has led the Patriotes to the Queen’s Cup final in 2007, and finished the season ranked No.7 in the country.
BILL L’HEUREUX TROPHY
Most Outstanding Player, presented by Sher-wood Hockey
Jordie Preston- Windsor
WEST DIVISION
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Jordie Preston- Windsor
RANDY GREGG AWARD NOMINEE
Dallas Beaton- Brock
MOST SPORTSMANLIKE PLAYER
Mark Voakes- Laurier
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Mark Soares- Lakehead
COACH OF THE YEAR
Brian Bourque- Waterloo
FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS
Goalie- Curtis Darling- Waterloo
Defence- Chris Eade- Western
Defence- Rob Dmytruk- Laurier
Forward- Jordie Preston- Windsor
Forward- Sal Peralta- Western
Forward- Tobias Whelan- Lakehead
SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS
Goalie- Kevin Druce- York
Defence- Matt Jacques- Lakehead
Defence- Sean Moir- Waterloo
Forward- Mark Voakes- Laurier
Forward- Chris Di Ubaldo- Laurier
Forward- Tyler Harrison- York
ALL ROOKIE TEAM
Goalie- Jimmie Bernier- Waterloo
Defence- Chad Kennedy- Laurier
Defence- Paul Holder- Brock
Forward- Nathan Peacock- Laurier
Forward- Make Soares- Lakehead
Forward- Jesse Grespan- York
EAST DIVISION
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Ryan Grinnell- Toronto
RANDY GREGG AWARD NOMINEE
David Urquhart- McGill
MOST SPORTSMANLIKE PLAYER
Ben McLeod- Ottawa
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Ryan Gibb- Queen’s
COACH OF THE YEAR
Jacques Laporte- UQTR
FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS
Goalie- Ryan Grinnell- Toronto
Defence- David Urquhart- McGill
Defence- Samuel Gibbons- UQTR
Forward- Thiery Poudrier- UQTR
Forward- Jonathan Boutin- UQTR
Forward- Ben McLeod- Ottawa
SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS
Goalie- Ryan Gibb- Queen’s
Defence- Andre Robichaud- Toronto
Defence- Trevor Hawkins- Concordia
Forward- Simon Barg- Toronto
Forward- Paul Bradley- RMC
Forward- Anthony Pallotta- Toronto
ALL ROOKIE TEAM
Goalie- Ryan Gibb- Queen’s
Defence- Jesse Goodsell- Concordia
Defence- Nicolas Desilets- UQTR
Forward- Mike Kavanagh- Ryerson
Forward- Keven Gagne- Ottawa
Forward- Samuel Beland- UQTR
–OUA –
Michelle Church
Communications & Media Relations Coordinator
Ontario University Athletics
Tel: (905) 540-5156
Fax: (905) 574-2840
E-mail: michelle.church@oua.ca
Preston was also recognized as the Most Valuable Player in the West Division. A graduating senior and assistant captain, he played both the power play and killed penalties and was a leader on the ice for the Windsor Lancers this season who compete in a tough OUA Far West Division. Preston was in on an amazing 56% of Windsor’s total team goals on the year, as he was a driving force for the Lancers this season. “Jordie exemplifies what a CIS student-athlete is all about. He is the kind of young man that any coach, regardless of sport, would love to coach and be around. He reached his full potential as a hockey player in our program and he leaves a better person than when he arrived,” commented Windsor Lancer Head Coach Dr. Vern Stenlund. “As his coach, it is great when your best player is also your most committed player. He never missed a practice, played hurt and always came up big in the important games. Jordie was truly a pleasure to coach and be around.”
Goaltender Ryan Grinnell (Toronto, Ontario) led the University of Toronto Varsity Blues this season as they clinch their seventh straight OUA Mid-East title. For his standout season, Grinnell has been named the OUA East Most Valuable Player. An education student in his fourth year of eligibility, Grinnell finished the season with a CIS leading 2.20 goals against average, and had two regular season shut outs. He finished with a record of 18-9-1. Prior to meeting UQTR in a playoff series which would ultimately end their season, Grinnell lead the Varsity Blues over a strong McGill squad, shutting out a team in back to back games, who had not been held off the score sheet all season. Grinnell was the backbone of the Varsity Blues this season, and was a tough competitor who held his team in the game, making the important game saving stops to give his team a chance every time they stepped on the ice.
Dallas Beaton (Oshawa, Ontario) of the Brock Badgers is this year’s OUA West nominee for the Randy Gregg Award which is presented to the CIS athlete who best exhibits achievement in the areas of academics, community and hockey. In his fifth season, Brock three-year captain, Beaton suffered a broken neck early in season, ending his playing career. Always one to turn a negative into a positive, Beaton provided an example of leadership and perseverance as he returned to Brock, after a lengthy recovery. He has been the co-coordinator of the Brock Badgers “Winning at Life” Community Youth Outreach Program for the past three years. In this role, he arranges for Brock athletes to visit Niagara region elementary and high schools. The athletes engage their audiences and share life experiences focusing on such topics as goal setting and dealing with adversity or failure. He co-leads and participates in the “Winning at Life” Community Outreach Program; participates in a Youth Boys’ Literacy Program; as well as being an active member of IMPACT, a program involving troubled youth. Prior to his season ending injury, Beaton was averaging a point a game with five assists in five games in 2006-07. He played in 99 career games for the Badgers adding 10 goals and 31 assists for 41 points. He was selected as Badgers Rookie of the Year in 2002-03 and was named the Brock MVP in 2004-05.
The OUA East nominee for the Randy Gregg award has been presented to McGill Redmen, David Urquhart (Thorold, Ontario). Urquhart is the Co-Chair of the McGill Intercollegiate Sports Council, and is responsible for the Community Involvement Council. His role is to promote community service events to students involved in Athletics which includes: The Montreal Gazette Raise a Reader Day; Centraide March of 1000 Umbrella’s; as well as organizing Spin-a-thon, raising money for Right to Play. He is currently working with Julia Myer, a special projects coordinator from Right to Play. Together they are initiating a pilot project attempting to involve Canadian universities in Right To Play, as the project involves McGill students helping establish a curriculum to be used by other Canadian universities. On the ice, Urquhart is an assistant captain and leads all OUA defensemen in assists with 25 on the season. He had the eighth best point total by a McGill rearguard in team history and the most in 10 years. He finished the season tied for second in the OUA in defensemen points with two goals and 25 assists, and is a lethal force, quarterbacking McGill’s power-play.
Ottawa Gee-Gees Ben McLeod (Edmonton, Alberta) has been named the East Division Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year. As Gee-Gees team captain, McLeod was assessed only nine minor penalties in 28 games this season. He leads the University of Ottawa’s chapter of Athletes In Action, which includes fellow athletes from football, basketball and cross-country, working together. McLeod is one of the most explosive offensive players in the CIS who has shown that he is capable of combining his gifted vision with his pin point accurate shot – many of his goals were indicative of this special skill-set. He is a classic late bloomer as his development has been realized over his three year career which saw him finish the season with 23 goals and 23 assists, for 46 points, while 12 of his markers came on the power-play. In the West, fellow recipient Mark Voakes (St.Thomas, Ontario) of the Laurier Golden Hawks has also had a breakout season. Voakes finished the year leading point getter on a dominate Laurier squad. He finished with just 22 penalty minutes, combined with 18 goals, and 25 assists for 43 points on the year.
Rookie of the Year honours have been awarded to Lakehead Thunderwolves, Mark Soares (Burnaby, British Columbia) in the West, and Queen’s Ryan Gibb (Scarborough, Ontario) in the East. Soares did not disappoint in his first season at Lakehead, leading all OUA rookie scorers with 16 goals and 16 assists for 32 points. He sat tied for 11th in OUA scoring in a year that saw OUA scorers come to the forefront in the CIS. Soares is a perfect example of the expression that good things come in small packages. In his case; a great hockey player comes in a small package. At 5’6” and a solid 180 pounds; he is one of the smaller players in the OUA and the CIS but he plays the game of hockey with skill, speed, and fearlessness. Although small in stature, Soares is huge in heart. Gibb was one of only two goalies in the OUA to start all 28 league games. He was first in the country in shots faced (1048) and saves (961) and Head Coach Brett Gibson says "Without Ryan there is no way we make the playoffs". In only one of the 28 OUA games this season did Gibb not face at least 30 shots and in 13 of those he faced at least 40.
West Division Coach of the Year honours go to Waterloo Warriors bench boss Brian Bourque, who has been with the team for the past four season. For the first two seasons he was an assistant coach to Karl Taylor who is currently coaching in the ECHL, and Bourque has been at the helm for the past two seasons as Head Coach. The season prior to Bourque joining the Warriors, the team had a record of 1-22-1, which was the worst record of any CIS hockey team in Canada. Since then the team has made steady improvements each year and the 2006-07 team finished the regular season tied for first in the OUA (2nd in CIS) with 45 points (21-4-2-1). This season saw the Warriors earn the best record, winning percentage, and play-off success that a University of Waterloo hockey team has had in over ten years. The Warriors have been finding success both offensively and defensively. Since taking over as head coach the Warriors have a record of 36-11-5. Bourque is known for his tireless work ethic towards game preparation and creative use of video for teaching and motivating. In the East, Coach of the Year honours have been awarded to UQTR’s Jacques Laporte. His second time with this honour Laporte has led the Patriotes to the Queen’s Cup final in 2007, and finished the season ranked No.7 in the country.
BILL L’HEUREUX TROPHY
Most Outstanding Player, presented by Sher-wood Hockey
Jordie Preston- Windsor
WEST DIVISION
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Jordie Preston- Windsor
RANDY GREGG AWARD NOMINEE
Dallas Beaton- Brock
MOST SPORTSMANLIKE PLAYER
Mark Voakes- Laurier
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Mark Soares- Lakehead
COACH OF THE YEAR
Brian Bourque- Waterloo
FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS
Goalie- Curtis Darling- Waterloo
Defence- Chris Eade- Western
Defence- Rob Dmytruk- Laurier
Forward- Jordie Preston- Windsor
Forward- Sal Peralta- Western
Forward- Tobias Whelan- Lakehead
SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS
Goalie- Kevin Druce- York
Defence- Matt Jacques- Lakehead
Defence- Sean Moir- Waterloo
Forward- Mark Voakes- Laurier
Forward- Chris Di Ubaldo- Laurier
Forward- Tyler Harrison- York
ALL ROOKIE TEAM
Goalie- Jimmie Bernier- Waterloo
Defence- Chad Kennedy- Laurier
Defence- Paul Holder- Brock
Forward- Nathan Peacock- Laurier
Forward- Make Soares- Lakehead
Forward- Jesse Grespan- York
EAST DIVISION
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Ryan Grinnell- Toronto
RANDY GREGG AWARD NOMINEE
David Urquhart- McGill
MOST SPORTSMANLIKE PLAYER
Ben McLeod- Ottawa
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Ryan Gibb- Queen’s
COACH OF THE YEAR
Jacques Laporte- UQTR
FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS
Goalie- Ryan Grinnell- Toronto
Defence- David Urquhart- McGill
Defence- Samuel Gibbons- UQTR
Forward- Thiery Poudrier- UQTR
Forward- Jonathan Boutin- UQTR
Forward- Ben McLeod- Ottawa
SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS
Goalie- Ryan Gibb- Queen’s
Defence- Andre Robichaud- Toronto
Defence- Trevor Hawkins- Concordia
Forward- Simon Barg- Toronto
Forward- Paul Bradley- RMC
Forward- Anthony Pallotta- Toronto
ALL ROOKIE TEAM
Goalie- Ryan Gibb- Queen’s
Defence- Jesse Goodsell- Concordia
Defence- Nicolas Desilets- UQTR
Forward- Mike Kavanagh- Ryerson
Forward- Keven Gagne- Ottawa
Forward- Samuel Beland- UQTR
–OUA –
Michelle Church
Communications & Media Relations Coordinator
Ontario University Athletics
Tel: (905) 540-5156
Fax: (905) 574-2840
E-mail: michelle.church@oua.ca
