OUA ANNOUNCES MEN'S HOCKEY EAST DIVISION MAJOR AWARD WINNERS AND ALL-STARS

HAMILTON, Ont. – Ontario University Athletics is pleased to announce the 2011-2012 OUA east division men’s hockey all-stars and major award winners.

For the third year running, a member of the McGill Redmen takes home OUA East division MVP honours. Marc-Andre Dorion (St. Hubert, Que.) had a standout year for the defending Queen’s Cup champs and University Cup finalists. He led all CIS defenceman with seven goals and 32 assists for 39 points in 28 games, becoming the first rearguard in school history to lead the Redmen in scoring. The fourth-year physical education major was only penalized twice (both minors) and was a contributing factor in McGill having the second-best in defensive record in the nation (62 goals against). Dorion now adds OUA East MVP honours to his growing list of awards. A two-time All-Canadian, he was the CIS defenceman of the year in his sophomore campaign. Dorion is also this year’s OUA East Defenceman of the Year and a conference all-star for the third consecutive year. He is the first defenceman in over a decade to be awarded OUA East MVP honours.

Riley Whitlock of the Queen’s Gaels is this year’s OUA east Goaltender of the Year. The Calgary, Alta. native turned away 757 shots on goal in 27 games played, earning an impressive 0.915 save percentage. Despite the Gaels eighth place regular season finish, Whitlock only allowed 70 goals against while playing a remarkable 1473:56 minutes. Whitlock is also a First-Team All-Star. It is his first all-star appearance since being named to the All-Rookie team as a Gee-Gee in 2007-2008.

Teammate Corey Bureau (Amherstview, Ont.) has won OUA east Rookie of the Year. The Gaels forward scored 11 goals and provided eight helpers for 19 points in his freshman campaign. The feisty forward recorded 46 penalty minutes in 27 games, second only to teammate and older brother Brendan Bureau (66). Bureau tied for his team lead in goals with 11, and has been named to the All-Rookie team for his efforts.

For the second year in a row, fifth-year Gaels forward Jonathon Lawrance (Steinbach, Man.) is the OUA east Randy Gregg award nominee, given to the player who best exhibits outstanding achievement in hockey, academics and community involvement. The Gaels’ captain had 15 points, scoring seven goals and adding eight assists in 28 games. The three-time Academic All-Canadian volunteers his time to programs such as Revved Up and Heart Strong, where he helps those with disabilities and health ailments perform exercise. Lawrance has won several awards at Queen’s University, including the Ron Stewart Physical Education prize and the Jenkin’s Trophy. He also serves as a member of Queen’s Interuniversity Discipline Committee, a group that ensures Queen’s athletes adhere to the student-athlete discipline policy.

Toronto’s bench boss Darren Lowe is this year’s OUA east division Coach of the Year. Lowe is a hockey icon at U of T, serving as head coach since 1995. This year he led the Blues to a 16-9-3 record, good for fourth-place in OUA east. This is Lowe’s third Coach of the Year nod, having won in both 2000-2001 and 2002-2003.

Matthieu Methot is the east most sportsmanlike player, awarded to the player who best combines outstanding play and sportsmanship. The Ottawa, Ont. native was second for the Gee-Gees in scoring; splitting his points evenly between goals and assists with 14 each. In 27 games played, the fourth-year forward accrued only six penalty minutes.

Joining Whitlock and Dorion on the First-Team is UQTR defenceman Pierre-Luc Lessard (Thetford Mines, Que.). Lessard was the top scoring blueliner for the Patriotes, tallying 26 points for the CIS No. 10 team. He finished fourth in scoring among OUA defencemen, and limited himself to 0.42 penalty minutes per game. Three different teams are represented on the First-Team forward line. The goal-scoring trio is comprised of Carleton’s Brandon MacLean (Burlington, Ont.), Felix Petit (Jonquiere, Que.) and Concordia’s George Lovatsis (Markham, Ont.). MacLean led the scoring pack for the Ravens, earning 40 points in 2011-2012, 14 more than the next closest contributor. The fourth-year forward finished top five in league scoring, and returns to the First-Team after being named a Second-Team All-Star last season. Petit received the first All-Star nod of his three-year career, after finishing top three in league scoring with 41 points. Lovatsis finished second in team scoring for the Stingers, and fourth overall in the league. He split his points evenly between goals and assists, with 20 apiece. His 20 goals put him tied with west division MVP Keaton Turkiewicz for second in league goals.

The No. 2 ranked McGill Redmen boast two skaters on the Second-Team. Fourth-year netminder Hubert Morin (St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que.) finds himself between the pipes on the Second-Team for the second year in a row. Morin was McGill’s go-to goalie this season, recording 13 wins and four shutouts in 17 games played. He also posted the league’s lowest goals against average (2.04). Teammate and 2009-2010 east MVP Francis Verreault-Paul (Mashteuiatsh, Que.) drops down to the second team, after spending two seasons as a First-Team All-Star. The fourth-year right-winger led OUA in goals this season, finding the net 21 times in 23 games played. A pair of Stingers earn nods, as fifth-year blueliner Eric Begin (St. Lambert, Que.) and third-year winger Mike Stinziani (Montreal, Que.) skate on the Second-Team. Both athletes finished second in scoring their respective positions, with Begin tallying 36 points as a defenceman and Stinziani recording 43 points, 31 of which were helpers putting him number two in league assists. Byron Elliott earns the sole all-star nod for the Blues after leading Toronto with 35 points. The Burlington, Ont. native was also a Second-Team All-Star in 2009-2010. Nipissing blueliner Brodie Beard (Timmins, Ont.) rounds out the Second-Team All-Star squad with the first award of his career.

Gee-Gees’ Russell Abbott (Mill Bay, B.C.) and Alexandre Touchette (Gatineau, Que.) lend their talents to the All-Rookie squad. Abbott was the number one netminder for Ottawa this season, turning away 557 shots in his rookie campaign. Touchette added 19 points as the Gee-Gees top rookie scorer. Joining Bureau, Abbott and Touchette are Carleton’s Matt Stanisz (Burlington, Ont.), Ryerson’s Brian Birkhoff (Richmond Hill, Ont.) and RMC’S Scott Domenico (Ottawa).

OUA EAST DIVISION MAJOR AWARD WINNERS AND ALL-STARS

MAJOR AWARD WINNERS

MVP – Marc-Andre Dorion (McGill)
Defenceman of the Year - Marc-Andre Dorion (McGill)
Top Goaltender – Riley Whitlock (Queen’s)
Top Rookie – Corey Bureau (Queen’s)
Randy Gregg Award nominee – Jonathon Lawrance (Queen’s)
Most Sportsmanlike – Matthieu Methot (Ottawa)
Coach of the Year – Darren Lowe (Toronto)

FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS

G – Riley Whitlock (Queen’s)
D – Marc-Andre Dorion (McGill)
D – Pierre-Luc Lessard (UQTR)
F – Brandon MacLean (Carleton)
F – Felix Petit (UQTR)
F – George Lovatsis (Concordia)

SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS

G – Huber Morin (McGill)
D – Brodie Beard (Nipissing)
D – Eric Begin (Concordia)
F – Francis Verreault-Paul (McGill)
F – Byron Elliott (Toronto)
F – Michael Stinziani (Concordia)

ALL ROOKIE TEAM

G – Russell Abbott (Ottawa)
D – Matt Stanisz (Carleton)
D – Brian Birkhoff (Ryerson)
F – Corey Bureau (Queen’s)
F – Alexandre Touchette (Ottawa)
F – Scott Domenico (RMC)