OUA announces 2016-17 Women's Hockey Major Awards and All-Stars

BURLINGTON, Ont. – Ontario University Athletics (OUA) is excited to announce the 2016-17 women's hockey major awards and all-stars.

Following a season that saw her lead the conference in scoring, Windsor Lancers forward Krystin Lawrence (Tecumseh, Ont.) has been named OUA Player of the Year, presented by Peel Regional Police.  Now in her third season with the Lancers, Lawrence scored 23 goals in 24 games this season and finished the year with a league-high 32 points.

The Tecumseh, Ont. native was also named an OUA first-team all-star for the first time in her career after being named to the second-team a season ago and a member of the all-rookie team back in 2014-15.

Lawrence, who was also named an OUA West Division women's soccer first-team all-star, becomes the first Windsor student-athlete to be named OUA Player of the Year since former Lancer Jenny MacKnight earned the honours following the 2013-14 season.

Lawrence will receive a customized OUA Player of the Year ring courtesy of Baron Championship Rings to commemorate her outstanding 2016-17 season.

Lancers fifth-year defenceman Natalie Barrette (Belle River, Ont.) will represent Windsor on the second-team for a second straight season after scoring two goals and adding 12 assists this year.

Brock Badgers freshman forward Annie Berg (Beamsville, Ont.) took the league by storm in her first season and has been named OUA Rookie of the Year and an all-rookie team selection.  Appearing in all 24 regular season games for Brock, Berg finished seventh in scoring with 23 points.  The Beamsville, Ont. native recorded six multi-point games in her first season in the conference and never went more than two games without registering a point.

Berg is just the second Badgers player to win the award since the 1998-99 season and the first since former Badger Lauren Hoogasian was recognized as the OUA East Division Rookie of the Year back in 2003-04.  She also was a member of Team Canada U18 that won silver at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Under-18 Women's World Championship.

Joining Berg on the OUA all-rookie team is her Badgers teammate Kaitlyn Colonna (Mississauga, Ont.).

Following a 16-4-3-1 regular season record and a third straight appearance in the McCaw Cup, Guelph Gryphons head coach Rachel Flanagan has been named OUA Coach of the Year.  This is the second consecutive Coach of the Year award for Flanagan and the fourth time in the past five seasons that she's been recognized by her peers.

However, with a roster that features a league-high four all-star selections, Flanagan would likely be the first person to point to the players on the ice for the Gryphons success again this season.

A season after being named OUA Player of the Year, Gryphons goaltender Valerie Lamenta (Montreal, Que.) is an OUA first-team all-star for the second time in as many seasons.  In her third season with the Gryphons, Lamenta finished second in the conference in goals against average (1.39) and save percentage (.945)

Lamenta isn't the only Gryphons player to be named an OUA first-team all-star as defenceman Katherine Bailey (Lucan, Ont.) will also represent Guelph.  Bailey, a third-year Child, Youth and Family major, finished tied with Windsor's Barrette for the league lead in points by a defenceman.  In 21 games this season, Bailey had four goals and 10 assists for 14 points and is an OUA all-star for the first time in her career.

The accolades don't end there for the defending McCaw Cup champs as forwards Kelly Gribbons (Port Elgin, ON) and Kaitlin Lowy (Toronto, Ont.) have been made OUA second-team all-star selections for the first time in their careers.   

Guelph freshman forward Sydney Davison (Oakville, Ont.) is the Gryphons lone representative on the OUA all-rookie team.

This year's recipient of the Marion Hilliard Award of Merit, which recognizes excellence in the areas of athletics, academics and community involvement, is University of Toronto Varsity Blues fifth-year forward and captain Kristi Riseley (Pickering, Ont.).

Riseley is an active member of her community and was recently awarded the Pickering Civic Award for her efforts.  More than generous with her time, Riseley volunteers at William Dunbar Public School where she helps children who have a learning disability.  The Pickering, Ont. native also played a major role in organizing the "I Am Who I Am" campaign which raised awareness for muscular dystrophy.  When she isn't on the ice with the Blues, Riseley can be found coaching the Durham West Bantam B girls hockey team.

In the classroom, the U SPORTS academic all-Canadian has won several awards, including the prestigious R. Tait McKenzie Award, which recognizes professional ideals, service to humanity, and dedication to the advancement of knowledge and understanding of physical and health education.

On the ice this season for the Blues, Riseley appeared in all 24 games and finished second in team scoring with 19 points.  With 18 of her 19 points coming in Vasity Blues victories, Riseley was clutch this season as she helped Toronto advance to the semifinal round of the McCaw Cup playoffs.

In her fifth and final season with the Blues, forward Taylor Day (Ilderton, Ont.) is a first-team OUA all-star for a second straight year.  Day finished fourth in the conference in both goals (15) and points (27) while appearing in all 24 games this season for Toronto.  One of the most dangerous special teams players in the league, the kinesiology major ranked first in OUA in shorthanded goals (4) and second in power-play goals (6).

The Blues are one of two teams to have two OUA first-team all-star as Toronto defenceman Cristine Chao (Toronto, Ont.) has also been selected after she finished third in team scoring.  In just her second season with her hometown team, Chao, who was named an OUA all-rookie a season ago, scored a goal and added 12 assists for 13 points in 24 games this season for Toronto.

Western Mustangs forward Lyndsay Kirkham (Cranbrook, BC) rounds out the OUA first-team all-star selections.  Kirkham, a Political Science / Law major, finished just one point back of Lawrence for the league lead with 31 points in 24 games this season for the Mustangs.  The Cranbrook, BC native scored 19 goals this season with five of those standing as the game-winners.  This is the first OUA all-star nod for Kirkham in her second season with the Mustangs after transfering back from the NCAA prior to last year.

For the second time in three seasons, Mustangs defenseman Brianna Iazzolino (Thunder Bay, Ont.) will infuse some purple into the OUA second-team.

As the Lakers get set to make their first appearance in the McCaw Cup in program history, Nipissing goaltender Jacqueline Rochefort (Ajax, Ont.) becomes the team's first player to be named an OUA all-star. Rochefort has been selected to the second team after finishing the year first in goals against average (1.33) and save percentage (.946).

From the UOIT Ridgebacks, forward Kassidy Nauboris (Brampton, Ont.) is also a first-time OUA all-star after the Brampton, Ont. native finished tied for fourth with 15 goals in 24 games.

Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks forward Emily Woodhouse (St. Marys, Ont.), York Lions defenceman Taylor Davison (Oakville, Ont.) and goaltender Taylor Reimer (Morden, MB) of the Waterloo Warriors round out the OUA all-rookie team selections.

OUA Major Award Winners

Player of the Year: Krystin Lawrence – Forward – Windsor Lancers
Rookie of the Year: Annie Berg – Forward – Brock Badgers
Marion Hilliard Award of Merit: Kristi Riseley – Forward – Toronto Varsity Blues
Coach of the Year: Rachel Flanagan – Guelph Gryphons

OUA First-Team All-Stars
Krystin Lawrence – Forward – Windsor Lancers
Lyndsay Kirkham – Forward – Western Mustangs
Taylor Day – Forward – Toronto Varsity Blues
Katherine Bailey – Defence – Guelph Gryphons
Cristine Chao– Defence – Toronto Varsity Blues
Valerie Lamenta – Goaltender – Guelph Gryphons

OUA Second-Team All-Stars

Kaitlin Lowy – Forward – Guelph Gryphons
Kelly Gribbons – Forward – Guelph Gryphons
Kassidy Nauboris – Forward – UOIT Ridgebacks
Brianna Iazzolino – Defence – Western Mustangs
Natalie Barrette – Defence – Windsor Lancers
Jacqueline Rochefort – Goaltender – Nipissing Lakers

OUA All-Rookie Team

Annie Berg – Forward – Brock Badgers
Sydney Davison – Forward – Guelph Gryphons
Emily Woodhouse – Forward – Laurier Golden Hawks
Taylor Davison – Defence – York Lions
Kaitlyn Colonna – Defence – Brock Badgers
Taylor Reimer – Goaltender – Waterloo Warriors