NEWS

Former OJHLers Ryan Daniels and Andy Bathgate took home 2012-13 OUA year-end awards for there performance this season, while seven other alumni were named All-Stars and All-Rookie in the West and East Divisions.

G - Ryan Daniels (Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks)
MVP, Top Goaltender, 1st Team All-Star
(pictured left - photo credit - Matt Tomkin/Laurier Athletics)
After playing one game for his hometown Pickering Panthers in 2003-04 as an affiliated midget prospect, Daniels would be drafted by the Saginaw Spirit in the 3rd round, 48th overall of the 2004 OHL Priority Selection.  The netminder would spend the majority of his rookie junior year with the Panthers, although joined the Spirit for seven regular season OHL contests.  He would join Saginaw full-time in 2005-06 and spend the next four seasons in the OHL with Saginaw and Peterborough, also being drafted by the Ottawa Senators in 5th round, 151st overall, of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.  Following his OHL career, he joined Laurier and is currently in his senior year with the Golden Hawks.

F - Andy Bathgate (Guelph University Gryphons)
Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie Team
(pictured right - photo courtesy of Gryphon Athletics)
The Brampton, Ontario native played one season in the OJHL, 2007-08, as a member of the Georgetown Raiders, while also getting called up for five games with the OHL's Belleville Bulls.  The 16-year old rookie would finish third in scoring on the Raiders with 14 goals and 44 points in 40 games played and register another seven points in 10 playoff contests.  His efforts throughout the season, earned Bathgate the West Division Rookie-of-the-Year Award and he would play for the East-West Junior All-Star Team at the 2009 All-Star Game, recording one assist during an 8-1 victory.

Other OJHL alumni named as year-end OUA West & East award winners include:

• F-Jeff Brown (Toronto) - 1st Team East All-Star - played 2007-08 season with the St. Michael's Buzzers
• F-Justin Larson (Waterloo) - 1st Team West All-Star - played two games for Peterborough Stars in 2005-06
• F-Evan Stibbard (Windsor) - 1st Team West All-Star - played 2009-10 season with the Trenton Golden Hawks
• D-Matt Stanisz (Carleton) - 2nd Team East All-Star - played two game for Burlington Cougars in 2006-07
• F-Conor O'Donnell (Nipissing) - 2nd Team East All-Star - played 2005-06 season with the Brampton Capitals
• D-Derek Holden (Laurier) - West All-Rookie Team - played 2007-08 season with Peterborough Stars
• F-Daniel Erlich (Western) - West All-Rookie Team - played half of 2007-08 season with Toronto Jr. Canadiens

Below is the official press release from the OUA website (www.oua.ca):

Ontario University Athletics (OUA) is pleased to announce the 2012-13 major award winners and all-stars for the Men’s Hockey West Division.

For the second time in three years the most valuable player in the OUA West is Laurier Golden Hawks goalie Ryan Daniels (Pickering, Ont.). The fourth-year veteran also claimed the award in 2010-11. This season Daniels was instrumental in leading Laurier to 14-12-2 record and a playoff berth. Daniels saw action in 27 games, seeing nearly 1,600 minutes of ice time.  He faced the second-most shots of any OUA goaltender (972), topped the OUA in saves with 894, finished fifth in the OUA with a .920 save percentage and collected a pair of shutouts.  Daniels was also influential in the Golden Hawks late-season surge to claim fifth place in the OUA West, despite being being out of a playoff position in late November. Daniels was also named the OUA West Top Goaltender, and became an all-star for the third time, begin named to the first team this year after second team honours last year and a first team nod in 2010-11.

In a season that saw great production from rookies across the OUA, Guelph Gryphons forward Andrew Bathgate (Georgetown, Ont.) was chosen as t he West Division’s rookie of the year. In his first season in the OUA, Bathgate led the Gryphons in points with 32, on 16 goals and 16 helpers. His total placed him third among OUA rookies and 14th overall. Bathgate played key minutes with the Gryphons, collecting five power play markers, and added two more points in shorthanded situations. He was also one of two players in the OUA to record two hatricks to lead the league. Bathgate helped pace the Gryphons to 17 wins, their highest total since the 1997-98 season.

Steve Ferry of the Windsor Lancers was named top defenceman in the OUA West for 2012-13. The Richmond Hill, Ont. native finished the regular season with eight goals and 16 assists to finish second among west division blueliners in points. Ferry was a key cog in the Lancers’ game plane, playing on the power play, penalty kill and against the opponents top line. Ferry is known for his excellent puck movement and decision making from the point offensively, and his responsibility in his own end. Ferry was also named a first team all-star, after earning second team status a year ago.

Windsor forward Brett Vandehogen (Blenheim, Ont.) becomes the first Lancer to become the OUA Randy Gregg Award nominee since the 1998-99 season. The Randy Gregg award goes to the player who best exhibits outstanding achievement in hockey, academics and community involvement. Vandehogen collected nine goals and seven assists this year as the captain of the Lancers. In the classroom, he holds a top GPA in pursuit of his teaching degree, after graduating with a degree in Human Kinetics a year ago. Vandehogan’s contributions to the community are numerous and include involvement with Windsor minor hockey teams, serving as part of the Lancers Against Bullying campaign in local elementary schools, and leading the Lancer hockey team to New Orleans multiple times to provide relief and assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Western centre Steven Reese (Dorchester, Ont.) has been named the Most Sportsmanlike Player in the OUA West. Reese finished tied for fourth in points in the OUA this year (8 goals, 31 assists) while collecting only 18 penalty minutes, but his biggest contributions lie are in his respect for the game and his work in practice. The Mustangs’ assistant captain demonstrates a workman-like attitude in preparation for games and holds the ideals of the game in high regard. Resse was also given recognition as a second team all-star in the west division.

Rounding out the major awards is the Coach of Year, given this year to Laurier Golden Hawks bench boss Greg Puhalski. The award is the first for Puhalski in his third season behind the bench for Laurier. His team finished the regular season with a 14-12-2 record, but was defined by a late season push that saw his squad win nine of their final 12 games to finish in fifth. This award represents the first Golden Hawks coach to be honoured since the 1998-99 season.

Joining Daniels and Ferry as First Team All-Stars are forward Justin Larson of the Waterloo Warriors, Western’s Matt Clarke  and Windsor’s Evan Stibbard and Guelph defenceman Ken Peroff.

In his sophomore campaign Larson (Buckhorn, Ont.) led the OUA and CIS in scoring.  In a season-long battle for the scoring lead, Larson notched two assists in the Warriors regular season finale to claim the scoring title over Félix Petit from UQTR. Larson’s 45 points (17 goals, 28 assists) marked the first time a Waterloo player has hit the 40-point plateau since Chris Ray in 2009-10.

Clarke led the potent Western attack that had three players in the top ten in points in the OUA. The London, Ont. native had 18 goals and 24 assists for Western en route to a 21-5-2 regular season record that included a 15-game winning streak.

Stibbard (Windsor, Ont.) scored 18 goals for the Windsor Lancers this season to lead the team. The second-year forward also added 19 helpers and helped the Lancers to a second-place finish in the OUA West, also spending five weeks in the CIS top ten peaking at No. 6. This award is the first all-star nod for Stibbard after being named to the 2011-12 west division all-rookie team.

In his third season, Peroff (Chisholm, Ont.) becomes an all-star for the first time. The member of the 2010-11 all-rookie team lead a strong Gryphons defensive core this season. In addition to helping his team hold opponents to 76 goals on the season, placing them second in the OUA West, the third-year rearguard chipped in three goals and eight assists.

Joining Resse on the second all-star team are his Western teammates, forward Zach Harnden and goalie Josh Unice, Windsor forward Spencer Pommells, and defenceman Joe Underwood from Waterloo and York’s John de Gray.

After his rookie of the year campaign a year ago, Harden didn’t suffer the sophomore slump.  The Thunder Bay, Ont. native scored 21 goals to lead the OUA and CIS and added 14 helpers.

Unice (Holland, Ohio) had 19 wins to lead the OUA and CIS. He also posted a 2.44 goals against average and .916 save percentage to finish in the top seven in the OUA in both categories. Unice was a first team all-star in 2011-12.

Pommells (Grand Prarie, Alta.) had a breakout year in his second season with Windsor. His 38-point total topped the team and nearly doubled the 20 points he posted in his rookie campaign.

Underwood (Canton, Mich.) becomes a second team all-star in his second season with Waterloo. His eight goals was tied for number one among OUA defenceman, and his total of 23 points was sixth.

York’s de Gray (Markham, Ont.) is known as a stay-at-home defenceman, but this season his five goals and eight assists also led Lions blueliners in scoring.

2012-13 was a great season for first year players in the OUA West, with six rookies registering 25 points or more. Joining rookie of the year Andrew Bathgate as forwards on all-rookie squad are Colin Behenna of the Waterloo Warriors and Western’s Daniel Erlich. Also named were defencemen David Corrente from Western and Derek Holden from Laurier, plus UOIT goaltender Bryce O’Hagan.

Behenna (Waterloo, Ont.) had nine goals and 30 assists to lead all OUA and CIS rookies in scoring. The five-foot-eight forward was a spark plug for the Waterloo offence, with four of his goals being game winners.

Erlich notched 30 points on the year scoring four goals and setting up 26 more. The Thornhill, Ont. native became the second Mustangs rookie to reach thirty points in as many season, with Harnden accomplishing the feat last season.

Holden (Peterborough, Ont.) established himself as one of the top offensive defenceman in the province. Ranked 16th overall in defenceman scoring, and second among rookie blueliners, Holden provided the Hawks with a much-needed offensive contribution from the blue line.

Typically a stay-at-home defenceman, Western’s David Corrente (Mississauga, Ont.) contributed  four goals and five assists in his first year playing on the deep Mustang blueline. Corrente also aided the strong Western defence in allowing an OUA West-best 2.62 goals per game.

Bryce O’Hagan (Burlington, Ont.) becomes the second UOIT goalie to be named to the all-rookie team in the school’s six-year OUA hockey history, with Jason Guy being the first in 2009-10. O’Hagan played in 25 games collecting 10 wins, tying Guy’s school record from 2010-11.

OUA WEST DIVISION MAJOR AWARD WINNERS AND ALL-STARS
MVP – Ryan Daniels (Laurier)
Rookie of the Year – Andrew Bathgate (Guelph)
Defenceman of the Year – Steve Ferry (Windsor)
Top Goaltender – Ryan Daniels (Laurier)
Most Sportsmanlike Player – Steven Reese (Western)
Randy Gregg Award Nominee – Brett Vandehogen (Windsor)
Coach of the Year – Greg Puhalski (Laurier)

FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS
G – Ryan Daniels (Laurier)
D – Steve Ferry (Windsor)
D – Ken Peroff (Guelph)
F – Justin Larson (Waterloo)
F – Matt Clarke (Western)
F – Evan Stibbard (Windsor)

SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS
G – Josh Unice (Western)
D – Joe Underwood (Waterloo)
D – John de Gray (York)
F – Steven Reese (Western)
F – Zach Harnden (Western)
F – Spencer Pommells (Windsor)

ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
G – Bryce O’Hagan (UOIT)
D – David Corrente (Western)
D – Derek Holden (Laurier)
F – Andrew Bathgate (Guelph)
F – Daniel Erlich (Western)
F – Colin Behenna (Waterloo)