May 16, 2024 | Winterhawks News | 860 views
Winterhawks Awards Handed Out
Justin Donnelly took home a haul as the Winterhawks handed out their awards for the 2023-24 season.
Donnelly led the team in scoring to capture the Leading Scorer Award, with 8 goals and 14 assists for 22 points in 20 games, while also capturing the Most Valuable Player award for the regular season.
The hardware did not stop there, as Donnelly also captured the MVP award for the 2024 playoffs.
The remainder of the award winners were:
Jim Little Memorial Award (Rookie of the Year): Alec Tiley
Top Defenceman Award: Josh Deyell
Best Defensive Player: Logan Freiburger
The Most Dedicated Winterhawk award went to Winterhawks equipment manager Austin McLaren, who underwent brain surgery in early December to help alleviate the effects of a stroke suffered when he was an infant. True to his reputation as the hardest working member of the organization, "Aussie" only missed two games, returning to his duties by late December.
The Doug Wood Memorial Award for community service went to departing executive member, Jim Cobean. The award is in recognition of Cobean's efforts to oversee the front gate operations over the past few years, including the difficult pandemic season.
The Winterhawks also bestowed the award to recognize the Cobean family's contributions to the community in memory of their late daughter and sister, Caitlyn, through Caitlyn Cobean's Community Crusaders, and the Caitlyn Cobean International Girls Silver Stick, held annually in Saugeen Shores.
The Corry Solomway Memorial Award was presented to Captain Trevor Smith, recognizing perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game. After 13 seasons with our club, including the past five as captain, Smith announced his retirement at the conclusion of the 2024 playoffs.
Another departure was made public during the awards banquet, with Head Coach Ben Antler making it official that he is stepping down from his role as bench boss. The club wishes to thank Ben for the past four seasons behind the bench, including the past two as head coach, while he juggled the demands of coaching and also managing his busy family life.
The club is hopeful of announcing the 2024-25 coaching staff in the near future.
The Winterhawks thank our loyal fans and sponsors for yet another season of exceptional support. We appreciate the packed arena and loud cheers on the road, it does not go unnoticed.
See you in October!