OUA Announces 2015 Men's East Division Hockey Major Awards and All-Stars

Simply put, McGill Redmen centre Cedric McNicoll (Boucherville, Que.), was the best hockey player on the best team in the OUA East Division during the regular season, and as a result takes home the division's most valuable player award.

The shifty 5-foot-10, 186-pound playmaker is also an OUA East Division first-team all-star for the second consecutive year. He finished tied for fourth in the OUA scoring race with 34 points, including 11 goals in 25 games for McGill.  A 25-year-old management junior, he either scored or assisted on 33.3 per cent of the team's 102 goals scored. McNicoll is in his second year with the team and final year of eligibility after a three-year pro career in the AHL and ECHL.

McGill defenceman Samuel Labrecque (Granby, Que.), also merited first-team all-star honours after leading all OUA rearguards with 13 goals and tying for the league lead among all players in power-play goals with seven. He tied a school record with six game-winning tallies, which tied him for top spot in the conference. Lebrecque added nine assists and became the first McGill blueliner in 19 years to record a hat-trick, accomplishing the feat on Jan. 23 in a 4-1 win against the Queen's Gaels.

McGill goaltender Jacob Gervais-Chouinard (Sherbrooke, Que.), joins McNicoll and Labrecque as OUA all-stars, meriting second-team honours. He started 16 games, posting an 13-3-0 record with one shutout, and led all CIS goaltenders with a stingy 1.74 goals against average and a .944 save percentage.

For the second-consecutive season, Concordia Stingers forward Olivier Hinse (Sherbrooke, Que.), is an OUA all-star and the East Division nominee for the Randy Gregg Award given to the athlete who best exhibits outstanding achievements in hockey, academics and community involvement.

When he's on the ice, Hinse is one of the most prolific scorers in the country, tying for the OUA lead and finishing second in the CIS with 18 goals. Four of those 18 goals were shorthanded, the most by any player in the country, and he also added 13 assists to finish 10^th in OUA scoring with 31 points. Hinse was a second-team all-star last season.

When he's not on the ice, the Stingers captain is a leader in both the community and the classroom. Hinse maintains a 3.17 GPA in Child Studies and has been actively involved in several community initiatives, including volunteering as an assistant coach for a local 'AAA' junior hockey team, participating in the Stingers community skating party, and as a guide and media spokesperson for the Ed Meagher Arena Renovation project.

Also from Concordia, forward Dominic Beauchemin (Varennes, Que.), was named to the OUA East all-rookie team.

The future looks bright for the Queen's Gaels who have two freshmen receiving all-star honours.

Leading the way is defenceman Spencer Abraham (Campbellville, Ont.), who has been named the OUA East rookie of the year, defenceman of the year, a first-team all-star and a spot on the all-rookie team. Abraham led his team and tied for the OUA lead in points by a defenceman with 28. He scored five goals – four on the power-play – and added 23 assists.

Another Gaels rookie, forward Darcy Greenaway (Wilton, Ont.), put together an impressive campaign and has been named an OUA second-team all-star and earned all-rookie honours. Greenaway finished second on the Gaels in points behind Abraham, leading the team with 16 goals and 10 assists in 25 games.

The Carleton Ravens, who finished second in the OUA East, had a pair of first-team all-stars, namely forward Joe Pleckaitis (Ottawa, Ont.), and Patrick Killeen (Corkery, Ont.), who was voted OUA East goaltender of the year. They added a second-team selection with Matthew Stanisz (Burlington, Ont.).

Pleckaitis finished tied for fourth in the conference with 16 goals and added 13 assists to lead the Ravens in scoring with 29 points while appearing in all 26 games. Four of his markers came on the power-play, which tied for the team lead.

In goal, Killeen made 13 starts for the Ravens and won 12 of them. He also finished with a 2.15 goals against average and a .922 save percentage, which ranked him fourth and fifth, respectively, in the conference.

Stanisz led all Ravens defenceman in points with 17, including 15 assists, while providing solid play in his own end. He was a first-team all-star last season.

Carleton head coach Marty Johnston takes home the OUA East coach-of-the-year award after leading his team to a second-place finish with a 20-5-1 record, just one point from tying the Redmen for top spot in the division.

Two forwards from the UQTR Patriotes -- Marc-Olivier Mimar (Rosemere, Que.), and Billy Lacasse (Montreal, Que.), merited second team honours.

Mimar finished third in the conference with 35 points, scoring 14 goals while appearing in all 26 games. He was also named the OUA East most sportsmanlike player after receiving only one minor penalty all season.

Lacasse led UQTR with four game-winning goals, and finished fourth on the team with 31 points, including 14 goals. Patriotes goaltender Francis Desrosiers (Laval, Que.), was named to the all-rookie team.

Laurentian defenceman Vincent Llorca (Le Mont-Dore, France), rounds out the OUA East all-stars, receiving a second-team berth. Llorca set a school record for defencemen this season when he scored five goals in a 7-6 win against the Laurier Golden Hawks on Nov. 1. He ranked sixth among OUA defenceman with 21 points, scoring eight goals.

Rounding out the all-rookie squad was two players from the Nipissing Lakers, forward Erik Robichaud (Timmins, Ont.) and defenceman Jimmy McDowell (Dimondale, Mich.).

OUA East Division Major Award Winners

Most Valuable Player: Cedric McNicoll – Forward – McGill Redmen
Most Sportsmanlike Player: Marc-Olivier Mimar – Forward – UQTR Patriotes
Defenceman of the Year: Spencer Abraham – Defence – Queen's Gaels
Goaltender of the Year: Patrick Killeen – Goaltender – Carleton Ravens
Rookie of the Year: Spencer Abraham – Defence – Queen's Gaels
Randy Gregg Award: Olivier Hinse – Forward – Concordia Stingers
Coach of the Year: Marty Johnston – Carleton Ravens

OUA East Division First-Team All-Stars

Joe Pleckaitis – Forward – Carleton Ravens
Cedric McNicoll – Forward – McGill Redmen
Olivier Hinse – Forward – Concordia Stingers
Spencer Abraham – Defence – Queen's Gaels
Samuel Labrecque – Defence – McGill Redmen
Patrick Killeen – Goaltender – Carleton Ravens

OUA East Division Second-Team All-Stars

Bill Lacasse – Forward – UQTR Patriotes
Darcy Greenaway – Forward – Queen's Gaels
Marc-Olivier Mimar – Forward – UQTR Patriotes
Vincent Llorca – Defence – Laurentian Voyageurs
Matt Stanisz – Defence – Carleton Ravens
Jacob Gervais-Chouinard – Goaltender – McGill Redmen

OUA East Division All-Rookie Team

Darcy Greenaway – Forward – Queen's Gaels
Dominic Beauchemin – Forward – Concordia Stingers
Erik Robichaud – Forward – Nipissing Lakers
Spencer Abraham – Defence – Queen's Gaels
Jimmy McDowell – Defence – Nipissing Lakers
Francis Desrosiers – Goaltender – UQTR Patriotes