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

Ontario University Athletics (OUA) is pleased to announce the 2014-15 men's hockey major award winners and all-stars for the West Division.

The defending Queen's Cup champion Windsor Lancers picked up where they left off and finished atop the division once again, and now lead the way in all-star voting and major award winners.

No men's hockey player in the country factored in to as many goals as Lancers forward Spencer Pommells (Grand Prairie, Alta.). Pommells led OUA and CIS with 50 points, and has been named the 2014-15 West Division Most Valuable Player as well as an OUA West Division first-team all-star. Appearing in all 27 of Windsor's games, Pommells scored 16 goals and added 34 assists.  He finished second on the team with five game-winning goals.

On the blueline, Kenny Bradford (St. Catharines, Ont.) from the Lancers is an OUA first-team all-star and wins West Division Defenceman of the Year. Bradford tied for the OUA lead for points by a defenceman with 28, scoring eight goals and adding 20 assists. He was a key cog in the Lancers third-ranked powerplay, scoring six of his eight goals on the man advantage, tying him for second most with all OUA defencemen.

Windsor goaltender Parker Van Buskirk (Windsor, Ont.), a second-team all-star last year, rounds out the Lancers first-team selections and has also been named West Division Goaltender of the Year. Van Buskirk led the conference with 20 wins and made the second most starts of any goaltender with 24. His 2.86 goals against average was the second-best of any West Division goalie, and his .904 save percentage was sixth best in the division.  

The West Division Rookie of the Year Award will also be heading to Canada's southern-most city as this year's winner is Lancers right winger Dylan Denomme (Windsor, Ont.). In his first year of OUA hockey, Denomme finished second on the Lancers in points with 31, scoring 13 goals and 18 assists, while appearing in all 27 games. He tied Bradford for the team lead with six powerplay goals and is also named to the West Division all-rookie team.

Behind the Lancers bench, head coach Kevin Hamlin led his team to a 22-4-1 record and has been named West Division Coach of the Year. The Lancers won more games than any other team in the conference and closed the regular season ranked No. 7 in the CIS Top 10 rankings.

Lakehead Thunderwolves forward Mike Hammond (Victoria, B.C.) has been named an OUA first-team all-star and is this year's winner of the West Division's Most Sportsmanlike Award. Hammond's 39 points were the second most in the conference as he scored 15 goals and added 24 assists. He appeared in all 27 of Lakehead's games and only accumulated eight penalty minutes the entire season. Also from Lakehead, forward Brennen Dubchak (Kenora, Ont.) was named to the West Division all-rookie Team.

Western Mustangs centre Adam Mckee (London, Ont.) is the 2014-15 OUA West Division nominee for the Randy Gregg award, given out to the athlete that best exhibits outstanding achievement in hockey, academics and community involvement.

The fifth-year kinesiology student is currently working on his Master's Degree and has been an Academic All-Canadian in each of his seasons with Western. Along with being a dedicated student, Mckee volunteers his time coordinating the Western Hockey Adopt-A-Team program that sees each member of the Mustangs roster "adopt" a minor hockey team and attend 2-3 practices per month with them. He is also a TA in kinesiology, and is involved in the Western Athlete Study Program running a study group each week for first-year student-athletes.

On the ice, Mckee was an integral part of a Mustangs team that finished second in its division.  He averaged almost a point per game, scoring seven goals and recording 13 assists in 22 games played.

Centre Steve Reese (Dorchester, Ont.), defenceman Matt Paltridge (Techumseh, Ont.), and goaltender Greg Dodds (Wingham, Ont.) are the Mustangs all-star selections, each receiving second-team honours.

With nine goals and 23 assists, Reese's 32 points were the sixth-most in the conference. On defence, Paltridge scored two goals and 10 assists, while providing solid and consistent defensive play in all 27 of Western's games. In goal, Dodds started 22 games for Western picking up 14 wins in the process. His 2.45 goals against average and .919 save percentage each ranked sixth amongst all OUA goaltenders.

Forward Chris Chappell (Pickering, Ont.) is the Waterloo Warriors lone first-team selection after scoring 10 goals and 20 assists in 20 games this season. Along with the offensive spark, Chappell provided the Warriors with strong two-way defensive play.

Warriors forward Colin Behenna (Waterloo, Ont.) and defenceman Joe Underwood (Canton, Mich.) each received second-team honours. Behenna finished fourth in the league with 16 goals and led his team with 31 points. Underwood tied for the team lead in powerplay goals with three, and totaled four goals and nine assists. Waterloo defenceman Mike Moffat (Waterloo, Ont.) is the lone Warrior named to the all-rookie team.

Ryerson Rams defenceman Alex Basso (Toronto, Ont.) put together an outstanding rookie campaign and is a first-team all-star along with receiving all-rookie honours. Basso adapted quickly to OUA competition, and was a responsible defender and offensive weapon for Ryerson, averaging over a point per game with three goals and 24 assists in 26 contests.

Guelph forward Nick Huard (North Bay, Ont.) rounds out this year's all-star selections after scoring 11 goals and 28 points in 26 games. Also from Guelph, goaltender Andrew D'Agostini (Toronto, Ont.) has been named to the OUA West Division all-rookie team.

Laurier forward Zach Lorentz (Waterloo, Ont.) rounds out this season's all-rookie selections.  Lorentz tallied 9 goals and 18 assists in 27 games for the Golden Hawks.

OUA West Division Major Award Winners

Most Valuable Player: Spencer Pommells – Forward – Windsor Lancers
Most Sportsmanlike Player: Mike Hammond – Forward – Lakehead Thunderwolves
Defenceman of the Year: Kenny Bradford – Defence – Windsor Lancers
Goaltender of the Year: Parker Van Buskirk – Goaltender – Windsor Lancers
Rookie of the Year: Dylan Denomme – Forward – Windsor Lancers
Randy Gregg Award: Adam McKee – Forward – Western Mustangs
Coach of the Year: Kevin Hamlin – Windsor Lancers

OUA West Division First-Team All-Stars

Spencer Pommells – Forward – Windsor Lancers
Mike Hammond – Forward – Lakehead Thunderwolves
Chris Chappell – Forward – Waterloo Warriors
Kenny Bradford – Defence – Windsor Lancers
Alex Basso – Defence – Ryerson Rams
Parker Van Buskirk – Goaltender – Windsor Lancers

OUA West Division Second-Team All-Stars

Steve Reese – Forward – Western Mustangs
Colin Behenna – Forward – Waterloo Warriors
Nick Huard – Forward – Guelph Gryphons
Joe Underwood – Defence – Waterloo Warriors
Matt Paltridge – Defence – Western Mustangs
Greg Dodds – Goaltender – Western Mustangs

OUA West Division All-Rookie Team

Dylan Denomme – Forward – Windsor Lancers
Zach Lorentz – Forward – Laurier Golden Hawks
Brennen Dubchak – Forward – Lakehead Thunderwolves
Alex Basso – Defence – Ryerson Rams
Mike Moffat – Defence – Waterloo Warriors
Andrew D'Agostini – Goaltender – Guelph Gryphons