March 4, 2020

League’s leading scorer takes centre stage among talent-laden list of veteran award winners

Burlington, Ont. – Experience goes a long way in the university landscape, something that the OUA women’s hockey landscape is no stranger to. Players familiarize themselves to the level of competition, advance their own skills, and become more well-rounded as student-athletes; all factors that have helped several sensational seniors stake claim to provincial recognition this season. With the league’s leading scorer chief among them, a veteran group of honourees headlines the 2019-20 OUA women’s hockey award winners and all-stars.

Player of the Year | Forward of the Year – Taytum Clairmont, Waterloo Warriors

One of the most offensively gifted teams this season was anchored by the OUA’s most productive offensive player, as the talented Taylor Clairmont garnered both Player of the Year and Forward of the Year honours.

Only six times in her 23 games played was she left off the scoresheet. One of those contests came in her season opener, and while she may have been shutout in game one, Clairmont was quick to rectify that with five points in her next two games. It was much more of the same for the Waterloo, Ont. native the rest of the way, as she went on to rank first in the conference in both assists (17) and points (28). As adept as Clairmont was at setting up her teammates, she also had a knack for finding the back of the net in thrilling fashion. The human highlight reel proved to be one of the most gifted goal-scorers anywhere in the country, and whether she was deking defenders out of their skates or going between the legs to find the back of the net, Clairmont was one to watch all season long.

Beyond the scoring numbers, the versatile forward was also a pivotal figure for the Warriors across other facets of the game. The team leader in ice time played prominently on both the powerplay and penalty kill, an impressive feat for the Waterloo squad that finished first in goals with the player advantage (17) and in shorthanded success (96.0%).

Goaltender of the Year – Jensen Murphy, Brock Badgers

Clairmont certainly made things difficult on opposing goaltenders in her shining senior season, but a fellow fifth-year figure caused skaters plenty of headaches of their own with her prowess between the pipes. Brock’s Jensen Murphy (Kingston, Ont.) made the decision to return to her fifth and final year with the Badgers after careful consideration over the summer, and not only has she begun to undertake her Masters in Applied Health Science, but returned to reign supreme on the ice.

The 2019-20 Goaltender of the Year was instrumental in her role for the St. Catharines squad, something that is just par for the course for her impressive career. The netminder found herself in and around the conference’s elite in several key statistical categories this season, including top spot in saves (646) and wins (13), while also posting top-five marks in both save percentage (0.946) and goals-against average (1.60). With these award-winning numbers in tow, the now three-time OUA all-star wraps her university career as one of the best to ever suit up for the Badgers. Several of the numbers she posted during her final campaign rank among the best single-season marks in program history, but the Badgers all-time record books are also filled with Murphy’s accolades. The goaltending great sits first in career goals-against average, save percentage, wins, saves, and, thanks to another four spotless efforts this season, shutouts.

Defender of the Year – Cristine Chao, Toronto Varsity Blues

While goalies remain the last line of defence, plenty of players offer invaluable support in front of them, including one of the best blueliners in the business. Cristine Chao, the Toronto Varsity Blues standout, is no stranger to major conference honours, as this marks the second straight season that the fifth-year rearguard earns the Defender of the Year nod. Helping Chao double down on her award-winning efforts was her impressive two-way play and the invaluable roles she takes on for both the top-ranked powerplay and penalty killing units. While she has thrived in a role of shutdown defender, turning away teams with the game on line, she has also shown a propensity to step up when roles are reversed, boasting a trio of game-winning goals to her name this season for the top-ranked Blues. The four-time all-star from Toronto, Ont. finished fifth among defenders with six goals and seven assists for 13 points.

Coach of the Year – Vicky Sunohara, Toronto Varsity Blues

Beyond Chao and the rest of the team’s on-ice play, the Varsity Blues also saw plenty of valuable insights from behind the bench courtesy of long-time coach Vicky Sunohara. In her ninth season in the role, Sunohara earns her first OUA Coach of the Year selection and is the first U of T recipient of the award since 2000-01 (Karen Hughes). She guided the Blues to an OUA-best 17-4-1-2 record, which was the team’s best record under her leadership. In addition to their superior special teams play, Sunohara also oversaw the team’s dominant defence, seeing her Blues boast top ranks in goals allowed (29), goals-against average (1.20), and save percentage (0.948). With such lofty numbers, it comes as no surprise that five of Sunohara’s players earned provincial recognition under the two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Rookie of the Year – Malory Dominico, Nipissing Lakers

Despite the significantly senior flare to this season’s award winners, a newcomer has also made herself right at home on the university stage. Following in the footsteps of older sister and all-star Maria, first-year forward Malory Dominico made an early splash in the OUA. The North Bay, Ont. native connected quickly with her sibling, as the two combined for 20 goals on the year, but the younger of the two paced the Nipissing pack. The 2019-20 Rookie of the Year netted 11 goals for the Lakers this season and was tied for second on the team with 16 points. Among the double-digit tallies were a pair of powerplay markers and game-winning goals. Her ability to light the lamp came quickly in her foray to the university game, scoring her first goal in just her second game – part of the first multi-point performance of her career – and only went onward and upward from there.

Most Sportsmanlike Player – Miranda Lantz, Guelph Gryphons

Miranda Lantz (Mildmay, Ont.) has accomplished a great deal in her university career – a stretch that included a national championship last year – and with that experience comes respect. Lantz wrapped up her fifth OUA season with another solid statistical campaign (6 goals, 8 assists) and remained a key figure of the Guelph Gryphons’ on-ice plans after seeing several seniors graduate in the offseason, but she was also an impactful presence in other ways. Her demeanor, discipline, and respect – all of which helped keep her out of the penalty box all season long – never wavered, with these noteworthy traits helping her get recognized with the 2019-20 Most Sportsmanlike Player award.

Marion Hilliard Award – Erin Locke, York Lions

It takes great commitment to be a student-athlete and even more so to go above and beyond those two roles, but York’s Erin Locke (Toronto, Ont.) found a way to do all of that and more as the Marion Hilliard Award winner. The four-time Academic All-Canadian is tracking to receive the national honour for a fifth time, and also chipped in with nine points for a Lions team that made their first postseason appearance in eight years, but what helps the senior stand out even more is what she does in the community.

Locke is actively involved in the women’s hockey tam’s ongoing relationship with HEROS (Hockey Education Reaching Out Society), which provides outreach support for local community kids to play hockey that otherwise would not have the opportunity to play. The Lions’ team captain is also a student mentor in York’s PAWS (Providing Athletes with Winning Strategies) program that brings together upper-years and first-year student-athletes to help in their transition to university. While Locke uses her experience in both school and sport to help her fellow Lions, she also goes beyond the campus to put her educational interests in to practice. The kinesiology major volunteers weekly at St. Johns Rehabilitations Centre/Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, as the well-rounded conference honouree looks to move on to do a Masters in physiotherapy.

Alongside these talented award winners that have shone both on and off the ice are several additional standouts who turned their respective seasons into conference recognition, the complete list of which is below.

Major Award Winners

Player of the Year – Taytum Clairmont, Waterloo

Forward of the Year – Taytum Clairmont, Waterloo

Defender of the Year – Cristine Chao, Toronto

Goaltender of the Year – Jensen Murphy, Brock

Rookie of the Year – Malory Dominico, Nipissing

Marion Hilliard Award – Erin Locke, York

Most Sportsmanlike Player – Miranda Lantz, Guelph

Coach of the Year – Vicky Sunohara, Toronto

First Team All-Stars

F – Taytum Clairmont, Waterloo

F – Erika Crouse, Ryerson