Bisons dish out the hardware

Mario Prusina

Times Editor

 

The UFA Bisons capped off their 2010-2011 season on April 21, when they hosted their annual awards banquet at the Strathmore Civic Centre.

Flanked by family and friends, the players were honoured for their efforts during this past season, where they made it all the way to the South Division Championship series.  

After taking six weeks to digest the loss, Bisons head coach Parry Shockey deemed the season a success.

“It was as good as it gets,” said Shockey with pride. “Everyone measures a season on wins and losses and that sort of thing, (but) personally as a coaching staff, we measure it on a development of players. I think a lot of these kids will have a chance to play at the next level. 

“That’s how success is measured.”

Shockley said it was a privilege to work with elite athletes and very satisfying to see their development over the course of the season.

He is specifically excited to see what the future holds for his players. 

“When the season is over, I get to go from being a coach to being a fan,” said Shockey. “So that’s where we go now – to see these guys move on. Whether it’s in hockey or (not). I’ve had guys come back to (visit) me who are stockbrokers, lawyers and stuff like that. That’s important (to me).”

According to Shockey, it was difficult to make the award selections this season. That is because his team was well balanced from front to back.

“I think every player contributed to the success of our hockey club,” said Shockey. “The names on those awards, we could have moved them around a lot of different ways.”

The Bisons named Simon Philp as the Most Improved Player, while his brother Luke took home the honour of being the Leading Scorer. Sam Johnson was selected as the Rookie of the Year and Connor Chartier was selected as the team’s Most Valuable Player. 

Sam McKechnie was the Hardest Working Bison, while Shayne Gwinner was awarded the Top Defenceman. The Dedication, Perseverance & Sportsmanship went to Carson McCormick and George Merik was awarded the Ron Ebbesen Memorial Scholarship and the AMHL Scholarship, given out by the league.