Bisons cap season with awards banquet

Times Editor

 

The UFA Bisons officially capped off the 2011-2012 season when they hosted their annual awards banquet on April 10 at the Strathmore Civic Centre.

In a season of ups and downs, highlighted by a trip to the Mac’s Midget Hockey Tournament Championship game, the Bisons looked back on the campaign as a success.

“It’s nice to bring everyone back and celebrate the year – it’s great to celebrate a successful season,” said head coach Jeremy Friesen. “We had a tale of two seasons; we did a lot of preparation to gear up for the Mac’s as one of critical points in the season. We did a great job there and had a successful run and learned a lot about our hockey club.

“After that, we never really got back on track or back to the level we were capable of playing … it was no fault of the players, I don’t think you can ever question their work ethic or (will to win).

“It was a (good) learning season.” 

Langdon native Devon Westby was the big winner of the evening, capturing the Most Improved and the Dedication, Perseverance & Sportsmanship awards. The hard-working forward also took home the Ron Ebbesson Memorial Scholarship.

“It caught me off guard to be totally honest,” said Westby of the awards. “I didn’t expect any and I came (here) to cheer on everybody else, but to clean up is not a bad deal for me.

“It was really special playing for the Bisons.”

According to Friesen, Westby made tremendous strides during the season.

“He was a guy who was on the bubble at camp, but we took a leap of faith on him because he brought those intangibles,” said the coach. “His skill set started a little below and we kind of forecasted him to catch right back up because he works so hard and that’s exactly what he did. By the end of the year, he was playing in every situation, whether it be on the power play or penalty kill.

“It was a great success story.”

Meanwhile, goaltender and local product Wilson Sproule took home the prestigious Most Valuable Player award for his efforts this past season. 

“It was an honour,” said Sproule of his MVP selection. “It was a great experience playing for the UFA Bisons. It was a great group of guys, we had fun and it was a great year.”

According to Sproule, who also took home the MVP of the Mac’s Midget Hockey Tournament, the season was a success.

“He was our dominant, most consistent player game in game out all year,” said Friesen of his goaltender. “At the end of the day, he is a special kid who has a very bright future ahead of him, whether it’s school or hockey, he is going to be very successful.”

Mitch McAllister was also honoured as the Leading Scorer and the Hardest Working Bison, while Tyler Wong was named the Rookie of the Year. Lenny Hackman was named the Top Defenceman and Dale Nerland won the Albert Midget Hockey League Scholarship.