Kings crown award winners
By Mario Prusina Times Editor
Doug Taylor Photo
The local Junior B team – which had one of their most successful seasons on the ice – honoured their award winners off the ice, symbolizing the end of the Kings campaign.
“As a coaching staff, we’re nothing but proud of the boys,” said head coach Joel Robinson. “We had some really positive moments this season … I think it was really successful for us having 14 local kids. It kind of shows you which way this team is going and it’s heading in the right direction.”
The Kings finished the season with an 18-17-3 record, marking the first time the club finished above .500 on the season.
Strathmore’s own Isaac Benoit was called to the podium on three separate occasions to pick up some valuable hardware.
After compiling 30 goals and 28 assists for 58 points in 35 games, Benoit captured the Most Valuable Player, the Top Scorer and the Strathmore Times Player of the Year.
“It does feel good – I just wanted to have fun and play the game that I love,” said Benoit. “Like coach said (in the speech), I kind of lost the love for the game after being stuck in Whitecourt a little bit, so playing here and working as hard as I can helped. The guys on the team were great and that made it much more fun. It was easy to play.”
The Strathmore Times Player of the Year is given annually to the player who accumulates the most player-of-the-game honours during the course of the season. Benoit was the clear-cut winner at the end of the season.
“For me, it was just doing my job and what I had to do for the team,” said Benoit. “Without my teammates and my linemates, I could have never accomplished what I did this year. It’s basically up to them (why) I got all these awards.”
Strathmore’s Lucas Muenchrath took home the Rookie of the Year, while Zachary Suntjens was named the Top Defenceman. Hussar native Eric Sandum was the Most Improved Player, while captain Cole Busslinger was named the Hardest Worker.
According to Robinson, all the award winners share the same characteristic that make them successful players.
“It’s what they bring to the rink every day,” said the coach. “They don’t do it just one game … it’s not a single outburst. It’s every night they bring it.
“This is the time of year to congratulate those guys on the successful year they did have. That’s what you get from your award winners is the consistency every night, every practice, it doesn’t matter what the situation is, they bring the same award-winning mentality.”
The evening also included a celebration of life for Kings alumnus Kristian Ayoungman, who tragically lost his life three weeks ago. The Kings also recognized team staff, sponsors and volunteers who make the program a success.
The Kings capped off the night by presenting a jersey to their graduating players – Busslinger, Hayden Vander Ploeg and Brenden Moore.