Wednesday, December 28, 2011

STONE UP FOR BRANDON SUN AWARD

Press Release

Brandon, MB. -- Brandon Wheat Kings' captain Mark Stone is one of sixteen finalists for this year's 54th annual H.L. (Krug) Crawford Memorial Award, emblematic of sporting excellence in southwestern Manitoba.

Stone, who finished third in Western Hockey League scoring last season and was leading the league this year when he left to join the National Junior Team earlier this month, is one of three hockey players to be nominated for this prestigious award.

The 19-year old Winnipeg product, who signed a National Hockey League Entry Level contract with the Ottawa Senators in September, has been joined by 16-year olds Halli Krzyzaniak of Neepawa and Ashleigh Brykaliuk of Brandon. Both will play for Canada at the world U-18 women's hockey championship in the Czech Republic from Dec. 31-Jan. 7th.

Stone meanwhile is currently skating with Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Alberta.

Among the other nominees are seven volleyball players, who excelled nationally and internationally. The list includes Lisa Barclay, the 2009 Krug Crawford Award winner, who became one of the youngest players ever to crack Canada's senior womens volleyball team this past summer.

She is joined by Donata Huebert, Teagan Hunter, Tabi Love, Kevin Miller, Meaghan Robertson and Paul Sanderson. Heubert, Hunter, Miller, Robertson and Sanderson were members of the Brandon University mens and womens volleyball programs while Love, who was born in Brandon and raised in Dauphin, currently stars for UCLA.

Rounding out this year's list of nominees are basketball's Tia Coulter, racquetball sensation Kurtis Cullen, cross-country skier Slade Doyle, speedskater Hewson Elliott, rugby star Amanda Thornborough and 18-year old Concordia University placekicker Keegan Treloar, who was named Vincent Massey's male athlete of the year in June.

This year’s winner will be revealed in the Tuesday, Jan. 3 edition of the Brandon Sun.

(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

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