BOTTEN NAMED NE PLAYER-OF-THE-MONTH

Press Release

The OJHL announced today that Stouffville Spirit alternate captain Alex Botten (photo credit - Michael DiCarlo/OJHL Images) has been named the Gongshow Gear North-East Conference Player-of-the-Month for October after leading the entire league in scoring throughout the month with 21 points in 10 games played.

Kicking off the year with a good start by notching eight points in seven September games, Botten turned his season into a great start during October, jumping up to third in the OJHL scoring race with his 15 assist, 21 point performance.  He would record multiple points in six of the Spirit’s ten games, leading the club to an 8-1-1 record on the month to move into second place in the North Division standings.  Botten tied an OJHL career-high with a five point effort during a 6-4 victory over Cobourg on October 13 and would record three-or-more points on four other occasions as well.  Tied for the OJHL lead with 23 assists, Botten is a key cog on the Spirit’s power play, recording seven power play assists throughout the month, while also notching the game-winning goal in a key divisional victory over Newmarket and a shootout-winner against Kingston earlier in the month.

“To receive this award is a tremendous honour,” said the Spirit’s leading scorer.  “I had the opportunity to play with Christian Finch last season and saw the dedication and hard work he put into his career to achieve the goals he desired.  After all the hard work I put into my training this summer, some personal goals are beginning to happen.  I constantly trained five to six days a week, as well as working full time and I would especially like to thank my personal trainer this summer, Chris Goodman, for creating my meal plan and pushing me to get better every day.”

Botten continued by discussing his aspirations for the remainder of the season, “I am just very thankful for this award and the opportunity the Stouffville Spirit have provided me with this season.  Hopefully I can continue to play to the best of my abilities and achieve everything I would like to achieve, including another Buckland Cup and a chance at redemption for the Dudley Hewitt Cup.  The last achievement on my list at this time would be an NCAA Division I scholarship.”

Spirit General Manager Ken Burrows was thrilled that all of Botten’s hard work has paid off, “We are extremely proud of Alex’s effort and improvement over the past two seasons.  He is finally beginning to reach his full potential and truly believe that he can not only excel at this level, but play at the next level as well.  His work ethic has been second to none and he is a great example of a kid taking full advantage of an opportunity that he was given.”

Jan Kaminsky of the Wellington Dukes was runner-up to Botten as the OJHL North-East Conference Player-of-the-Month.  Kaminsky recorded 15 points in 10 games played while captaining the Dukes to a 6-3-1 record in October.

 (Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)