Thursday, March 13, 2014

Four more NOJHL awards finalized

Press Release

SUDBURY – The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League announced today that four more of its annual awards have been finalized, all of which all were earned by members of the regular season champion Soo Thunderbirds.

The NOJHL’s most valuable player, in the Thunderbirds’ Joel Horodziejczyk, factored in three of the accolades for his outstanding 2013-14 campaign with Sault Ste. Marie.

He earned the Molson Trophy as the NOJHL player of the year and thus will also be the league’s representative for the RBC – CJHL national player of the year award, which will be announced during the RBC Cup Canadian Jr. A Championship May 10-18 in Vernon, B.C.

The first team all-star enters the postseason having gone unbeaten in his past 27 starts registering a very impressive 26-0-1-0 record in that span.

Horodziejczyk also won the Wayne Chase Memorial Award for posting the best goals-against average in NOJHL this season at a stingy 1.72.

The Soo stopper also teamed up with his goaltending partner Brian Kment to earn the NOJHL Team Goaltending Award, which is presented annually to the goalkeepers on the club that allowed the fewest goals against during the campaign.

In 56 games the duo gave up just 107 goals for an NOJHL-low average of 1.91 per game.

It marks the third time in the past four seasons that T-Birds goalkeepers have garnered the accolades.

The final award went to Thunderbirds captain Gavin Burbach, who earned the Jimmy Connors Memorial Trophy as the league’s regular season scoring champion.

Burbach led all NOJHL skaters in offensive production with 87 points on a league-best 48 goals along with 39 assists.

Two other NOJHL honours will be announced at a later date in the RBC Scholastic player of the year award along with the NOJHL playoff MVP plaque.

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

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