Senior Hawks honour top players
Posted on April 11, 2017 by Maple Creek
The Maple Creek Senior Hawks awarded its players at the team's season-end windup April 5 at the Rockin' Horse Cookhouse and Bar. (l;r) Best Defenceman Nathyn Mortlock, team manager Len Rodin holding Lane Sanderson's Team MVP and Most Gentlemanly awards, Most Improved Mathew Roy, the league's Best Goaltender winner Mike Tadjdeh, Best Rookie Chad Bachmeier and Team Favourite Cody Florkowski. PHOTO SEAN MCINTOSHSean McIntosh
Twitter: @SeanMCNews
smcintosh@maplecreeknews.com
The Maple Creek Senior Hawks held its year-end windup recently to honour its best players from the past year.
Seven players were honoured at the event on April 5 at the Rockin’ Horse Cookhouse and Bar.
Lane Sanderson won three team awards – MVP, Top Scorer and Most Gentlemanly. Sanderson was the team’s best player in almost every game he played, according to team manager Len Rodin.
“He had a great season,” Rodin said. “At the start of the year he kind of carried us until Jason Roberts got back [from injury]. Lane just had a heck of a year.”
Sanderson was unable to attend the windup, as he was away on vacation. He finished fifth in league scoring this season with 32 points in 15 games. He added nine points in three playoff games.
Third in team scoring was Cody Florkowski with 17 points. He won the Team Favourite award.
“He keeps the guys pumped up constantly. Sometimes you have to keep him in control, but he keeps everyone pumped on the ice and in the dressing room.”
It wasn’t a night of just team awards, as Hawks Mike Tadjdeh won the league award for best goaltender.
Tadjdeh was only able to play five games this season, while rookie goaltender Chad Bachmeier played nine. Bachmeier’s performance this season earned him the team’s Rookie of the Year award.
Both goalies kept the team in most games this season, Rodin said.
“Our goaltending was way better this year,” Rodin said. Bachmeier “started out pretty rough … he’d never played senior hockey. He’s only 19 years old and just improved tremendously through the year.”
The Best Defenceman award went to Nathyn Mortlock, who put up nine points in 11 regular season games. He stepped up in the playoffs, recording eight points in three games.
“He’s another young guy, just 20 years old and has played a few games in the Western Hockey League, who’s just improving all the time.”
The final award of the season went to Mathew Roy for most improved. Roy had a similar amount of points last season, recording six last year and five this year, but he really grew as a player, according to Rodin.
Last season Roy was playing forward and this year he played defence, a position he is far more comfortable in.
“He works hard. He was a forward last year, but didn’t like it up there.”
Maple Creek finished fourth in the five-team league, with five wins and 11 losses.
The team was knocked out of its first-round survival series against the last-place Frontier Flyers.
The team will be mostly the same next season with a few additions. Rodin says he’s confident the team will improve.
“Next season we’re going to be better yet, definitely.”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.