McGill grads Bettez and Ward receive CWHL awards on eve of Clarkson Cup championship
Ann-Sophie Bettez and Catherine Ward, both members of the Montreal Stars and former all-Canadians with the McGill University Martlets, were named rookie and defenceman of the year, respectively, in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, this week.
The Stars are currently 3-0 at the league’s national championship tournament for the Clarkson Cup and have advanced to Saturday’s title game, where they will meet the winner of Friday’s semifinal between Toronto and Brampton. The final is slated for a 2 p.m. start and will be televised live on TSN.
Bettez, a 25-year-old native of Sept-Iles, Que., finished second in the CWHL scoring race with 33 points, including 17 goals, in 23 games. She tallied three power-play markers, one shorthanded goal and three game-winners. With the Martlets, Bettez won CIS rookie of the year honours in 2007-08 and capped off a spectacular university career last spring by winning the Brodrick Trophy as CIS women's hockey player of the year and the prestigious BLG award as CIS female athlete of the year. Bettez is McGill’s all-time leader in goals, assists and points with a 148-175-323 record in 196 games overall.
Ward, a 26-year-old from Town of Mt. Royal, Que., was fourth among the CWHL’s rearguards with a 1-12-13 record and a plus-17 rating in 21 contests. She is a member of the “Triple Gold Club” as one of only a few women to win the Clarkson Cup, a gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games and gold at the IIHF world hockey championships. At McGill, Ward became the first Martlet to earn the CIS rookie-of-the-year honours. She graduated in only three years with a 35-103-138 record in 108 games overall, establishing school records for a defenceman in goals, assists and points. She was a three time CIS All-Canadian and in 2009 was named Tournament MVP at the CIS championships, leading McGill to CIS gold.
The two McGill grads are among nine former members of the Martlets currently skating for the Stars. Others include goaltenders Charline Labonté and Kim St. Pierre, plus defencemen Cathy Chartrand, Gillian Ferrari, Carly Hill and Alyssa Cecere, along with forward Vanessa Davidson. The team’s general manager, Meg Hewings, also played for the Martlets.
2012-13 CWHL MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
Rookie of the Year: Ann-Sophie Bettez (Montreal Stars)
Goaltender of the Year: Geneviève Lacasse (Boston Blades)
Defenceman of the Year: Catherine Ward (Montreal Stars)
Most Valuable Player: Hilary Knight (Boston Blades)
Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award: Sami Jo Small (Toronto Furies)
Humanitarian Award: Samantha Holmes-Domagala (CWHL operations assistant)
Angela James Bowl (regular season scoring champion): Meghan Agosta-Marciano (Montreal Stars)
Coach of the Year: Digit Murphy (Boston Blades)
2013 CLARKSON CUP CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Boston 3, Toronto 2
Montreal 5, Brampton 0
Thursday March 21, 2013
Boston 2, Brampton 0
Montreal 2, Toronto 0
Friday, March 22, 2013
Montreal 1, Boston 0 (OT)
Brampton vs. Toronto, 7:00 pm
Saturday, March 23, 2012
2:00 pm Championship Game (on TSN)
