NEWS

OJHL Alumni Jimmy Sarjeant and Justin Danforth were the big winners last night at the annual Atlantic Hockey year-end Awards Ceremony, taking home Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year respectively.

AHA Player of the Year & Regular Season Goaltending Trophy
Jimmy Sarjeant (Mercyhurst) - Newmarket, 2007-11
(pictured left - photo credit: Vaughn Winchell/Mercyhurst Athletics)
The Aurora, Ontario native joined the Hurricanes full-time in 2008-09 after playing two games as an affiliate the previous year. During three full seasons with the Hurricanes, Sarjeant would dramatically improve upon his performance each year, lowering his goals against average from 3.35 to 2.20 to a stellar 1.97 in 2010-11.  The 1.97 GAA was the 14th best in league history to finish as runner-up as the Goaltender-of-the-Year and be named a North-West Conference 1st Team All-Star, while also posting a league best .937 save percentage.  The 2009-10 season saw Sarjeant led the Hurricanes to the CCHL title, before falling in six games during the OHA Buckland Cup Final to the Oakville Blades and he followed that up by leading his teammates to the OJHL regular season championship in 2010-11.

AHA Rookie of the Year
Justin Danforth (Sacred Heart) - Cobourg, 2009-13
(pictured right - photo courtesy of Sacred Heart Athletics)
The speedy 5’8”, 177 lbs. forward was born and raised in Oshawa, Ontario, playing the tail-end of his minor hockey career with the Oshawa Generals Midget ‘AAA’ program.  He would get his first taste of junior hockey during his final season of minor hockey, getting the call to play three games as an affiliate with the nearby Cobourg Cougars.  Danforth would make an impression on management in Cobourg and turn that trial-run into a full-time opportunity the following year, 2010-11.

He would make an immediate impact with the club, recording 13 goals and 36 points in 47 games played, including a pair of shorthanded goals and his efforts did not go unnoticed as he was selected as the Cougars Fan Favourite following his rookie year.

The 2011-12 season saw Danforth play a key role in helping the Cougars to the best season in franchise history, finishing second in the always tough East Division standings with a 37-9-3 record for 77 points.  The forward’s speed also made an impression on the coaching staff for Team Canada East as he was selected to join the defending silver medalist at the 2011 World Junior ‘A’ Challenge held in Langley, B.C.  Danforth would record one goal during the tourney as Canada East first upset the defending champion U.S. in the semi-final before ultimately falling to Canada West 4-2 in the championship game to win a second consecutive silver medal.  Upon his return to Cobourg, he would then be selected to represent the OJHL East Division All-Stars at the inaugural Central Canada Cup All-Star Challenge and would finish the season with 22 goals and 49 points in 41 games played, but were upset in the playoffs by the Whitby Fury.

Last season saw Danforth as one of the club’s veterans and undisputed leaders, wearing an ‘A’ on his chest, and he did not disappointed, leading the Cougars in scoring with 34 assists and 56 points in 43 games played.  The December runner-up for Gongshow Gear North-East Conference Player-of-the-Month, he once again represented Team Canada East at the World Junior 'A' Challenge, although would come home empty-handed this time following a disappointing fourth place finish.  He would also represent the OJHL East Division All-Stars for the second consecutive year at the Central Canada Cup, taking home Tournament MVP honours while leading his team to victory.  He recorded another 14 points in 9 post-season contests and the eight-seeded Cougars upset the OJHL regular season champion Trenton Golden Hawks in the first round of the playoffs.  Following the season, Danforth was voted the Cougars leader in OJHL Fan Favourite balloting and he was named a 2nd Team All-Star.

Congratulations to both on the awards and best of luck to all our OJHL graduates competing for the Atlantic Hockey Championship this weekend in Rochester, New York!

---

Below is the official press release from the Atlantic Hockey website (www.atlantichockeyonline.com):

The Atlantic Hockey Association handed out awards for the 2013-14 season on Thursday night at the league's annual championship weekend reception at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y.

The receptions serves as the opening ceremony for the Atlantic Hockey championship weekend, which will take place Friday and Saturday, also at Blue Cross Arena.

The majority of the awards are based on voting between the league's 12 head coaches. The final three trophies – the scoring title, regular season goaltending trophy and team sportsmanship award – are awarded based on in-conference statistics.

Mercyhurst goaltender Jimmy Sarjeant took home top honors as the Atlantic Hockey Association Player of the Year. Justin Danforth of Sacred Heart earned Rookie of the Year honors, and Mercyhurst head coach Rick Gotkin was voted Coach of the Year.

Sarjeant becomes the third goaltender to be named AHA Player of the Year in league history. It is also the second-straight season a goaltender has won the award. Sarjeant posted a 14-0-5 record, with a 2.00 goals against average, .943 save percentage and one shutout. He played a key role in helping the Lakers win the regular season title and earn the top seed in the Atlantic Hockey tournament.

Danforth led the Pioneers in scoring during his rookie campaign with 28 points, netting five goals along with 23 assists. He also finished the season tied for points in league games amongst rookies, helping Sacred Heart win 10 more games than they did last season.

In his 26th season at the helm of the Mercyhurst men's program, Gotkin led his team to a 17-4-6 record in conference play, earning the AHA regular season trophy and the number one seed in the tournament. This is his first time being named Atlantic Hockey Coach of the Year.

Mercyhurst's Dan O'Donoghue was named the league's top defensive forward, recognized by the league's coaches for his strong play against the opposition's top scorers, as well as his work on special teams. O'Donoghue scored nine goals and added 17 helpers for 26 points. Another Laker, Nick Jones, was named the top defenseman in the league, scoring 23 points on four goals and 19 assists, while posting a plus-18 rating.

Two players were selected by the coaches for the Individual Sportsmanship Award, which is given to players that show class not only to his opponents, but to league officials as well. Jason Fabian from the Air Force Academy, and Nick Jones from Mercyhurst both received the honor this season. Fabian posted just four penalty minutes this season, with seven goals and nine assists. Jones scored four goals and added 19 assists, with a plus-18 rating and eight penalty minutes.

The final three honors, listed below, are based on statistics and are not voted on by the coaches. Bentley's Brett Gensler earned the Atlantic Hockey Association Scoring Trophy. Gensler scored 40 points, 15 goals and 25 assists, in conference games this season.

The regular season goaltending trophy was awarded to Mercyhurst's Jimmy Sarjeant. Sarjeant posted a 14-0-5 record, with a 2.00 goals against average, .943 save percentage and one shutout. He played a key role in helping the Lakers win the regular season title and earn the top seed in the Atlantic Hockey tournament.

The final award not voted on by the coaches is the team sportsmanship award. This season, American International College earned the award after averaging a league-low eight penalty minutes per game.

The Atlantic Hockey Association championship weekend kicks off tomorrow, with two semi-final games. Top-seed Mercyhurst will face Canisius in the first game, set for 4:05 p.m. Robert Morris and Niagara will then square off in the second game, with faceoff scheduled for an hour after the end of the first game.