Tigers Officially Wrap up Season with Awards Night
March 25, 2016 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Medicine Hat Tigers News Release
Medicine Hat, AB -- The Medicine Hat Tigers played a hard fought Game 73 at the Canalta Centre Tuesday night, losing to the Edmonton Oil Kings to miss the post season for the first time in 13 seasons. On Thursday night the season came to an official close as the Tigers handed out their hardware at the annual Awards Banquet hosted by the Medicine Hat Lodge.
The night consisted of bringing sponsors, parents, billets, game day staff, Hockey Hounds members and many others together one last time before everyone goes their separate ways for the summer break.
It was a bitter sweet event for the Tigers for 20 year old Ty Stanton who's WHL career came to an end but inked a contract with the Toronto Marlies (AHL) for next season and will be heading to Ontario to join the organization for the remainder of the season Friday. Brian Williams and Mack Shields had short tenures with the Tigers but were impactful in their time in the Gas City. The trio were showered with praise for their long standing careers in the league, with the hardest part saying goodbye to teammates and lifelong friends.
The awards began with some of the easier trophies in the Most Goals award and Leading Scorer. The winners were obviously chosen before the tie breaker game as Max Gerlach and Chad Butcher took home the two awards.
The most anticipated award of the night for any sports team is the Most Valuable Player and this season the Tigers decided to share the award with three spectacular teammates and friends. Ty Stanton logged countless minutes during each game, sometimes fans felt like he didn't leave the ice. Nick Schneider was always on his game, especially down the stretch, leading the Tigers to a 7-3-0-0 record in their past 10 games to force a tie breaker. Finally, leading scorer Chad Butcher, who was relied upon to lead a young offensive core, shone with his precision passing and leadership. The three players were always looked upon to score big goals or make the big play when needed, making it an easy choice to be MVP's for this season.
Take a look at the other award winners from Thursday's banquet:
Top Rookie
Sponsored by MY 96 FM
Winner: Max Gerlach
Unsung Hero
Sponsored by CHAT 94.5 FM
Winners: David Quenneville
Most Valuable Player
Sponsored by Medicine Hat Lodge
Winners: Ty Stanton, Nick Schneider & Chad Butcher
Most Improved Player
Sponsored by MacLean, Wiedemann LLP
Winner: Alex Mowbray
Top Defensive Forward
Sponsored by Medicine Hat Co-op
Winner: Steven Owre & Mason Shaw
Cliff Bast Memorial Best Defenceman
Sponsored by Laurie Ann's Fashion Boutique
Winner: Ty Stanton
Three Stars Award
Sponsored by Contact Automation
Winner: Nick Schneider
Gerard Moyer Memorial Team Leadership Award
Sponsored by Lanny McDonald
Winner: Ty Stanton
Most Goals
Sponsored by Trophy World
Winner: Max Gerlach
Leading Scorer
Sponsored by Medicine Hat News
Winner: Chad Butcher
Community Service Award
Sponsored by 20/20 Vision Care
Winner: Mark Rassell & Alex Mowbray
Hardest Working Player
Sponsored by Mr. Lube
Winner: Matt Bradley & Mason Shaw
Success Factors
Sponsored by Medicine Hat Tigers
Winner: Matt Bradley & Mason Shaw
Scholastic Player of the Year
Sponsored by ATB Financial
Winner: Ryan Jevne
The Tigers would like to congratulate the award winners and to the 22 young men who suited up for the orange black giving a great send off to the first regular season in the Canalta Centre.
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