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The Calgary Inferno's own Elana Lovell came away with the Rookie of the Year Award from the CWHL during its Awards Gala Friday evening at the Brookstreet Hotel in Ottawa.
With 26 points over the course of her first season (14 goals, 12 assists), Lovell was a key part of the Inferno's offense for much of the season leading up to the All-Star Break. She fit in well alongside Brianne Jenner and also proved to be a weapon on the power play, with seven points there (3 G, 4 A).
Other winners of the night included:
Defender of the Year: Laura Fortino, Brampton Thunder
Called it! With her incredible offensive production and playmaking this season, it was practically a no-brainer that Fortino would get top defensive honors in just her second season in the CWHL.
Goaltender of the Year: Charline Labonte, Les Canadiennes de Montreal
Though Genevieve Lacasse made a strong case for the trophy with her tremendous play and even bigger resolve over the course of the Boston Blades' season, Labonte had the best numbers, and overall is still top dog in this league.
MVP: Marie Philip-Poulin, Les Canadiennes de Montreal
Surprised? Hardly. Poulin raised the game in the CWHL once more with her absolute dominance on the ice, and it will be exciting to see what she brings on Sunday during the Clarkson Cup, as well as in the future. (Note: Poulin also won the Angela James Bowl for top scorer and the Jayna Hefford Trophy (presented by the Team Canada legend).
Coach of the Year: Tyler Fines, Brampton Thunder
A well-deserved win for a coach who has been able to turn his squad from bottom-feeder to bringing Calgary a few scares in the playoffs. The Thunder were certainly capable of forcing a Game Three in the semis; unfortunately for them, that didn't happen, but kudos to Fines for bringing this club together and helping make it a really fun one to watch.
Humanitarian Award: Lisa-Marie Breton-Lebreux, Les Canadiennes de Montreal
From player and league co-founder to now coach with Les Canadiennes, Breton-Lebreux has done tremendous work to grow the sport among girls and women, not the least through her own work with the CWHL to help build the league into a professional entity.
Les Canadiennes were also honored with the Chairman's Trophy for having the league's best regular-season record (21-3-0).