Lovell nominated for Rookie of the Year honors

Calgary Inferno forward Elana Lovell has been nominated for the CWHL's Rookie of the Year Award, as announced by the league Thursday afternoon.

Lovell has been an integral part of the Inferno's offense this season, tying Brianne Jenner for the team lead in points with 24 (14 goals, 12 assists) in 24 games played. She is up against Montreal's Katia Clement-Heydra and Brampton's Rebecca Vint for the honor of being the league's top first-year player.

Jenner had been mistakenly named a nominee prior to the official announcement, in a press release issued Wednesday; however, as she had played for the NWHL's Mississauga Chiefs (who were later absorbed into the CWHL) before attending Cornell, she is rendered ineligible for nomination. Therefore, with no other nominations for the Inferno, Lovell is the only Calgary representative for the CWHL Awards.

The Awards Gala will be held Friday, March 11 in Ottawa, prior to the Clarkson Cup Final. Keep checking Matchsticks and Gasoline for Awards and Clarkson Cup coverage. In the meantime, here's a full list of nominees*:

Rookie of the Year:

Defender of the Year:

Goalie of the Year:

League MVP:

*In addition, the Angela James Bowl (for the CWHL's top scorer) goes to Les Canadiennes' Marie-Philip Poulin, and the Chairman's Trophy for regular season champions goes to Les Canadiennes de Montreal.

by Angelica Rodriguez