McGill defenceman Dorion named OUA East player of the year

(Photo of Marc-Andre Dorion by Andrew Dobrowolskyj)

MONTREAL - Marc-André Dorion, a native of St. Hubert, Que., and a senior on the McGill University men's hockey team, has been named player of the year and defenceman of the year in the OUA East, as well as earning all-star status for the third straight season.

It marks the third consecutive year that a member of the Redmen has earned League MVP honours.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound blueliner, who has had tryouts with the NHL teams, had a standout year for the defending Queen's Cup champs and University Cup finalists. He led all CIS defenceman with 39 points, including seven goals, in 28 games, becoming the first rearguard in school history to lead the Redmen in scoring. He has also established McGill career records for most goals, assists and points by a defenceman with a 37-148-185 record in 168 games overall.

Dorion, a fourth-year physical education major, was only penalized twice (both minors) and was a contributing factor in McGill having the second-best defensive record in the nation (2.20 goals against average).

He is the first defenceman in over a decade to be awarded OUA East MVP honours. A two-time All-Canadian, he was the CIS defenceman of the year in his sophomore campaign.

The No. 2-ranked Redmen, who finished atop the OUA standings with a 22-4-2 record, also had two second-team all-stars.

Fourth-year netminder Hubert Morin of St. Georges de Beauce, Que., made the squad for the second consecutive year. He registered a 13-4 record with four shutouts in 17 starts, posting a league-leading 2.04 goals against average and a .921 save percentage.

Francis Verreault-Paul, a senior forward from Mashteuiatsh, Que., was voted to the second team, after spending two seasons as a first-team all-star. The former league MVP led the OUA in goals for the third straight season, finding the net 21 times in just 23 games played. He ended up 11th in the OUA scoring race with 34 points.

OUA EAST DIVISION MAJOR AWARD WINNERS AND ALL-STARS

MAJOR AWARD WINNERS

MVP - Marc-André Dorion (McGill)
Defenceman of the Year - Marc-André Dorion (McGill)
Top Goaltender - Riley Whitlock (Queen's)
Top Rookie - Cory Bureau (Queen's)
Randy Gregg Award nominee - Jonathon Lawrance (Queen's)
Most Sportsmanlike - Matthieu Methot (Ottawa)
Coach of the Year - Darren Lowe (Toronto)

FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS

G - Riley Whitlock (Queen's)
D - Marc-André Dorion (McGill)
D - Pierre-Luc Lessard (UQTR)
F - Brandon MacLean (Carleton)
F - Felix Petit (UQTR)
F - George Lovatsis (Concordia)

SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS

G - Hubert Morin (McGill)
D - Brodie Beard (Nipissing)
D - Eric Begin (Concordia)
F - Francis Verreault-Paul (McGill)
F - Byron Elliott (Toronto)
F - Michael Stinziani (Concordia)

ALL ROOKIE TEAM

G - Russell Abbott (Ottawa)
D - Matt Stanisz (Carleton)
D - Brian Birkhoff (Ryerson)
F - Cory Bureau (Queen's)
F - Alexandre Touchette (Ottawa)
F - Scott Domenico (RMC)

2011-12 OUA MEN'S HOCKEY WEST DIVISION MAJOR AWARD WINNERS

MVP: Keaton Turkiewicz (Western)
Top Rookie: Zach Harnden (Western)
Most Sportsmanlike: Chris Ray (Waterloo)
Randy Gregg award nominee: Kirt Hill (Waterloo)
Top Defenceman: Scott Aarssen (Western)
Top Goaltender: Josh Unice (Western)
Coach of the Year: Clarke Singer (Western)

2011-12 OUA MEN'S HOCKEY WEST DIVISION ALL-STARS

FIRST TEAM
F - Keaton Turkiewicz (Western)
F - Chris Ray (Waterloo)
F - Kevin Baker (Western)
D - Mike Quesnele (Lakehead)
D - Scott Aarssen (Western)
G - Josh Unice (Western)

SECOND TEAM
F - Jesse Messier (York)
F - Matt Caria (Lakehead)
F - Kirt Hill (Waterloo)
D - Mitch Fillman (Lakehead)
D - Steve Ferry (Windsor)
G - Ryan Daniels (Laurier)

ALL ROOKIE TEAM
F - Zach Harnden (Western)
F - Mike Hammond (Lakehead)
F - Evan Stibbard (Windsor)
D - Mitch Fillman (Lakehead)
D - Joe Underwood (Waterloo)
G - Andrew Perugini (York)

SOURCE:

Earl Zukerman

McGill Athletics & Recreation

514-398-7012