Defenceman Josh Deyell (left), accepts the Jim Little Memorial Award from Derek Little and Andrea Little, along with Finn McHaig (front). Photo submitted

It was an opportunity to reflect and look ahead as the Saugeen Shores Winterhawks held the annual awards banquet Friday at Lakeshore Recreation in Port Elgin.

In a Winterhawks media release, Miles MacLean took home two awards, capturing the Leading Scorer Award for the second-consecutive season, netting 29 points in 20 games.

MacLean was also named the Most Valuable Player of the Regular Season, while Jeff Flagler picked up MVP honours for the playoffs after an outstanding run in the Winterhawks net.

Other award winners included:

Community Service Award: Andy Mitchell
Jim Little Memorial Award (Rookie of the Year): Josh Deyell
Corry Solomway Memorial Award (Perseverance, Sportsmanship & Dedication to Hockey): Michael Johnstone
Best Defensive Player: Andy Fracz
Top Defenceman: Trevor Smith
Most Dedicated Winterhawk: Austin McLaren
Most Dedicated Player: James McHaig

Head Coach Matt Turcotte said it was a good learning experience for himself in his first season behind the Winterhawks bench, but made expectations known going forward.

“This year was a bit of a learning curve but I think there’s only one vision now and that’s to go to the dance and win it all,” said Turcotte. “That’s my only goal for next year, to win it all.”

Winterhawks President Gord Lamont told the crowd there will surely be changes coming to the WOAA Sr. Hockey League. He explained the current system of using residency to determine player eligibility is likely to be replaced by a system using a player’s past hockey experience.

Though the proposal won’t be voted on until the league's annual general meeting in late June, Lamont explained teams would only be allowed a certain number of players who played professionally, for example.

More details will be shared once the new format is made official.

The Winterhawks would like to thank all the fans and sponsors who made it possible to put a team on the ice this season.

The 2019/20 schedule and season ticket information will be released later this summer.

Captain Trevor Smith accepts the Top Defenceman Award from Head Coach Matt Turcotte. Photo submitted

Goaltender Jeff Flagler is presented with the Most Valuable Player (Playoffs) from Vice-President Gord MacKay. Photo submitted