Wednesday, March 23, 2011

PICARD NAMED CIS TOP PLAYER

FREDERICTON – Former Saint John Sea Dogs star Alexandre Picard-Hooper took home a big honour Wednesday night at the CIS Awards Banquet in Fredericton.

The third-year McGill Redmen forward won the Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy as the CIS Player of the Year.

According to the Montreal Gazette, “in 28 conference games, the first-team all-Canadian scored 11 goals, with 47 assists, which was also the best in Canada and two shy of the school record set by George Burnett in 1982-83.”

"Alex is a skilled, crafty centre who is very smart and good at both ends of the ice," said Redmen coach Kelly Nobes to the Canadian Press. "He has eyes in back of his head and makes guys around him better."

In 246 career Quebec Major Junior Hockey League games with Saint John and the Baie-Comeay Drakkar, Picard registered 137 goals and 186 assists. Traded to Saint John on September 18, 2007, the sniper had 23 goals and 45 assists in 58 games.

Picard helped a young and inexperienced Sea Dogs team go all the way to the QMJHL semi-finals before bowing out to the powerful Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in four games. He was part of a solid 20-year trio that also featured 42-goal scorer Scott Howes and arguably the best goaltender in club history in Travis Fullerton.

The Montreal native has always done well academically, winning the scholastic player of the year award in 2007.

The Redmen, meanwhile, have a lot of work to do this week as they battle for the Cavendish University Cup Championship at the Aitken University Centre in New Brunswick’s capital city. The team will play in the tough Pool B with the Alberta Golden Bears and the AUS runner-ups, the St. Francis Xavier X-Men.

Pool A consists of Travis Fullerton and the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds, the Western Mustangs, and the Calgary Dinos.

McGill begins the tournament tomorrow afternoon against the X-Men. A full schedule can be found HERE. All games will be webcasted on the SSN Network and broadcasted on CHSR Radio. Saturday and Sunday games will be on Rogers Sportsnet.

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