MONTREAL – Samuel Labrecque of Granby, Que., added two more awards to his trophy case as the McGill University men's hockey team officially wrapped up their 140th season on Friday, with their annual Friends of McGill Hockey gala, held before more than 100 alumni and supporters at La Brasserie Molson.

Among the alumni on hand was former Tampa Bay assistant coach Martin Raymond, ex-Montreal Canadiens left-winger Mathieu Darche, who served as master of ceremonies and Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock, who delivered an inspiring keynote speech about the importance of passion , perseverance and the idea of embracing being uncomfortable.
 
Labrecque received the Dr. Bobby Bell Memorial Bowl, which has been presented since 1950 to the team's most valuable player. The 5-foot-6, 182-pound rearguard also garnered the Molson Cup, presented since 1981 to the player with the most three-star selections.
 
Other major awards went to freshman defenceman Dominic Talbot-Tassi (rookie of the year) of Mascouche, Que., and  first-year forward Daniel Milne (most improved player) of Unionville, Ont.
 
The evening wrapped up with an emotional send-off to the team's five graduating seniors, namely Labrecque, in addition to alternate captains Liam Heelis (MA; sport psychology) of Georgetown, Ont., and Vincent Barnard (BCom.; finance), a defenceman from Sept-Iles, Que., plus forwards Jonathan Bonneau (MSc; kinesiology) of Sherbrooke, Que., and David Rose (BA; economics) of St. Hubert, Que.

Head coach Kelly Nobes presented each with the traditional McGill necktie, a framed photo portrait, a pewter mug and their personal game jersey.
 
Labrecque led the team in overall scoring with 55 points, including 21 goals, in 41 games. The 24-year-old rearguard merited OUA East all-star status, was voted the OUA East Defenceman of the Year, earned CIS first-team All-Canadian honours and won the Forbes Trophy last week as McGill's male athlete of the year. A second-year economics student in his final year of eligibility after transferring from Clarkson University, Labrecque, was picked as one of the three stars in 12 games. Over his two seasons with the Redmen, Labrecque tallied 39 goals and 86 points in 81 games overall, to go along with just 22 minutes in penalties.

Talbot-Tassi, a 5-foot-8, 181-pound blueliner, was presented with the Friends of McGill Hockey Trophy, which has been offered since 1970 to the top rookie. The 22-year-old civil engineering freshman dressed in all 41 contests, finished second in team scoring with an impressive 13-39-52 record and incurred only two penalty minutes. He merited OUA and CIS All-Rookie status and was named last week as the McGill University rookie of the year over all sports.
 
Milne, a 22-year-old civil commerce freshman, received the Albert Fyon Trophy, which has been awarded annually since 1953 to the most improved player. A 5-foot-10, 191-pound forward who previously played for Owen Sound Attack in the OHL, he registered 35 points, including 17 goals in 40 games, to go along with 34 penalty minutes.
 
The soiree concluded a solid campaign for the Redmen, who finished second in the nine-team OUA East Division with a 21-5-2 record. Overall, the team produced a 25-16-0 mark, swept Concordia in the OUA East quarter-finals but saw their season come to an abrupt end in overtime against Carleton in the divisional semifinals. The Redmen iced a lineup that featured 10 freshmen, six sophomores, four juniors and eight seniors.


SOURCE:
 
Earl Zukerman
Sports Info Officer
McGill University Athletics & Recreation
514-398-7012
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca