SEA DOGS ANNOUNCE FINAL AWARDS
May 28, 2012
SAINT JOHN – The Saint John Sea Dogs announced their final two awards for the 2011-12 season Monday on Sea Dogs TV, the team’s official YouTube channel.
The Sea Dogs handed out several of the annual awards at a banquet before the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs but saved the two biggest – the Sun Life Global Investments Top Defenceman and the Bell Aliant Most Valuable Player – for last. President Wayne Long presented the trophies at the Sea Dogs dressing room in a short ceremony presented by Sea Dogs TV.
Forward Zack Phillips was awarded the Bell Aliant Most Valuable Player trophy after posting an 80-point season that included a team-best 50 assists. Phillips was a key player for the Sea Dogs, rattling off a 22-game points streak from Oct. 14 to Dec. 4, 2011, the longest in team history. The Fredericton native collected 13 goals and 41 points in that span, much of which the team spent without captain Jonathan Huberdeau. The Minnesota Wild prospect also wore the ‘C’ as interim captain in Huberdeau’s absence.
Meanwhile, Kevin Gagne captured the Sun Life Global Investments Top Defenceman award. The fourth-year veteran was a rock on the blueline for the President’s Cup champions, earning the nod as a “Steady Eddie” from Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino at the MasterCard Memorial Cup. Gagne set a career high with nine goals and 35 points, and was another player to fill in as an interim captain. The Edmundston native wore the ‘C’ for 11 games with several players away at NHL camps in the early going.
