MJHL hands out hardware

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This article was published 22/02/2019 (2133 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Members of the Swan Valley Stampeders and the league-leading Portage Terriers won four of the six Manitoba Junior Hockey League awards unveiled Friday.

Swan Valley left-winger Josh Tripp, who leads the MJHL scoring race with 79 points in 53 games, including 33 goals, was honoured as the league’s most valuable player, while teammate Quintin Sudom was named top defenceman.

Sudom, a 20-year-old Fort McMurray, Alta., product, leads all defencemen with 16 goals and 55 points in 50 games. Tripp, a 20-year-old playing in his hometown, was also named a first-team league all-star. Both Tripp and Sudom were named first-team stars.

Terriers head coach Blake Spiller captured the Muzz McPherson Award as top coach while 16-year-old Portage blue-liner Owen Murray was named top rookie.

Murray, who comes from Decker, has 36 points, including eight goals, in 50 games while playing on Portage’s first blue-line pairing.

In other categories, Ben Dalke of the Virden Oil Capitals was named winner of the Frank McKinnon Memorial Trophy, which recognizes outstanding hockey ability.

The 20-year-old forward from LaSalle, now in his fourth and final season, has played his entire MJHL career with the Oil Capitals. He hopes to attend a post-secondary school in the fall and continue playing hockey. Dalke has registered a league-high 18 power-play assists and has 21 goals and 54 points in 57 games.

Meanwhile, the Ed Belfour Top Goaltender Award was handed out to Jeremy Link of the Winnipeg Blues.

Link, a 20-year-old Winnipeg product, finished in a tie with Steinbach’s Matt Radomsky in voting for first-team all-star honours. Link has a 24-15-2 record, .933 save percentage, 2.37 goals-against average and four shutouts.

— staff