NCJHL awards excellence at All-Star game

NCJHL Regular Season Champions and NCJHL Western Division Champions, the South Grenville Rangers, received their awards and banners at the NCJHL All-Star game February 14th in Metcalfe. Pictured above (l-r): Ron Harrison – Head Coach, Jordan Dodge – Alternate Captain, Brody Ranger – Captain, Cameron Dillon – Alternate Captain, Jordan Poulin – Alternate Captain, and Lucas Stitt – General Manager.

METCALFE – The National Capital Junior Hockey League handed out the hardware at a special ceremony at the opening of the league’s All Star game in Metcalfe February 14th.

Leading the awards was the South Grenville Rangers who received awards as the Regular Season Champions. The team finished first overall in the league with a record of 29 wins, 4 losses and 1 tie for 59 points. South Grenville also received the award for West Division champions, and Defensive Team of the year. The Rangers led the league in goals scored (199) and had the lowest goals against (69).

Last season’s champions, the Vankleek Hill Cougars, won the East Division with a record of 23 wins and 11 losses for 46 points.

Four members of the Rangers also won individual awards. Team general manager Lucas Stitt won Executive of the Year, and head coach Ron Harrison won Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. Forward Brayden Forestell was awarded Most Improved Player. Forestell nearly doubled his point production from the previous season scoring 45 points in the 2019-20 season including 20 goals, 6 of which were power-play goals, and 5 were game-winning-goals. Teammate Sam Limoges-Ring was named Goaltender of the Year. Limoges-Ring had a record of 13 wins, 2 losses, and 1 tie. He posted two shutouts and had a 2.34 goals against average in the regular season.

North Dundas Rockets forward Justin Lefebvre won two of the top honours in the league this season, Regular Season MVP, and Top Scorer. Lefebvre led the league with 32 goals this season, and added 40 assists. He had 5 power-play goals and 5 game-winners in his third season with North Dundas.

Rockets forward Joel Hunt was named Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year.

Nicholas Castonguay from the Cougars was awarded Best Defensive Player of the year, while teammate Keean McEachern was named Best Defenceman.

Rookie of the Year was Clarence Castors forward Jacob Servant. Andrew Hazard, from the Castors, was awarded the Bedard Family Award for being an unsung hero to the game. Individual awards were voted on by a meeting of representatives from each team in the league.

Executive of the Year – Lucas Stitt
Coach of the Year – Ron Harrison
Goaltender of the Year – Sam Limoges-Ring
Most Improved Player – Brayden Forestell

Defensive Forward of the Year – Nicholas Castonguay
MVP – Justin Lefebvre
Most Sportsmanlike of the Year – Joel Hunt
Top goal scorer – Justin Lefebvre
Jacob Servant – Rookie of the Year

Defenceman of the Year – Keean McEachran
NCJHL Eastern Division Champions – Vankleek Hill Cougars

*Note* This story was edited to correct the voting method for individual awards.

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