Hockey players had been working all season toward chasing playoff goals with teammates, but the Covid-19 virus brought everything to a halt right as playoffs were heating up.
While there will be no Sutherland Cup handed out to the GOJHL champions, the league did hand out individual hardware and Kilty B’s captain Jacob Macdonald did not skate away empty-handed from his first junior hockey season.
The fleet-skating forward took home the Russell Masterson Memorial Award as the Golden Horseshoe Conference’s Most Valuable Player after putting up 33 goals and 77 points in 50 games this season. His 33 goals and 77 points ranked eighth in the 26-team GOJHL in each category.
The 19-year-old from Burlington was also recognized with the Brent Rubel Memorial Award as the Golden Horseshoe Conference’s Rookie of the Year.
Macdonald’s 77-point total led all GOJHL rookies, while Kilty B’s teammates Ellis Rickwood (62 points) and Steven Laforme (56 points) were third and fifth in the rookie scoring race, respectfully.
Macdonald was also named to the Golden Horseshoe First All-Star team, alongside forwards Andrew Bruno and Matthew Riva of the Niagara Falls Canucks, defencemen Ryan Wells of the Caledonia Corvairs and Joshua Urbshott of the St. Catharines Falcons.
Kilty B’s goaltender Justin Easter, who led the GOJHL with a .927 save percentage in 30 games, was named the goaltender on the First All-Star team. The six-foot-three Easter finished with a 19-9-1 record, four shutouts and a 2.27 goals-against average.
Creasemate Matteo Drobac also earned recognition as the goaltender on the division’s Rookie All-Star team. Drobac was fourth in the GOJHL with a .923 save percentage and finished with a 12-8-1 record, three shutouts and a 2.69 goals-against average.
Macdonald also earned a spot on the Rookie All-Star team.
