OUTLOOK - The Outlook Ice Hawks won the senior 'B' provincial championship back at the end of March, defeating Kindersley in a series of games that drew massive crowds and ending their season in perhaps the most fitting, Hollywood sports movie kind of way.
Now, at an awards night held at the Outlook Legion Hall on Saturday, May 28, the team looked back on that victory with fresh eyes and the coaching/management staff also honored players with a handful of awards.
The supper and award presentations at the hall were held after the team's golf tournament down at the Riverview Golf Club.
Following the roast beef meal, team staff consisting of head coach Bob Stephenson, assistant coach Randy Holmlund and team manager Royce Taylor took to the stage and began handing out the hardware. Stephenson made note to thank Blake and Hannah Taylor for all that they do to support the team, and also made special mention of Bill Stewart, thanking him for being there for the team and sharpening many skates at the Rec Plex.
The first award for Most Improved Player went to Alec Nieman, and Coach Stephenson said Nieman showed his fortitude immensely on the ice with the rest of the players.
"We thought that Alec was probably the player who learned that it takes a lot of moxy and a lot of grit to play with the big boys," said Bob. "He came up and really improved himself immensely, right from the start."
Ryan Keller was awarded Top Scorer, and Bob pointed out how his high skill level and attitude helped him nab the honor.
"We were more than fortunate to have him come and play with us," said Bob. "He played about half our games and still managed to win the scoring title! It was certainly an honor to have him out here; he's fun to watch, and I think anybody who watched those hockey games saw that he's pretty entertaining. He's our top scorer, to perhaps nobody's surprise!"
The Most Dedicated & Most Gentlemanly Player awards went to Rin Benny, who Stephenson credited for his commitment to the team and for the skills he brought out on the ice.
"These awards were interesting," said Bob. "I kind of like my gentlemanly players to have a little grit too, so I took that into account. I don't think he missed a game, and he traveled from Saskatoon everywhere we played. He gave us some really good plays night after night, and this is another guy who we were fortunate to come up with."
Collecting three awards was Luke Nukwama, who was named the Best Defensive Forward, Rookie of the Year, and the Fan Favorite. Stephenson said Luke never phoned it in and always gave it his all when it was time to suit up and play.
"He's the guy who bled the most on our team; literally, every night!" said Bob. "He never wavered, game after game and hurt or not, he always played the same speed. He took some solid hits this year, but he just kept coming. Certainly a dedicated guy, he's got a lot of moxy and likes to win. This guy was just fun to watch, and I heard that from people at other rinks. I appreciated his grit and his terrific talent."
Deciding who would be given the award for Top Defenseman was a bit of a dilemma because of the skills shown by those on the team. In the end, it was decided that two players would share the award, the 'two Logans': Logan Pyett and Logan Stephenson.
"Randy and I had a lot of discussion about this and we went back and forth," said Bob. "We were very fortunate to have both Pyett and Stephenson in the same hockey club. If you can get two top-notch defensemen playing for you, that solves a lot of problems for everybody right there. We couldn't make up our minds on who was better; when they're both on the ice, it's a whole different game."
"It is a whole team effort and I appreciate splitting the award with Logan," said Pyett, addressing everyone. "I feel like a hired gun, whereas Logan coming home and winning this championship for the town, he probably deserves it a lot more than me. I'm just very happy to be a part of it and I appreciate the honor."
"This was a remarkably special year," added Logan Stephenson. "I think anybody who came out to watch it and actually see it saw that. There were multiple times where we shouldn't have continued, but we somehow found a way to continue. To the fans; when we filled that place out, that's what it's all about! As a town, we got that rink full and we managed to do it. Thank you all for supporting us!"
Lastly, the award for Most Valuable Player was given to Jordy Jones, who Coach Bob credited with being someone who keeps improving their game and being that all-important presence that is needed on every team.
"I had some ways that I was thinking about this, and Randy and I agreed on it," said Bob. "When I'm coaching, it's the guys that will step up and do things for you, they fill a gap for you and they're just a cog in that machine. Without them, I guarantee that we'd lose. This guy just seemed to get better and better, and I think that's why I thought without him, we would've been in trouble. It's that little cog that filled the gap for us."
"I didn't expect this, but Logan told me that if I won anything, I'd have to tell three stories!" said Jordy. "This year was wild. We deserved to win, but we probably shouldn't have won. Three things I thought I'd never see in my life: Logan Stephenson leaving at intermission because the movie theatre wasn't working; Ryan Husband leaving during the glass breakage to find his phone that was smashed on the street; and one time, a phone was laying in the net because it turns out the goalie had it in his pad. This is wild; I didn't expect this because I didn't think I was going to play this year. I decided to play, and it turns out that we got it done!"
