QUICKLY
The University of Regina's women's hockey team collected two major conference awards on Tuesday morning as defender
Jules Stokes was named the Canada West Rookie of the Year and interim head coach
Brandy West-McMaster earned Canada West Coach of the Year honours.
STOKES BECOMES U OF R'S FIFTH ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
- Stokes played in all 28 Canada West games this season and led the conference's rookies in scoring, notching a pair of goals to go along with 9 assists for a total of 11 points.
- Originally from Terrace, B.C., Stokes joined the Cougars after three seasons with the Winnipeg-based RINK Hockey Academy. Mostly playing on a pairing with fellow rookie Meg Farmer, Stokes saw significant ice time in all situations for the U of R.
- Stokes becomes the fifth U of R player to be named the Canada West Rookie of the Year, joining Brandy West (1999), Erin Tady (2001), Karissa Swan (2006), and most recently Jaycee Magwood (2016). Tady and Swan both went on to be named the U SPORTS Rookie of the Year.
- "We didn't have a ton of experience returning to the blue line this year, but Jules stepped in and played a huge role for us right from day one. We put her in all sorts of situations and she rose to the challenge. Jules has great speed and a great willingness to compete, and her vision and shot from the point makes her such a well-rounded player. I can't wait to see how she continues to develop over her time at the U of R." - WestMcMaster
WEST-McMASTER NAMED COACH OF THE YEAR
- Named the U of R's interim head coach back in June, West-McMaster guided the Cougars into the postseason with an 11-12-5 conference record.
- West-McMaster is the second U of R coach to earn Canada West Coach of the Year honours, joining Sarah Hodges (2016).
- "We were so happy that Brandy was willing to step up and lead this team this season and I'm absolutely thrilled that she's has been named the Canada West Coach of the Year. Her team displayed so much heart this season, and to guide the Cougars back to the playoffs this year was truly impressive. Brandy is also a perfect role model for the team off the ice, inspiring her players to commit to excellence in the classroom and in the community as well." - Lisa Robertson, University of Regina Director of Sport, Community Engagement & Athlete Development
