AGM & Awards Banquet

THE JR. MINERS SAY GOODBYE TO 5 GREAT GUYS AND THE SENIORS ANNOUNCE THEIR FIRST MVP

The Miners Lacrosse Club held their AGM and Awards Luncheon at the Chateau Louis Convention Centre. The AGM was a smooth affair with only one member not returning to the board. We say good bye and thank you to Linda Pellis for her efforts throughout her tenure as Vice President. She was a very valuable contributor.  The remaining board members have agreed to stay on and we are looking forward to a successful season at both the Senior and Junior level.

We want to congratulate the Senior Miners on their successful campaign in 2010 winning the provincial championship and proving they are right up there at the national level with a very competitive effort at the Presidents Cup. The Seniors announced their first winner of their MVP award. Nate Schmidt had a great season coming out of the front gate for the Miners and lead the league in points. He was also a major reason for their success in the play offs and the national championship.

One of the hardest things to do in Junior A lacrosse is to say good-bye to graduating players especially when they are not just good lacrosse players but also great people. This year the Miner lose, Kevin Wallin, Patrick Williams, AJ Pellis, Ben Contenti and Jordan Wheaton because of age restrictions. Each of these players was a positive contributor to our organization and their talents on the floor and their personalities off the floor will be missed by teammates, coaches and staff. Kevin Wallin was the leading scorer in the RMLL Junior A league and was always game to be out in important situations. As a result he scored a lot of important goals. Patrick Williams came to Edmonton from Lethbidge and had a huge learning curve ahead of him. On top of that he was asked to play a more defensive role which was foreign to him but credit to him as he took the task on with zeal and did an admirable job. The Miners will have a hole to fill now that AJ Pellis will be plying his trade at the senior level. AJ was one of the few players on the Miners that had an outside shot that other teams worried about. He was a key contributor on the Miners offence and really took a leadership position in the last two years. The winner of the Matt Dickerson award (player showing heart and determination), Ben Contenti was a solid contributor his whole time with the Miners but really showed his character this year when he was asked to play a more defensive role. Without blinking an eye he jumped into the position and became a key defender for us. He will be a solid addition for any senior team. Finally but not least we say a heartfelt good bye to Jordan Wheaton who gave a 150% effort each game and made everyone of his shifts count. He never took a shift off. Jordan proved to be a great team member. All of these players became leaders and there will now be a void to be filled but we are excited with those that remain and some new up and coming players.

Winners of the awards this year were;

Junior Team

Rookie of the Year  - Scott Kavalinas

Offensive Player of the Year – Kevin Wallin

Defensive Player of the Year – Riley Campbell

Matt Dickerson Award – Ben Contenti

MVP – Scott Kavalinas

Senior Team

MVP – Nate Schmidt

Let the 2011 season begin.