SCWHL award winners announced

The South Coast Women’s Hockey League announced its award winners during the EKanite Consulting/SCWHL Provincial Championship Tournament in Hope, where Cassidy Bell was named the league’s Most Outstanding Player.

The 25 year-old defender for the North Shore Rebels was an offensive force, finishing third in the SCWHL scoring race in both goals (12) and points (21). A native of Baldonnel, BC (just outside of Fort St. John), Bell joined the Rebels after five years (2016-21) with U Sport’s  McGill Marlets.

At the EKanite Consulting/SCWHL Provincial Championship tournament in Hope, Bell netted three goals and a pair of assists in four games played to lead the Rebels to its first-ever BC championship.

Natasha Steblin of the Fraser Valley Jets earned the Most Outstanding Defender award. The former University of Alberta Panda (2013-16) was second in league scoring with 10 goals and 27 points in 22 games played. The Richmond native was also a second-team SCWHL All-Star in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

After leading all SCWHL netminders in goals-against average (GAA) and save percentage (PCT), Megan Buchanan of the Meadow Ridge Moose was voted the Most Outstanding Goaltender.
From Stittsville, ON, Buchanan played in 14 regular season games and posted a 1.79 GAA and a .938 PCT.

After playing with the Chatham University Cougars (2011-14) in Pittsburgh, PA, Buchanan joined the SCWHL with the Island Surge for the 2017-18 season, moving to the Moose in 2019-20.

Melanie Jue of the Fraser Valley Jets was the league’s Top Scorer, netting 36 points (14 goals) in 22 games played. Jue, from Richmond, BC, was in her first season in the SCWHL after playing four seasons in the NCAA with the Cornell University Big Red (2006-2010) and four years in China with the KRS Vanke Rays (2017-21).

Jue, Steblin, Bell and Buchanan were joined on the SCWHL First All-Star Team by forwards Sydney Kreps of the Meadow Ridge Moose and Shea Weighill of the South Fraser TNT.

Named to the Second All-Star Team were goaltender Melinda Choy of the TNT, defenders Kirsten Langston and Whitney Dove of the Moose, and forwards Emily Jude of the Moose, Taralynn Suzuki of the TNT and Jessica Sibley of the Rebels.