By Adam Donnelly

Blazer hockey hands out hardware Friday night

Mar 16, 2019 | 12:41 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops Blazers handed out their annual awards before their final home game of the 2018/2019 regular season against the Prince George Cougars Friday night.

17-year-old Connor Zary won the MJB Most Improved Player Award. Zary has more than doubled his point total from last season, scoring 23 goals and adding 41 assists in his second full year on the Blazers.

Montana Onyebuchi won the Eldon Dever Trophy for the teams top defenceman. Onyebuchi has 5 goals and 15 assists in 2018/19 and has accumulated 122 penalty minutes the season. After 67 games, he was also a +13 for the Blazers.

Kamloops-born defenceman Jackson Caller took home the Rick Anderson Trophy for being the team’s unsung hero.

20-year-old forward Jermaine Loewen was recognized for three awards: the Blazers Booster Club Award for Community Service, the Bob Winters Memorial Trophy for Grinder of the Year, and the Dea Evason Award for Inspirational Leadership & Ability, which he shared with Brodi Stuart.

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There were also two MVP’s named for the season. Dylan Ferguson and Zane Franklin shared the CH Day Memorial Trophy for team MVP. Ferguson appeared in 49 games for the Blazers this year, posting a 3.01 GAA and a .908 save percentage and backstopping the Blazers to 17 wins. Franklin is the teams leading scorer, with 28 goals and 40 assists.

Here’s a full list of Kamloops Blazers’ awards recipients for the 2018/2019 season:

• MJB Most Improved Player Award – Connor Zary
• Fifth Avenue Jewellers Diamond in the Rough – Kyrell Sopotyk & Martin Lang
• Eldon Dever Trophy for Best Defenceman – Montana Onyebuchi
• Doris Rubel Award for Most Dedicated Player – Connor Zary & Brodi Stuart
• Blazers Booster Club Award for Community Involvement – Jermaine Loewen
• Bob Winters Memorial Trophy for Grinder of the Year – Jermaine Loewen
• George Steward Sr Award for Excellence in Hockey & Education – Dylan Garand
• Andy & Molly Colvechok Award for Rookie of the Year – Quinn Schmiemann & Josh Pillar
• Rick Anderson Memorial Trophy for Unsung Hero – Jackson Caller
• Dean Evason Award for Inspirational Leadership & Ability – Brodi Stuart & Jermaine Loewen
• Radio NL Three Star Award – Dylan Ferguson
• CH Day Memorial Trophy for MVP – Dylan Ferguson & Zane Franklin

Two awards – the Vern Seaman Award for Top Scorer and the Kamloops This Week Plus/Minus Award – were not handed out, as the top player in each category has yet to be determined.