The inaugural regular season is over and playoffs are about to begin.  It's time to honor those who have made this campaign fun and successful in many different ways before the team tries to win a championship together. Here are the First Annual Moose Awards!

The Between the Pipes Award:  Let’s start with the most important position in hockey.  Kevin Kinnelly wins this award not because he was the only goalie, but because he dedicated his efforts to improving himself at a very difficult position. He played in all the games he was allowed to, keeping the games close and giving the team a chance to win.

The Reggie Dunlop Award:  This goes to the leader, Captain Jeff Lazuka.  He is a veteran player with substantial hockey IQ.   The DR Moose team and its activities would not exist without his dedicated efforts.

The Head and Shoulders Award: For beautiful flowing hockey hair.  Obvious choice here, Assistant Captain Andrew Szczepanski.

MVP:  A hard decision to make.  This group values team play over individual stats, but there are a few talented players that were considered. The winner is, Kyle Page.  Kyle made things look easy most of the time.  He was among the scoring leaders in all categories all season long.

The Lady Bing: A prestigious award for a gentlemanly player.  Veteran Ryan Renner is chosen because he was willing to learn and played in most of the games this year, playing hard every time he stepped on the ice, yet hardly ever did he make a boneheaded play or take a stupid penalty.  A tough task to accomplish in beer league.

The Dedication Award:  Brandon Siemens and Andrew Szczepanski are the most deserving for this one. Andrew has participated in all things Moose.   He has a deep passion for the team and the game.  He also has helped run the team flawlessly when the captain was absent.  Brandon was at every game this season and many off-ice activities. He was consistent and among the team scoring leaders.  Both of these guys made for excellent teammates.

#1 Fan:  This was the hardest award to determine due to the tremendous amount of support from many fans.  This year’s #1 fans are the kids, more specifically Keagan, Kylan, and Lilly!

Goon: Winner, Randy Baker!  Somehow Randy still managed to rack up tons of points even while sitting in the box for all those minutes. 

The D Award: They say Defense wins games.  This award is shared between Assistant Captain Joey MacDonald and Stefen DesJardins.  Strong plays, smart plays, big plays, they could do it all!  When they played together, there was no better D pairing in the league.

The Don Cherry Award: Goes to Mr. Joe MacDonald.  The reason is simple.  He showed up to watch most of the games, sun or snow, because he loves the sport.  His critique, good and bad, rivaled that of the flashy commentator and his input certainly helped shape the team for the better.

The Playmaker Award: Another split decision.  Eric Parker and Bill Edwards win this hands down.  They have been fun to watch all season.  Whether it was in the corners, on a breakaway or in the defensive zone, their hard work created countless chances and allowed them to be near the top of the stats list. 

The Hustler Award:  Everyone deserves this award but there are several skaters that stand out.  When they played, Danny Ribble, Mike Ellis, Chad Behrik and Travis Tabarez played hard.  They never worried about points and score sheets, they worried about making the right play which they did often.  Teams are always better with players like this.

The Fowler Award:  This is viewed as the most important of the Moose Awards.  It is an honor given to those who have excelled in the off-ice events such as the community service the team participates in.  The winners are veteran Brandon Malinowski, Bill Edwards and Kristen Lazuka.  Brandon has been a sturdy defenseman, yet he finds ways to generously give back.  He donated his time and lots of toys for the toy drive.  He always steps forward when these opportunities call.  Bill has been one of the most dependable guys on the ice, and it is no different in the community.  He was the only player to participate in every off ice activity this season.  Kristen has been somewhat of a team manager.  Not only has she showed up to watch the games alongside many other fans, but she has been a substantial part in starting the team and also planning and participating in the team’s events.  We are a better team and we live in a better community when we follow their lead.

There are many others that have shown us there support.  We thank you all, especially the significant others  (shout out to Katie, Chrystal, Brittany and Amy) that have watched our games, and our sponsors and affiliates who have helped us in many ways.  We look forward to many more successful seasons together.