Knox named CIS player of the year

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ANTIGONISH, NS โ€” As part of last weekโ€™s Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) womenโ€™s hockey championship, the top players in Canada were recognized through the announcement of the major award winners as well as the national all-star selections.

Laurier goalie Liz Knox took home the biggest prize of the evening, being named CIS player of the year, becoming the first Golden Hawk in womenโ€™s hockey history to win the award.

โ€œItโ€™s a great feeling,โ€ said Knox, who was also named a CIS first-team all-Canadian. โ€œJust in this tournament, weโ€™ve seen a lot of great players and thereโ€™s so much more talent throughout the league, so it makes me feel really honoured to be recognized with them.โ€

Knox was already named the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) player of the year and a first-team provincial all-star in late February, after a season in which she was by far the top goaltender in the CIS, leading the nation in goals against average (0.89), save percentage (.960), wins (24) and shut-outs (11).

Her 11 shut-outs not only set a new OUA single-season record, but also tied the CIS milestone set by McGillโ€™s Charline Labonte, who has won two gold medals with Canadaโ€™s national team.

โ€œA goalie like Liz Knox allows you to do so much,โ€ said Laurier head coach Rick Osborne. โ€œFrom a coaching perspective, I know that I can try anything, I can try a new system and if it fails, Knoxyโ€™s there.โ€

In addition to her on-ice contributions, Osborne notes how valuable Knoxโ€™s presence is to the Hawksโ€™ dressing room.

โ€œSheโ€™s an outstanding leader,โ€ he said. โ€œ[Team captain Andrea] Ironsideโ€™s a great leader, and Knoxyโ€™s a great leadership partner for her, she just blends right in with the other veterans. Sheโ€™s very inspirational and she means a lot to our team off the ice.โ€

2009-10 was Knoxโ€™s fourth year at Laurier, and whether or not it will prove to be her last is still in question. She still has one more year of eligibility, and when asked about her future after the Hawksโ€™ bronze medal win on Sunday afternoon, Knox simply answered, โ€œWeโ€™ll see.โ€

Whether she will don the Golden Hawk uniform for another season or not, Knox looks back fondly on the time she has spent at Laurier.

โ€œItโ€™s meant so much to me,โ€ she said. โ€œIโ€™ve really come a long way since my first year, and Iโ€™ve met a lot of really great people and friends that Iโ€™m going to keep for a life time. Itโ€™s been a pleasure.โ€

Also honoured by the CIS last week was Hawksโ€™ first-year centre Candice Styles. Styles was named to the CIS all-rookie team after already winning the OUAโ€™s rookie of the year award three weeks ago. The native of Orangeville, ON racked up eight goals and 12 assists this season, playing the majority of the year on the top line.


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