It was a good thing Chase Witala was seated close to the Civic Centre stage Sunday for the Prince George Cougars awards banquet.
The 20-year-old left winger didn't have far to walk on the numerous occasions he was called up to receive an award.
Witala, who scored 40 goals and led the Cougars with 79 points, was chosen for the Dan Hamhuis Award as the team's most valuable player. The native of Prince George set franchise records for career goals (120) and points (239) and became the second Prince George Cougar ever to record back-to-back hat tricks, joining former captain Blake Robson in the team record book.
Witala also shared with goalie Ty Edmonds the Chris Mason Award for most three-star selections during games at home and on the road, and there was more still to come for Witala.
Cougars right winger Jesse Gabrielle was also a multiple award-winner. He took home the Troy Bourque Award as top offensive player and also the Dororthy Johnson Memorial Award (as voted by Cougar fans). The 18-year-old Boston Bruins draft pick, who joined the Cougars in an off-season trade from Regina, became the youngest P.G. Cougar ever to score 40 goals. Gabrielle played all 72 regular season games and finished with 75 points, second to Witala.
Stay-at-home defenceman Sam Ruopp, 19, was the Cougars' choice for the Eric Brewer Award as the top defenceman and in a poll of the players he won the Michael Fogolin Memorial Award. The Cougars captain collected four goals and 25 points and led the team in plus-minus ratings with a plus-25.
Centre Brogan O'Brien won the Brett Connolly Award as rookie of the year. The 18-year-old O'Brien, who joined the Cougars this season after one year of junior A with the Spruce Kings, was fifth in team scoring with 56 points, including 18 goals, in 71 games.
Rookie centre Justin Almeida, 17, won the Dr. Jeff Zorn Scholastic Award for academic excellence. Almeida, a student at PGSS, has maintained a 90 per cent-or-better average while also studying online courses.
Almeida, O'Brien, Luka Zorko, Kolby Johnson, Joel Lakusta and Bartek Bison received plaques which featured the mounted pucks each player used to score his first WHL career goal. Kody McDonald, Brad Morrison, and Witala also accepted awards to commemorate their hat-trick games this season.
Head coach Mark Holick was acknowledged for having coached his 400th WHL game in a career which started with the Kootenay Ice.
Witala, winger Luke Harrison and defenceman Joseph Carvalho, who are all coming to the end of their junior careers this spring, were each given their own game-worn jerseys as keepsakes. The Cougars 19-year-olds -- Edmonds, Ruopp, Colby McAuley and Shaun Dosanjh, received engraved watches from the team.
A crowd of about 300 fans, team staff, volunteers, parents and billet family members attended the inaugural event. Mayor Lyn Hall, Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond and Prince George- Cariboo-Prince George MP Todd Doherty, all diehard Cougar fans, were on hand to deliver speeches.
