WHKY: MRU athletes dominate in major awards announcement

CALGARY – Four of the six women's hockey major awards find their homes at Mount Royal University this year.

The conference's prestigious Player of the Year title goes to MRU's Tianna Ko after a head-turning season had her co-lead the goal-scoring race in Canada West while leading her team to the top of the standings.

MRU's Zoe De Beauville was also honoured as the league's top goaltender after posting five shutouts in her 11 wins.

Rounding out the MRU athlete trio is Anna Purschke, who is recognized for her community service as a student athlete for the second time in her post-secondary career.

Canada West's second-seeded UBC Thunderbirds also had an honouree: Rylind MacKinnon was named the Defenceman of the Year after sharing in the goal-scoring title while shutting down opposing teams' top lines.

Alberta's Natalie Kieser earned a nod as CW's top rookie after an outstanding first season positioned her as one to watch in the years to come.

Rounding out the major award honourees was MRU coach Scott Rivett, who led his Cougars to a conference-best 16-2-2 record this season.

UBC is now getting ready to host the Saskatchewan Huskies this weekend for the CW Championship series.

You can catch all the action on Canada West TV presented by Co-op.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Tianna Ko

The 2022 Player of the Year is an athlete who dials her intensity to meter-bursting levels every time she steps on the ice. Tianna Ko stands out among the crowd with her unshakable pace and tenacity.

The Calgary, AB product is relentless on the puck, setting up scoring chances for either herself or her teammates. The opportunistic forward nets many of them, posting a 19.6 shooting percentage on the year. She shared the goal-scoring title after burying 10 in 20 games. ​

An electric player to watch, Ko also enjoys the big moments: four of her ten goals on the season were game-winners for the Mount Royal Cougars. That mark put her second in the conference.

Ko makes history as the first MRU player to win this prestigious award.

From the coach:

"Her relentlessness created all kinds of opportunities for herself and her teammates and it was great to see her get rewarded the way she was in her final year." ​ ​ ​ ​
​-Scott Rivett, Mount Royal Cougars Head Coach

DEFENCEMAN OF THE YEAR: Rylind MacKinnon

The versatile Rylind MacKinnon has been named the Canada West Defencemen of the Year. As a defencemen, MacKinnon tied for the league lead in goals with 10 and finished second in total points with 21.

Her vision and puck control are simply fun to watch while providing a big challenge for opposing teams.

Her 11 powerplay points led the conference. A threat on both offence and defence, MacKinnon often lines up against the top lines in Canada West, shutting them down effectively. The Cranbrook, BC product boasted a plus 13 rating on the year, good enough for third among defenders.

The third-year player is now gearing up for the CW Championship finals, which her Thunderbirds will host starting March 11.

From the coach:

“The dedication and commitment she’s put in from day one. She was a part of the U SPORTS All-Star team, being a leader, learning what it takes to win as a young player here is unbelievable. She’s got game breaking abilities where she can take over games, she can shut down top players on the other team, she can score big goals. She really puts the work in: she’s worked on her foot speed, her fitness, every part of her game, she’s so incredibly dedicated. She’s a stand-up person and everyone respects her. She’s incredible.” ​ ​ ​ ​ -Graham Thomas, UBC Thunderbirds Head Coach

GOALTENDER OF THE YEAR: Zoe De Beauville

Another award for Mount Royal goes to the team’s goaltender. Zoe De Beauville was an intimidating presence between the pipes, playing with such confidence she almost dared opposing forwards to do their worst.

The Calgary, AB product didn’t lose a single game in regulation, while posting 11 wins for her Cougars. Even more remarkable was the fact that five of them were shutouts. De Beauville put up a regular season 1.15 goals against average and a .942 save percentage.

From the coach:

“She was always there to make the big save when we needed it and she never wavered. Her poise inspired confidence in our team, which allowed our team to play how they needed to knowing we would get a save when we needed to."
​-Scott Rivett, Mount Royal Cougars Head Coach

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Natalie Kieser

Alberta’s Natalie Kieser earned the Rookie of the Year award after finding her footing in a new league right away. The Sturgeon County, AB product was tied for second most goals in the conference this year.

Her game awareness put her in the right place at the right time to turn sometimes mundane plays into goal opportunities. The first-year forward was a regular fixture on special teams, making an impact in all situations.

Kieser didn’t need many chances to bury a puck, posting an astounding 21.4 shooting percentage on the season.

She’s the fourth Panda in the past ten seasons to win the CW Rookie of the Year award.

From the coach:

"Natalie has been a much welcomed surprise to our program. Her impact on and off the ice has been exemplary. As such, she earned a role on our top line, became a regular fixture on our specialty teams, and above everything else, has earned a high degree of respect by coaches and teammates alike for what she brings as a person. ​ Her ceiling is high and I'm very excited to have her in our program for the next four years." ​
​- Howie Draper, Alberta Pandas Head Coach

STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Anna Purschke

Anna Purschke wins the Student-Athlete Community Service award for the second time.

The fifth-year Mount Royal forward is a major contributor on and off the ice. Purschke spends time coaching for Special Olympics Snowshoeing, where she has helped athletes achieve more than they thought possible.

The Sherwood Park, AB product has taken MRU’s relationship with the HERO program to another level, where she mentors at-risk youth through the game of hockey. She also spends time with the superHEROS program designed to give players with cognitive and physical challenges a place to play.

A true hero herself, Purschke puts the needs of the community and those around her first, doing everything she can to enrich the lives of others.

From the coach:

“Anna epitomizes what being a student athlete is all about. She is a tremendous student, athlete and human. She is a true role model not only for our team, but all of Cougar Athletics and Recreation. She believes in giving back to the community in any way she can and demonstrates this by the variety of initiatives that she takes on. I have never been around anyone as selfless as Anna and we were fortunate enough to have her in our program for 6 years. We are all better people because of it."
​-Scott Rivett, Mount Royal Cougars Head Coach

COACH OF THE YEAR: Scott Rivett

Scott Rivett takes home the Coach of the Year honours after posting a conference-best 16-2-2 record with his Mount Royal Cougars.

He’s transformed the Cougars from their below .500 win percentage in the past three seasons to the team to beat this year.

The honour is the latest on Rivett’s resume, which includes four ACAC Championships as well as four ACAC Coach of the Year awards.

The nod marks the first time since MRU fielded a U SPORTS team in 2012-13 that the women’s hockey coach has earned this award.

From the Athletic Director:

"It's an honour for Scott to win the Coach of the Year for CW. While the award is for this season, we are so proud of the work he has done over the past few years, in particular, to get the program to where it is today. Countless hours of unselfishness, dedication, and perseverance cumulated to winning this award. We are extremely proud of his accomplishments because he is so deserving of the recognition by his peers."
​-Karla Karch, Mount Royal Cougars Director