The Green Gaels Junior B Lacrosse Club hosted their annual awards banquet over the holidays at the Thornton Arms in Oshawa. Gathering together volunteers, coaches, alumni, and players to celebrate the 2018 season, club and league awards were handed out as the organization turned the page towards a brand new Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League season in 2019.

All three graduating players, including Trent Boyd and Tyler Goodchild who were acquired at the 2018 trade deadline from the Orillia Kings, as well as Green Gaels 2018 captain and 5 year veteran Jeremy McWatters, were recognized for their time with the organization and their accomplishments throughout their junior lacrosse careers.

McWatters also left the evening with additional hardware after being selected as the Green Gaels 2018 Offensive MVP. Putting up a career season in his final year with the Gaels, McWatters scored 43 goals to go along with 68 assists, putting him second in the Eastern Conference in scoring.

Gaels Head Coach Joel Johnson spoke highly of his captain saying “Jeremy was a huge part of our success not only in 2018, but over the last five years. Jeremy made the players around him better and took his role as captain very seriously in providing a strong example for the young players that joined our team this past season. His leadership and skillset will be hard to replace as we look to contend again in 2019.”

Assuming a heavy workload in the crease in 2018, Steven Walsh stepped up to the plate and for his efforts was awarded with the Green Gaels 2018 Defensive MVP Award. Appearing in 13 regular season games in which he put up an Eastern Conference leading 5.92 Goals Against Average along with 11 wins, he also stood tall throughout the playoffs putting up 7.91 Goals Against Average through 14 playoff games to lead the Eastern Conference in the playoffs as well.

“Steven was the anchor of an outstanding defensive unit that was able to trouble some of the top offences in the league on a regular basis” mentioned Green Gaels Assistant Coach Chris Cudmore. “Walsh has the perfect combination of athleticism and lacrosse intelligence which helped him lead our defensive unit to the Ontario Final. His ability to stop the ball can not be overshadowed by his stick skills or the physical presence that he brings to the cage.”

Walsh and his rookie goaltending partner Brett Underwood were also awarded with the OJBLL Top Goaltenders Award for the Eastern Conference as they led all goalies in the East with a 6.10 Goals Against Average throughout the regular season.

The Green Gaels 2018 Most Underrated Player Award was presented to Adam Kitchen. ‘Kitch’ returned to the Green Gaels this season after taking a year off from lacrosse in 2017, and put up excellent numbers putting up 145 points over 35 combined Regular Season and Playoff games in 2018 to help anchor the Gaels offence. This is a stark contrast to his 2016 season in which he put up 42 points over 28 games. Adam also was voted as the OJBLL Most Sportsmanlike Player by Eastern Conference teams due to his strong play in 2018 and his 4 penalty minutes throughout the entirety of the 2018 regular season and playoffs.

“As a coaching staff, we were pleased to have Adam back playing in 2018, and he got on everyones radar very early on. Everyone enjoys working with ‘Kitch’ as he brings a lot of effort, skill, and intensity to our club” said Coach Johnson. “As a native resident of Peterborough and a student at Trent University, he made the commute to Bowmanville, and never missed a practice. His commitment is never questioned. Our staff believes Adam will go far in the sport of lacrosse, and as for being underrated in 2018, he won’t be in 2019.”

Brock Haley was selected by the Gaels coaching staff as the clubs 2018 Rookie of the Year after his strong campaign. The 17 year old gelled with McWatters on the left side of the floor very early on, which helped him put up 37 goals and 80 points, making a potent combination for the opposition to have to plan for every night.

Gaels Assistant Coach Kyle O’Brien enjoyed watching Brock first hand throughout 2018. “Brock had a tremendous start to the season, and took advantage of the added floor time with some of the bodies we had away at school. Finding that early groove added to Brock’s confidence, which in turn elevated his game. His high lacrosse IQ and vision was a pleasure to watch all season long for the staff and all our great Green Gaels fans.”

After sustaining a season ending injury in only the second game of the season, Darren Elliott was awarded the Kenny Johnston Grinder of the Year Award. Darren worked hard throughout the season, continuing to practice and workout with the Gaels in efforts to rehabilitate himself in order to get back on the floor.

His continued commitment throughout the season caught everyone’s eye, including General Manager Paul Chamois. “Darren worked as hard as anyone in 2018 trying to get back on the floor to help contribute and support his teammates. Unfortunately, it reached a point where doctors instructed him he would not be able to play in 2018, he was still an extremely valued member of our organization. Darren did not miss a single practice or game in 2018 and was an excellent teammate throughout the year. We look forward to seeing him get back on the floor and expect big things from him in 2019.”

Both Assistant Captains walked away from the banquet with hardware as well. Justin Bragg was awarded with the 2018 Jim Bishop Award for Dedication and Perseverance, while Bryce Tolmie was selected as the 2018 Green Gael Most Likely to Succeed.

Coach Johnson relied heavily on Bragg throughout the season, and had this to say about Justin. “As a 4th year veteran player on the Green Gaels on a team with so many new faces for 2018, Justin was an important part of the teams leadership in assembling another run into the Ontario Finals. Although Justin had an unfortunate injury early in camp, he still did all he could while at the rink, for himself and for his teammates. He has a true passion for the game, a desire to win, and his strong work ethic that proved to be contiguous. Justin is an ambassador for our club, to our fans, supporters, and to future Green Gaels as well.”

Coming back part way through the season from Hofstra University, Tolmie stepped right back into key situations upon his arrival at the Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex.

Like Bragg, the coaching staff relied on the experience of Tolmie to help lead the defense throughout 2018. “We believe he is most certainly going to continue to elevate his game at a fast pace, and someday work his way into professional lacrosse. His personal commitment level of 100% both on and off the floor is what drives his game to such a high level” said Coach Johnson. “He was a key part of our run to the Ontario Finals, and was instrumental on ball team, man short defence, and being on the floor at key points in the game. The coaching staff finds that Bryce is a lead by example style of veteran, and so far in his 4 years of service as a Green Gael he has accomplished a great deal. We believe Bryce will continue his path to success and is already considered to be a true ambassador of our FHPT values.

The annual award banquet at the Thornton Arms turns the page on the previous season and begins the process for 2019. The Green Gaels are looking forward to getting to work for our Conditioning Sessions in March before our preseason gets started with tryouts in the beginning of April, along with the Green Gael Classic and our annual Green and White Game. Stay tuned to www.greengaels.com for details regarding the 2019 season.