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ANTIGONISH, N.S. - Liz Knox is the first Wilfrid Laurier player to capture the Canadian university women's hockey player of the year award.
The fourth-year goalie from Stouffville, Ont., won the Brodrick trophy Wednesday after a record-breaking season that saw her lead the country in every major goaltending category.
Manitoba defenceman Caitlin MacDonald of Winnipeg was named the top rookie in the CIS, Saskatchewan's Steve Kook claimed coach of the year honours and Dalhousie's Kaitlyn McNutt of Ottawa won the Marion Hillard award recognizing excellence in hockey, academics and community involvement.
The awards were presented at the All-Canadian Banquet on the eve of the CIS women's hockey championships.
Knox, 21, won 24 of 25 starts during the regular season for the No. 2-ranked Golden Hawks (26-0-1), her only loss coming in overtime in Laurier's conference finale. She finished first in CIS in wins (24), shutouts (11), goals against average (0.89) and save percentage (.960).
Her 11 shutouts set an OUA single-season record and matched the CIS mark established in 2007-08 by two-time Olympic gold medallist Charline Labonte. Knox, a sociology major, also tied Labonte's CIS record of 30 career shutouts, a new OUA record.
The first-time all-Canadian added a pair of shutouts in the conference playoffs and allowed only two goals in four games to lead Laurier to a seventh straight OUA title. The Hawks have advanced to the CIS championship in each of Knox's four seasons with the club, and she earned top goalie honours at the 2008 CIS tournament in the team's first of two consecutive silver medals.
"Liz is a pure example of a student-athlete that has totally accepted the challenge of being the best she can be in the classroom and on the ice," said Laurier head coach Rick Osborne. "She is a world-class athlete who makes everyone around her better and more confident at what they do."
Moncton forward Marieve Provost of Laval, Que., McGill defenceman Cathy Chartrand of Lac Nominingue, Que., and Saskatchewan forward Breanne George of Saskatoon were the other nominees for the Brodrick trophy.
MacDonald was first Bison to be named top rookie since the award was implemented in 1999-2000.
The five-foot-seven rearguard became the first freshman in three years to be selected as a first-team all-Canadian. The 17-year-old played in all 24 conference games for Manitoba, finishing second in scoring amongst Canada West defencemen with 15 points (6-9-15), which was also good for third on her team.
Her six goals - including a game-winner versus UBC on Oct. 30 - all came on the power play, putting her sixth in the conference in that category, and she helped the No. 6 Bisons to second in the league standings with an 18-6-0 mark and a berth in the Canada West final.
"Caitlin has had a tremendous first year in CIS and has made the transition from high school to university a seamless one," said Manitoba head coach Jon Rempel. "She is skilled, a very hard worker on and off the ice, and very passionate about the game. Her ability to skate as well as shoot the puck with velocity and accuracy are impressive for a first-year player.
"Along with her natural offensive ability, Caitlin has worked very hard to make herself a better all-around defensive player, a factor that has helped her overall game develop at a rapid pace."
St. Francis Xavier forward Abygail Laking of Cambridge, Ont., Montreal forward Kim Deschenes of St-Quentin, Que., and Laurier forward Candice Styles of Orangeville, Ont., were finalists for rookie honours.
Kook claimed coach of the year honours for the first time after receiving the Canada West award for the second time in three years.
Kook led the Huskies to a school-record 16-5-3 mark in league play in his fifth season on the bench, for third place in Canada West - a major improvement over the team's 10-13-1 record a year earlier.
The Huskies were ranked in the CIS top ten all season and pushed Manitoba to the limit in the playoffs, dropping a heartbreaking 3-2 decision in Game 3 of a best-of-three Canada West semifinals.
In five seasons, Kook has guided the Huskies to 50 wins, 10 more than they had in the first eight years of the program's existence. Kook joined Saskatchewan in 2005-06 as a part-time coach and, in 2008-09, was named the school's first full time women's hockey coach.
"Steve is a wonderful example of the type of coach we have here at the University of Saskatchewan," said athletic director Basil Hughton. "He is hard-working, a leader, dedicated, and has true commitment to take the women's hockey program to the next level. This all translates to his players and the type of athletes he brings to the program. Steve is well-deserving of this award."
Moncton's Denis Ross, McGill's Amey Doyle and Queen's Matt Holmberg were also in running for the award.
McNutt became the second Dalhousie recipient of the Marion Hillard award, following Leah Kutcher in 2005-06.
The Tigers team captain for the last three seasons is a physical shut-down defenceman. She finished her five-year university career with 11 goals and 29 assists for 40 points, along with 125 penalty minutes.
She has been named an academic all-Canadian twice in mechanical engineering and is on pace to achieve the prestigious status again this year. She was recognized as one of the top five engineering students in Canada by the Canadian Engineering Memorial Foundation.
McNutt is a regular volunteer in the Halifax community, participating in fundraising events for the Canadian Cancer Society, at a soup kitchen at a local church, and is an organizing committee member for the "Pulling for the Kids" event in support of Camp Triumph.
"Often there are players who can excel at a couple key areas in life or hockey, but Kaitlyn excels in athletics, fitness, academics, leadership, community involvement, character, time management, and the list could go on and on," said Dalhousie head coach Lesley Jordan. "She is one of the most inspiring athletes to have come through our program."
The University of Ottawa's Christine Allen, who hails from Gatineau, Que., Western's Veronica Johnston of Oshawa, Ont., and Manitoba's Stacey Corfield of Winnipeg were also nominated for the Marion Hillard award.
Joining Knox and MacDonald on the first CIS squad were conference MVPs Provost (AUS), Chartrand (QSSF) and George (CWUAA), as well as McGill forward Ann-Sophie Bettez of Sept-Iles, Que.
The second CIS team is Manitoba goaltender Stacey Corfield of Winnipeg, York defenceman Kelsey Webster of Duncan, B.C., Alberta rearguard Nicole Pratt of High Prairie, Alta., Alberta forward Tarin Podloski of St. Albert, Alta., McGill forward Vanessa Davidson of Kirkland, Que., and Queen's forward Rebecca Conroy of Pembroke, Ont.
Joining MacDonald, Laking, Deschenes and Styles on this season's CIS all-rookie team were Queen's goaltender Mel Dodd-Moher of Ottawa, as well as UBC defenceman Rayna Cruickshank of Cumberland, B.C.
