Surrey, BC - On Tuesday, the BCHL announced its end of year player awards, and Surrey Eagles goalie Michael Santaguida won the league's Goaltending Award while blue liner Devon Toews was named the Coastal Conference's Top Defenceman.
The BCHL Goaltending Award is given to the goaltender who finishes the regular season with the lowest goals-against average of all net minders who have played a minimum of 1,000 minutes. Santaguida becomes the first Eagles goalie to ever win the award as he finished the year with a sparkling 2.28 goals-against-average to go along with a .933 save percentage and a league-best 29 wins. The 20-year-old native of Mississauga, Ontario also posted two shutouts and tallied three assists.
"It's a tremendous honour for Michael to be named the league's top goaltender," said Eagles Head Coach and GM Matt Erhart. "He solidified our goalie position from the tenth game of the season onwards and proved he was the top goalie in the league with his impressive numbers. We wouldn't have finished where we did in the standings without Michael."
The Top Defenceman is awarded to one player from each conference who has been judged by BCHL coaches to be the most outstanding performer at his position during the regular season. Toews is the third Eagles defenceman to win the award, joining Jacob Ficenec who won it in 1998 and Nathan Oystrick who won it in 2002. The Abbotsford native finished in a tie for second in league scoring by defencemen with 10 goals and 37 assists in 48 games.
"Devon really elevated his game to an elite status in the league this year," said Erhart. "He's known for his offensive game, but he has really turned himself into an excellent two-way defenceman this season. He plays big minutes in all situations for us and has been a key part of our success as a team."
The Surrey Eagles Hockey Club would like to congratulate Devon and Michael on their impressive accomplishments.
The Birds open the playoffs with a Mainland Division Semi-Final clash against the Langley Rivermen. Game 1 in the series goes on Friday, March 15th at the South Surrey Arena. Fans are encouraged to get to the rink early and wear white to support the Eagles and help defend the nest.
For tickets, call 604-531-GOAL (4625).
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