Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that Brandon Saad of the Saginaw Spirit is the 2011-12 recipient of the William Hanley Trophy awarded to the OHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Player.

Saad, a 19-year-old from Gibsonia, PA, scored 34 goals and 42 assists for 76 points in just 44 games while recording just 38 penalty minutes in his second OHL season with the Spirit. He becomes the second member of the Spirit to win the award following current Tampa Bay Lightning forward Tom Pyatt who received the honour in 2006-07.

“It’s an honor to win any award and be recognized by the league,” commented Saad. “I’m excited about the news and happy to win the award and accept this award on behalf of the Saginaw Spirit and my teammates.”

The Spirit captain led all OHL players with 1.73 points-per-game after beginning the season with the Chicago Blackhawks who selected him in the second round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Upon his return to Saginaw he immediately produced an eight-game point-streak and received OHL Player of the Week honours following his second week in action ending October 23. That week included his first career five-point game where he scored a career-high four goals October 20 as first star of a 5-2 win over the Brampton Battalion.

A member of the U.S National Junior Team at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship, Saad recorded 21 multi-point games this season and had the fourth longest point-streak in the league at 16 games between January 15 and February 24. He also finished with the sixth-best plus-minus rating in the OHL with a mark of plus-35.

“Brandon has been an outstanding player for the Spirit organization,” said Head Coach Greg Gilbert. “His commitment both on and off the ice exemplifies the type of player and person he is. His passion for the game and his leadership for our club have been second to none. He plays each game with determination and respect, not only for the game itself, but for his team and opponents. He is a true leader.”

The William Hanley Trophy is awarded each year based on a selection by the 20 General Managers of the Ontario Hockey League. Teams are not permitted to vote for their own candidate with players receiving five points for a first place vote, three points for a second place vote, and one point for a third place vote. The trophy is presented by the OHL to commemorate William Hanley, former Secretary-Manager of the Ontario Hockey Association for over 25 years.

“Since his first day in Saginaw, Brandon Saad has displayed an extraordinary commitment to doing things right, both on and off the ice,” said Craig Goslin, Spirit Managing Partner, President and Governor. “Whether communicating with his teammates or visiting sick kids in a local hospital or doing a community appearance, his approach is consistently conducted with class and respect for others. Our franchise has certainly been the recipient of an outstanding future NHL hockey player and an outstanding person as well.”

Saad received 45 points in the voting process ahead of Tobias Rieder of the Kitchener Rangers who received 38 voting points, and Freddie Hamilton of the Niagara IceDogs who finished in third place with 31 voting points.

Former winners of the William Hanley Trophy include Wayne Gretzky (Sault Ste. Marie 1977-78), Brian Campbell (Ottawa 1998-99), Brad Boyes (Erie 2000-01 and 2001-02), Jeff Carter (Sault Ste. Marie 2004-05), Wojtek Wolski (Brampton 2005-06), and Cody Hodgson (Brampton 2008-09). Last season OHL top scorer Jason Akeson of the Kitchener Rangers claimed the award, while Ryan Spooner won the award in 2009-10 as a member of the Peterborough Petes.

Saad will be presented with the William Hanley Trophy at the 2011-12 OHL Awards Ceremony set for Tuesday June 5 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. He will also be the OHL’s nominee for Sportsman of the Year at the Annual CHL Awards.

- From OHL news release

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that forward Andrew Agozzino of the Niagara IceDogs is the Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy winner awarded to the OHL’s Overage Player of the Year for the 2011-12 season.

Agozzino tied for fifth in league scoring with a career-high 88 points in 67 games scoring 40 goals and 48 assists leading the IceDogs to their first Central Division title and best overall record in team history with a record of 47-18-0-3 for 97 points. Agozzino becomes the second member of the IceDogs’ to win the award following his former teammate Michael Swift who earned it in the club’s first season in Niagara back in 2007-08.

“It’s a great feeling to win this award and it’s something I was looking forward to at the start of my overage year,” said Agozzino. “Having the opportunity to be an overager on the same team I started with is something special and I would like to thank the entire IceDogs organization for the opportunities they have given me.”

A 21-year-old native of Kleinburg, ON, Agozzino played all five of his OHL seasons with the IceDogs after being the franchise’s first ever draft pick selected 15th overall in the 2007 Priority Selection. This season the three-year captain led the IceDogs in both goals and points for the third time in five years finishing his career with a franchise record 159 goals and 147 assists for 306 points in a franchise record 318 regular season games played. In 2010, Agozzino represented the IceDogs at the OHL All-Star Classic in Kingston, ON, where he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Game scoring an All-Star Classic record four goals.

“We couldn’t be more happy or proud of Andrew winning the Overage Player of the Year Award,” said IceDogs owner Bill Burke. “Andrew is everything you could ask for in a leader, hockey player and a person and is extremely deserving of this award. He has meant everything to this organization in our five years here and will be impossible to replace.”

The Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the top overage player of the year as selected by OHL General Managers. Teams were not permitted to vote for players from their own hockey club. Players received five points for a first place vote, three points for a second place vote and one point for a third place vote.

Agozzino finished the voting process with 53 points just slightly ahead of Owen Sound Attack forward Mike Halmo who finished with 52 points. Defenceman Beau Schmitz of the Plymouth Whalers finished in third with 28 voting points.

Former winners of the trophy include Bill Bowler (Windsor, 1994-95), and Dan Tessier (Ottawa 99-00), along with current NHL stars Chad LaRose (Plymouth 2002-03), and Ryan Callahan (Guelph, 2005-06). Top scorer Jason Akeson of the Kitchener Rangers captured the award last season.

The Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy was donated by the trainers of the Ontario Hockey League, in memory of the late Leo Lalonde, former Chief Scout of OHL Central Scouting. Leo Lalonde was also formerly the Chief Scout for the Belleville Bulls as well as a scout for the Peterborough Petes.

Agozzino will be formally presented with the Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy at the 2011-12 OHL Awards Ceremony scheduled for June 5 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

- From OHL news release

What: Brampton Battalion (12-14-0-5) at Erie Otters (16-15-1-1)

When: Today, 7 p.m.

Where: Tullio Arena

On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (24 goals, 26 assists, 50 points), RW Shawn Szydlowski (17-14-31), RW Anthony Luciani (13-17-30), G Ramis Sadikov (16-11-1-1 record, 2.95 goals-against average, .911 save percentage, 2 shutouts), C Phil Varone (12-13-25)

Brampton – LW Ian Watters (17-10-27), RW Michael Santini (10-10-20), RW Scott Tanski (8-12-30), D Spencer Abraham (3-14-17), LW Barclay Goodrow (8-9-17)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters conclude the opening half of the OHL season with consecutive home games against Central Division teams. They have a 3-2 record against that division, including a season-opening 5-1 win in Brampton Sept. 24. … The Otters have a 3-2 record in December after posting a 9-3 mark in November. … They are 13-6-0-1 since acquiring Varone from London Oct. 26. … The Otters have five hat tricks in the past eight games (McKegg 2, Szydlowski 2, Varone). That’s more than the team recorded in a season seven of the past eight years. … Szydlowski has tied the franchise record of three hat tricks in one season (Tim Connolly 1998-99, Brad Boyes 1999-2000, Cory Pecker 2001-02 and Luciani 2009-10). … McKegg is fourth overall in goals – three behind Saginaw LW Josh Shalla (27) and Ottawa RW Tyler Toffoli (27) and one behind Owen Sound LW Garrett Wilson (25). … McKegg also is fourth in points – four behind Ottawa LW Shane Prince (54), two behind Kitchener RW Jason Akeson (52) and one behind Toffoli (51). … McKegg is on pace to be the first player in franchise history to top 100 points in a season. Pecker set the mark of 99 in 2001-02. … If Sadikov starts tonight, he will set a franchise mark with 24 consecutive starts. He currently shares that mark with Josh Disher (23 from Sept. 28-Nov. 27, 2003). … Sadikov has played 1,772 minutes this season, which leads the league by 251 (Petr Mrazek, Ottawa – 1,521). … C Mike Cazzola (9-16-25 in 19 games), who has missed the past six weeks with a broken wrist, began skating with no contact or shooting this week. Yet he won’t rejoin the lineup until sometime after the Christmas break. D Tyler Hostetter (broken hand) and LW Andrew Yogan (shoulder) continue rehabilitating at their respective homes in Lititz, Pa., and Boca Raton, Fla.

Brampton – The Battalion’s roster has changed since they played the Otters in September. They traded former Otter Sean Jones, their leading scorer last season, to Kingston last month. They also traded D Kyle Pereira to Guelph and G Jacob Riley to Sudbury. … The Battalion have lost seven of their past 11 games. … They rank near the bottom of the league with 96 goals scored but in the top 10 in goals against (112). … They are 14^th on the power play (18.2 percent) but fifth on the penalty kill (82.6). … They lead the league with five shootout losses and are tied for the lead with five overtime/shootout defeats.

Up next: vs. Sudbury (Saturday, 7 p.m.), at Plymouth (Dec. 28, 2 p.m.)

– Victor Fernandes

What: Kitchener Rangers (17-5-0-1) at Erie Otters (11-14-1-0)

When: Saturday, 7 p.m.

Where: Tullio Arena

On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (18 goals, 17 assists, 35 points), RW Shawn Szydlowski (11-11-22), RW Anthony Luciani (8-10-18), G Ramis Sadikov (11-10-1-0 record, 2.77 goals-against average, .914 save percentage, 2 shutouts), D Derek Holden (2-13-15)

Kitchener – RW Jason Akeson (12-35-47), D Ryan Murphy (12-26-38, 10 power-play goals), RW Gabriel Landeskog (19-15-34), RW Tobias Rieder (10-15-25), LW Matthew Tipoff (12-12-24)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters began this three-game home stand with a 6-0 win against Belleville on Thanksgiving Night. … They have won two straight and seven of their last 10 games. … They have lost 10 straight to the Midwest Division rival Rangers by a combined 57-25 score dating to the start of the 2009-10 season, including the first three meetings this season. Their last two defeats were by one goal (6-5 at home Oct. 9 and 4-3 in Kitchener Oct. 11). … In the Belleville win, McKegg became the sixth player in franchise history to score four goals in a game. He ranks among the OHL’s top 10 in goals and points. … Luciani has goals in three straight games and points in five straight games (four goals, 11 points). He has five goals and 13 points in seven games since returning from a five-week layoff because of a broken wrist. … Sadikov, who has made 16 consecutive starts, posted his second career shutout on Thursday. … D Brady Austin (shoulder) has missed the past five games. … LW Brett Appio (leg) has missed four straight games. … Rookie D Adam Pelech (undisclosed injury) rejoined the lineup after leaving the Nov. 19 loss to Oshawa. … Holden has points in five of the past seven games. … C Phil Varone (5-7-12) has points in three straight games (one goal, five points). … Season-ticket holders can attend the Mercyhurst College women’s hockey team’s 2 p.m. game today against Colgate at Tullio for free.

Kitchener – The Rangers, who are 10^th in the CHL ranking, have the league’s third-best record despite losing top offensive performers Jeff Skinner (NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes) and Jeremy Morin (AHL’s Rockford IceHogs) to professional teams. … The Rangers have won nine of their last 10 games. … Akeson leads the league in points and assists. … Murphy leads all defensemen in scoring and is tied for sixth overall. He also leads in power-play goals. … Landeskog ranks among the top 15 in scoring. … The Rangers lead the league on the power play (25.5 percent). … D Ben Fanelli, who suffered serious head injuries from former Otter Michael Liambas’ hit in an Oct. 30, 2009 game, was cleared for full-contact workouts earlier this week, according to the team’s website.

Up next: vs. Guelph (Sunday, 4:30 p.m.), at Kitchener (Friday, 7:30 p.m.)

- Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters had a two-goal lead against Kitchener on Saturday night.

But as usual, it didn’t last long. The Rangers made sure of that.

The Rangers scored five unanswered goals in the second and third periods to erase that two-goal deficit and hand the Otters a 6-5 loss in front of 3,082 at Tullio Arena. The Rangers (5-1-0-0) have won 10 straight games against the Otters (3-4-0-0) dating back to the start of the 2009-10 OHL season. Yet the Otters enjoyed a strong start against their Midwest Division rival.

Rookie center Chris Marchese’s first career goal – a power-play score off assists from Tyler Hostetter and Macaulay McDonnell – snapped the scoreless tie 12:59 into the opening period.

Kitchener’s Matthew Tipoff’s tied the score 1:12 later on assists from Tobias Rieder and Ryan Murphy, who tallied his league-best 10^th assist and 14^th point of the season. But the Otters took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission after Mike Cazzola scored his fourth goal of the season with 23 seconds left in the period.

Greg McKegg’s rebound goal – his team-leading fifth of the season – handed the Otters a 3-1 lead 5 minutes into the second. Yet the Rangers overpowered the Otters for three goals in less than two minutes.

Kitchener scored every goal by outmuscling Erie defenders for rebounds in front of goaltender Ramis Sadikov. Rieder scored his fifth goal of the season at the 10:48 mark to slice the Otters’ lead to 3-2.

Then Julian Melchiori and Andrew Crescenzi followed with goals 22 seconds apart to turn that one-goal deficit into a 4-3 Rangers lead heading to the third. Kitchener scored all three goals on eight shots. The Rangers extended their goal-scoring streak to four 1:05 into the third, as Jason Akeson scored on assists from rookie Matia Marcantuoni and Gabriel Landeskog for a 5-3 Rangers lead.

The streak reached five goals with 7:44 left, as Rieder stole the puck from Hostetter at the Otters’ blue line and scored unassisted for a 6-3 lead. The Otters finally responded on Jordan Coccimiglio’s goal with 6:08 left in regulation. Rookie Luke Cairns assisted on the goal for his OHL point. Shawn Szydlowski scored with Sadikov on the bench for an extra attacker with 1:45 left to pull the Otters within 6-5 – one of their 16 shots in the period. The Otters outshot Kitchener 38-27.

But the Otters scored the equalizer a second or two after the final buzzer sounded. Rieder led the Rangers with two goals and an assist. Akeson and Tipoff had a goal and assist apiece for the Rangers. McKegg and Szydlowski had two points apiece for the Otters.

* News and notes: Otters winger Anthony Luciani remained out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury, as did defenseman Brett Cook (undisclosed injury) and rookie center Connor Crisp (concussion). … The Otters and Rangers meet again on Monday at 1 p.m. in Kitchener.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Rangers 6, Otters 5

Kitchener  1  3  2  —  6

Erie  2  1  2  —  5

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Chris Marchese 1 (Hostetter, McDonnell), 12:59 (pp). 2. Kitchener, Matthew Tipoff 4 (Rieder, Murphy), 14:11. 3. Erie, Mike Cazzola 4 (Szydlowski, McKegg), 19:37. Penalties — Pelech (E) tripping, 3:18; Melchiori (K) delay of game, 11:47; Thomson (K) hooking, 14:34.

2^nd Period — 4. Erie, Greg McKegg 5 (Cazzola, Pelech), 5:00. 5. Kitchener, Tobias Rieder 5 (Doornbosch, Tipoff), 10:48. 6. Kitchener, Julian Melchiori 1 (Catenacci, Akeson), 11:47. 7. Kitchener, Andrew Crescenzi 3 (Randell, Thomson), 12:19. Penalties — Austin (E) slashing, 2:39; Grant (E) hooking, 10:09; Gaulton (E) tripping, 12:26; Doornbosch (K) interference, 14:19; Appio (E) checking from behind, 18:00; Cazzola (E) hooking, 19:53.

3^rd Period — 8. Kitchener, Jason Akeson 4 (Marcantuoni, Landeskog), 1:05 (pp). 9. Kitchener, Rieder 6 (unassisted), 12:16. 10. Erie, Jordan Coccimiglio 2 (Cairns), 13:52. 11. Erie, Shawn Szydlowski 3 (McKegg, Cazzola), 18:15. Penalties — Melchiori (K) holding, 7:08; Appio (E) interference, 14:05; Marcantuoni (K) high sticking, 16:13.

Shots on goal — Kitchener, 13-8-6—27; Erie, 10-12-16—38.

Goaltenders — Kitchener, Brandon Maxwell 4-1-0-0 (38 shots, 33 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 3-3-0-0 (27 shots, 21 saves).

Power plays — Kitchener (1-7), Erie (1-5).

Referees — Ryan Carroll, Seth Ferguson. Linesmen — Mike Harrington, Sean Pindar.

Attendance — 3,082.

Three stars

* Jason Akeson, Rangers (goal, assist) ** Greg McKegg, Otters (2 assists) *** Chris Marchese, Otters (first OHL goal)

What: Kitchener Rangers (4-1-0-0) vs. Erie Otters (3-3-0-0)

When: Saturday, 7 p.m.; Monday, 1 p.m.

Where: Tullio Arena (today); Kitchener Memorial Auditorium – Kitchener, Ontario (Monday)

On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (4 goals, 6 assists, 10 points), C Mike Cazzola (3-6-9), LW David Broll (2-4-6), D Tyler Hostetter (2-3-5), RW Shawn Szydlowski (2-3-5)

Kitchener – D Ryan Murphy (4-9-13, plus-8), RW Gabriel Landeskog (5-4-9), RW Tobias Rieder (4-5-9), RW Jason Akeson (3-5-8), Matthew Tipoff (3-2-5)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters enter the home-and-home series against their Midwest Division rival on a two-game winning streak. … They lost the first meeting in the eight-game season series 7-3 in Kitchener on Oct. 1. … The Otters have lost nine straight games against the Rangers by a combined 51-20 score dating back to last season. … McKegg and Cazzola are among the OHL’s top 20 in scoring. … McKegg has points in five straight games (four goals, seven points). … RW Anthony Luciani (undisclosed injury) joined D Brett Cook (undisclosed injury) and rookie C Connor Crisp (concussion) out of the lineup for Friday’s win in Guelph. … The Otters have allowed power-play goals in five of six games this season.

Kitchener – Murphy leads the league in points and assists and ranks among the top 10 with three power-play goals. He had a goal and four assists in last weekend’s win against the Otters… Landeskog (2 goals, assist), Akeson (goal, 2 assists) and C Michael Catenacci (goal, 2 assists) had three points apiece in that game. … The Rangers remain without C Jeff Skinner, who has begun the season with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. LW Jeremy Morin, who was the final cut from Chicago Blackhawks’ training camp, was assigned to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs earlier this week. The duo combined for 22 goals and 33 points in eight games against the Otters last season.

Up next: vs. Kitchener (Saturday, 7 p.m.), at Kitchener (Monday, 1 p.m.)

What: Erie Otters (1-2-0-0) at Kitchener Rangers (2-0-0-0)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Kitchener Memorial Auditorium – Kitchener, Ontario

On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (1 goals, 2 assists, 3 points), C Mike Cazzola (2-3-5), RW Anthony Luciani (2-1-3), LW David Broll (1-2-3), D Tyler Hostetter (1-1-2, plus-4)

Kitchener – RW Tobias Rieder (2-3-5), RW Gabriel Landeskog (3-1-4), D Ryan Murphy (2-2-4), LW Matthew Tipoff (2-0-2), RW Jason Akeson (0-2-2)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters face Kitchener for the first of eight times in the regular season. They lost all eight meetings last season by a combined 44-17 score. … The Otters haven’t beaten Kitchener since a 4-1 win on March 14, 2009. … They haven’t won in Kitchener since a 6-3 victory on Jan. 18, 2009 – a span of five straight losses. … Rookie RW Macaulay McDonnell recorded his first point, an assist, in his OHL debut on Thursday at Niagara. … The Otters have been outshot 126-95 in three games this season, including 98-59 in two road games. … D David Shields, who returned from NHL camp with the St. Louis Blues last weekend, had no points and a plus-1 rating in his season debut on Friday. … Rookie C Connor Crisp (mild concussion) missed his third straight game on Friday. …

Kitchener – LW Jeremy Morin and C Jeff Skinner remain at NHL training camps with the Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes, respectively. They combined for 22 goals and 33 points in eight games against the Otters last season. … Rieder was the fifth overall pick in the CHL Import Draft in June. … The Rangers began the season with a 5-2 home win against Saginaw and 6-4 road win against Guelph last weekend. … G Brandon Maxwell (1-0-0-0, 2.00 goals-against average, .946 save percentage), a former Otters’ draft pick, stopped 35-of-37 shots in the season-opening win against Saginaw.

Up next: vs. London (Saturday, 7 p.m.), at Guelph (Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m.)

- Victor Fernandes