Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that a media conference is scheduled for Wednesday at 12 pm at the John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario, to announce the winner of the Red Tilson Trophy presented to the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player of the Year for the 2011-12 season.

The Red Tilson Trophy is the most prestigious individual award presented annually by the league to the Most Outstanding Player in the Ontario Hockey League during the regular season schedule of games as voted by sports writers and broadcasters in the OHL. The award is in honour of Albert “Red” Tilson, who was killed in action in Europe during World War II. Tilson was the OHA scoring champion for the 1942-43 season after scoring 19 goals and 38 assists for 57 points in 22 games with the Oshawa Generals. Ryan Ellis of the Windsor Spitfires captured the award last season.

2011-12 Red Tilson Trophy Nominees
Barrie Colts – Tanner Pearson
Belleville Bulls – Brendan Gaunce
Brampton Battalion – Sam Carrick
Erie Otters – Adam Pelech
Guelph Storm – Matt Finn
Kingston Frontenacs – Darcy Greenaway
Kitchener Rangers – Tobias Rieder
London Knights – Michael Houser
Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors – Riley Brace
Niagara IceDogs – Mark Visentin
Oshawa Generals – Kevin Bailie
Ottawa 67’s – Tyler Toffoli
Owen Sound Attack – Mike Halmo
Peterborough Petes – Andrew Yogan
Plymouth Whalers – Stefan Noesen
Saginaw Spirit – Brandon Saad
Sarnia Sting – Nail Yakupov
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds – Nick Cousins
Sudbury Wolves – Michael Sgarbossa
Windsor Spitfires – Kerby Rychel

- From OHL news release

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that goaltender Andrew D’Agostini of the Peterborough Petes is the 2011-12 recipient of the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy presented to the OHL’s Humanitarian of the Year.

D’Agostini, a 19-year-old from Scarborough, ON, earns the award for his efforts in support of Cystic Fibrosis Canada shown large in part through his support and friendship of six-year-old Anthony Romanelli who was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis three years ago. D’Agostini is the fifth member of the Petes to receive this award and the second straight following Jack Walchessen who was last year’s recipient.

“I would like to thank the Peterborough Petes and the OHL for this great honour,” said D’Agostini. “Peterborough has always made me feel welcome and I have enjoyed every minute giving back to them. The real heroes are people like Anthony and his family who understand how precious every day is.”

D’Agostini first reached out to Cystic Fibrosis Canada after hearing the affects of the disease when the local chapter spoke to the Petes’ organization on December 17 prior to club’s fundraising efforts and team skate in support of the foundation. D’Agostini took it upon himself to meet the presenter, Tracy Romanelli, and her son Anthony, and expressed his interest in helping to raise money for the cause. The meeting turned into an ongoing and impactful friendship where D’Agostini has maintained constant communication with Anthony and his family providing gracious comfort and support. D’Agostini is now the spokesman for the Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides Walk which takes place on May 27, 2012, and captains the team “Shutout for Anthony” which has already raised over $5,000.

“Seeing the boys together is just amazing,” said Tracy Romanelli. “Andrew had said to me in that first meeting that he was going to help make a difference in Anthony’s life. I realize it is not easy for a young man to get involved with a sick child but Andrew has given Anthony the dream of becoming a goalie and the hope that one day he may not have to deal with Cystic Fibrosis.”

In addition to his work for Cystic Fibrosis, D’Agostini has contributed over 250 hours in the past three seasons to various causes such as the Petes’ “Partners in Education Program”, while spending time in the pediatric ward of the Peterborough Regional Health Centre, playing floor hockey with a local group of Special Olympians, and visiting a young Petes’ fan after returning home from an extended stay in the hospital as a result of a car accident leaving a Petes’ game earlier in the season. On the ice, D’Agostini played in 38 games between the pipes posting a record of 17-15-1-1 with one shutout, a goals-against-average of 3.90 and save percentage of .890. He was last year’s recipient of the Ivan Tennant Memorial Award presented to the league’s top High School Student Athlete of the Year.

“The Peterborough Petes are very proud of Andrew and the announcement of him being named the recipient of the Dan Snyder Memorial Award as OHL Humanitarian of the Year,” said Petes’ Assistant General Manager Aaron Garfat. “This is an award that the Petes take great pride in nominating a player for. Andrew’s involvement in the community goes above and beyond and is a true reflection of his character. He is a great role model for the youth of our community both on and off the ice.”

Each year the OHL awards a player that has demonstrated outstanding qualities as a positive role model in the community with the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy. The Ontario Hockey League Board of Governors announced in 2004 that the OHL Humanitarian of the Year award would be renamed in recognition of the former Owen Sound Platers captain, who was twice named his team’s Humanitarian of the Year in recognition of his tremendous efforts in supporting community activities.

In addition to D’Agostini and Walchessen, other Petes to win the award include Brent Tully (1994), Mike Martone (1997), and Jeff MacDougald who was the first player to receive the award in recognition of Snyder in the 2004-05 season. This is the third time where a team has had back-to-back recipients following Chris Terry and Ryan Hayes of the Plymouth Whalers in 2009 and 2010, while David Silverstone and Michael Mole earned the award as members of the Belleville Bulls in 2002 and 2003 respectively.

D’Agostini will be the OHL’s nominee for Humanitarian of the Year at the annual CHL Awards on May 26 and will be formally presented with the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy at the OHL Awards Ceremony which takes place June 5 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

- From OHL news release

2011-12 Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy Nominees
Barrie – Dylan Smoskowitz*
Belleville – Luke Judson
Brampton – Mitchell Porowski
Erie – Mac MacDonnell
Guelph – Kyle Pereira
Kingston – Cody Alcock
Kitchener – Ben Fanelli*
London – Scott Harrington
Mississauga – Brett Foy
Niagara – Mark Visentin
Oshawa – Kevin Bailie
Ottawa – Shane Prince
Owen Sound – Jay Gilbert
Peterborough – Andrew D’Agostini
Plymouth – Colin MacDonald
Saginaw – Eric Locke
Sarnia – Nathan Chiarlitti**
Sault Ste. Marie – Brandon Alderson
Sudbury – Nathan Pancel
Windsor – John Cullen

*repeat nominee
** three-time nominee

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

The Erie Otters endured two close calls this weekend.

After a one-goal loss to Niagara on Friday, the Otters lost 2-1 in overtime to Peterborough in front of 3,524 at Tullio Arena on Saturday night.

Petes winger Lino Martschini scored 3 minutes, 8 seconds into overtime to send the Otters (5-36-2-1) to London on Sunday with a 10-game losing streak.

The Otters and Petes played to a scoreless tie in the opening period. But the Otters had a chance to take control early in the game. Derek Mathers knee-to-knee hit on Otters winger Dane Fox, which briefly shook up Fox, led to Mathers’ game misconduct and a five-minute power play for the Otters.

Yet the Otters managed only three shots on goal during the extended man advantage. The teams finished the period with 10 shots on goal apiece. Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov and the Petes’ Mike Morrison traded saves in the opening half of the second period as well.

But the Otters’ Dane Fox snapped the tie. His shot from a tight angle along the side of the net caromed off Morrison and trickled into the net to hand the Otters a 1-0 lead with 6:35 left in the period. Connor Brown and Sondre Olden had assists.

Meanwhile, Sadikov stopped the Petes (21-18-3-3) on all 15 shots in the period. But he couldn’t stop Nick Ritchie’s tying goal 37 seconds into the third. Alan Quine turned a blocked shot at the Petes’ blue line into a centering pass to Ritchie for the goal.

Sadikov and Morrison stood tall for the rest of the period, with Sadikov stopping 11-of-12 in the third. But Martschini’s shot slipped past Sadikov and tucked into the left corner of the net to keep the Otters winless in the second half of the season.

Sadikov finished with 39 saves while Morrison stopped 28-of-29 shots. Former Otter Andrew Yogan, who had two goals in the Petes’ home win against the Otters last month, had no points and was a minus-1 in his first game in Erie since being traded in August.

The Otters face off against London – and former teammates Brett Cook, Greg McKegg and Tyson Teichmann – at John Labatt Centre on Sunday at 2 p.m. Fox and Troy Donnay play against the Knights for the first time since the trade earlier this month.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Petes 2, Otters 1 (OT)

Peterborough  0  0  1  1  —  2

Erie  0  1  0  0  —  1

1^st Period — None. Penalties — Glass (E) high sticking, 1:39; Mathers (P) 5-min. kneeing, 10:03; Mathers (P) game misconduct, 10:03; Erie, too many men (served by McDonnell), 19:10.

2^nd Period — 1. Erie, Dane Fox 17 (Brown, Olden), 13:25. Penalties — Donnay (E) roughing, 1:18; Hatcher (P) hooking, 17:14.

3^rd Period — 2. Peterborough, Nick Ritchie 10 (Quine), :37. Penalties — None.

Overtime — 3. Peterborough, Lino Martschini 12 (unassisted), 3:08. Penalties — None.

Shots on goal — Peterborough, 10-15-12-4—41; Erie, 10-9-8-2—29.

Goaltenders — Peterborough, Mike Morrison 8-12-2-3 (29 shots, 28 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 3-17-2-1 (41 shots, 39 saves).

Power plays — Peterborough (0-3), Erie (0-2).

Referees — Ben Wilson, Jason Goldenberg. Linesmen — Ryan Wilson, Rick Janco.

Attendance — 3,524.

Three stars

* Ramis Sadikov, Otters (39 saves) ** Dane Fox, Otters (goal) *** Mike Morrison, Petes (28 saves)