Huskies lead NWJHL awards

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Fort St. John Huskies’ 2022-23 season is shaping up to be one for the record books.

Before facing the Dawson Creek Kodiaks on Friday, some players and coaches with the Huskies were recognized with North West Junior Hockey League awards for all the work they put in this season.

Huskies’ forward Kurtis Lee earned himself NWJHL League MVP and Top Scorer after leading the league in scoring for the second consecutive year in a row. 

According to Lee, his success this season is the result of the hard work his teammates and the Huskies’ coaching staff consistently put in every time they hit the ice. 

“I feel super honoured that I get the privilege of being MVP,” said Lee. 

“But I have to give a big thanks to my teammates and my coaches for putting me in a spot where I can have that much success.”

Jackson Powers was recognized as the league’s Top Goaltender, and Brandon Modde earned the Top Defenceman award.

Not only was head coach Todd Alexander named the NWJHL Coach of the Year, but his father and Huskies’ assistant coach Gary Alexander received the Al Spence award, an award given to an individual who makes a positive impact within the league. 

Alexander said he is grateful for the opportunity to work closely with his father and share the passion they both have for the game of hockey. 

“At the end of the day, I am very fortunate that I am able to have this time with my father,” said Alexander. 

“It’s pretty special for myself to be able to go through this with him, and grow and learn and lean on him from his past experiences because he has been coaching hockey for 40 plus years.” 

Alexander is proud his players are being awarded for the hard work they put in.

“Each and every one of those guys has an underdog story from quite a few years back now,” said Alexander.

“To see them continue to work on their craft, and be good people and love the game – I think it’s fantastic for them to be rewarded for the hard work they put in.”

Following the awards ceremony, the Huskies dominated the Kodiaks 8-1 in the first game of their playoff series at the North Peace Arena, where 1,003 local fans showed their support for their team. 

Alexander said his team’s focus moving into the remainder of the playoffs is making sure they’re giving themselves the best chance to win each game by maintaining the same consistency they’ve played with throughout the year so far. 

“Last night, the effort was there,” said Alexander. 

“We played with great speed, we were deadly off the rush, we didn’t allow a powerplay goal and we scored two powerplay goals. Our goalie obviously played well for us too. When you get the whole team chipping in with different roles and different players stepping up in situations, we’re going to be a tough club to meet with on a nightly basis.”

Alexander also commended the community for showing up and supporting the Huskies.

“You can really feel the energy out on the ice they’ve been building all year with the fans,” said Alexander. 

“I have a feeling the fans are going to keep rolling in and keep juicing us up and motivating the boys to do what they do on the ice. It was a real pleasure to play in front of that crowd last night.”

The Huskies will hit the road to Dawson Creek on Sunday afternoon to take on the Kodiaks in game two of their playoff series. 

The puck drops at 2:30 p.m.