Player of the month for February
Abigail Waters named as an ‘inspirational’ hockey player
By Laureen Sweeney

The Westmount Minor Hockey Association has named Abigail Waters from its Wings U/M9-4 girls’ team as its player of the month for February. At 8 years old, “Abigail is an inspirational player,” said Andrew Maislin, operations manager for the city’s Sports and Recreation department. In announcing the selection, he said it was not often that an association comes across someone “who inspires others to want to play hockey at this young age.” And Maislin witnessed it first hand, he told the Independent last week. “This past weekend, my 7-year-old daughter who wants nothing to do with hockey went to a Wings-versus-Côte St Luc Canucks game to cheer on a few of her friends on the Canucks team. After the game when she came home, I asked her what she thought about the game and the first words out of her mouth were, ‘I want to be like number 16 on your team.’ “I asked ‘Why number 16?’ and her response was so simple and profound. She responded by telling me that every time she saw number 16 on the ice, she was smiling and she looked like she was having so much fun. ‘I want to be just like her.’” Maislin said that Abigail had assisted numerous teams this season when they have been short players. “She has often
played multiple games in a day without hesitation. Abigail has demonstrated true Wings spirit, not just on her team but the teams that she has supported.” Amazing shot She has no fear on the ice, he added. “She has an amazing shot and is always quick to get up when she falls. She has a great hockey sense and is always in the right spot.” While Abigail may be quiet in the room and on the bench, her presence is well noticed on the ice through her consistent performances, he explained. “I look forward to having Abigail in our program for years to come.” The player-of-the-month recognition program was initiated in November 2019 “to acknowledge how, through hockey and sports as a whole, children are able to develop sportsmanship, teamwork and discipline, which they can then transfer into other areas of their lives.”

‘Excited, motivated and prepared’
Matthew Frenkiel honoured as player of the month
By Laureen Sweeney

Matthew Frenkiel was named last week as the city’s hockey player of the month for
January, announced Andrew Maislin, operations manager for Westmount’s Sports and Recreation department. “He plays with the U/M9-3 Wings team and is in his first season playing inter-city hockey for Westmount,” Maislin said. No stranger to the game, however, Matthew graduated from the MAHG instructional hockey program. According to the team’s head coach Paul Tsang, “Matthew is a dream to coach because he is excited, motivated and comes prepared to learn every time. He’s a positive influence both on and off the ice, which is so important as young players develop their skills and learn to play as a team. Matthew’s just simply a great teammate.” The player-of-the-month recognition program was launched in November 2019 to acknowledge how, through hockey and sports as a whole, children are able to develop sportsmanship, teamwork and discipline, which they can then transfer into other areas of their lives.

Cited for leadership, attitude, team support
Cecilia Chadwick named player-of-the-month for December
By Laureen Sweeney

Westmount’s hockey player-of-themonth for December is Cecilia Chadwick, as announced last week by Andrew Maislin, operations manager for the Sports and Recreation department. He launched the
program in 2019 for the Westmount Minor Hockey Association. Cecilia, who plays with the U/M11 A
“Wings” team, is one of two girls on the team and is playing inter-city this year for
Westmount for the first time after participating in the fall youth league and development clinics in the past. “Since Cecilia started playing team sports with Westmount in 2017, I have never seen her not smiling from ear to ear,” Maislin said. “She has developed into a strong leader within our association who is always up for a challenge.” Maislin said when he asked the coaches why they recommended Cecilia for December’s player he received this response: “Honestly, we could give Cecilia player-ofthe-month every month just for her positive attitude and the support she gives her teammates.” Head coach Dominic Plante explained that “She’s always smiling, she wants to learn and she works really hard all the time. She is a quick and eager learner. She also contributes on the ice. She’s one of the best defencemen on the team.” The program was launched not only to highlight the contributions of players, but also to acknowledge the opportunities and skills that hockey, and sports as a whole, can offer young people, Maislin explains.

Goalie cited for ‘positive attitude’
Ellis is city’s Player of the Month for November
By Laureen Sweeney

The city’s hockey player of the month for November is 12-yearold Zachary Ellis, the goalie for the U/M13 Westmount Wings A team.
This is his first year playing inter-city with the Wings after two years in the city’s house league, according to Andrew Maislin, operations manager for the city’s Sports and Recreation department.
“He has put in the work to improve his game to another level in the month of November,” Maislin explained. “Zachary has put in a tremendous amount of time to improve his skills. He watches videos with practice movements and [practises] on his own whenever he has a chance on the ice. His positive attitude, ability to adapt and eagerness to learn has earned him the admiration of this fellow players and coaches.”
This last month, he has helped his team to five wins and two losses with a 1.85 goals-against average.
The player of the month program was launched two years ago by the Westmount Minor Hockey League to recognize players whose talents have had a positive influence on their teams and peers (see story November 19, 2019, p. 1). “We believe it is important to acknowledge the opportunities and skills that minor hockey, and sports as a whole, can offer young people,” Maislin said. “Through hockey, children are able to develop sportsmanship, teamwork and discipline, which they can transfer to other areas of their
lives, such as academics and community service.” The program was suspended in March 2020 at the start of the COVID closures and started up again this October with the naming of Samuel McKenzie from the
U/M18 (Midget) Wings team (see Zachary Ellis. Photo courtesy of Westmount Sports and Recreation. story November 16, p. 5)

In continuing the tradition, the Westmount Minor Hockey Association is proud to announce this month’s player of the month for October 2021.

We believe it is important to acknowledge the opportunities and skills that minor hockey, and sports as a whole, can offer young people. Through hockey, children are able to develop sportsmanship, teamwork and discipline, which they can transfer to other areas of their lives, such as academics and community service.

With that in mind, we are proud to announce that our October nominee is Samuel McKenzie, age 17, from the M18 A Wings team. Samuel has demonstrated the exemplary skills that have earned him special recognition this month. Samuel is always attentive when his coach is instructing, first on the ice and always takes initiative. Recently, I had the pleasure as replacing the coaches of the team and I was impressed by Samuel. He came out of the dressing room, asked me if I needed anything with regard to the lineups, who plays what position & other team information related to the game. To me he demonstrated first hand, his leadership. We went on to win the game. Samuel began his hockey career back in 2011 in Novice A and has remained part of the program until this year which happens to be his last season in minor hockey. Samuel’s dedication to his team, his respect and his focus have made us proud to name him our first Player of the Month for the 2021-2022 season in the Westmount Minor Hockey Association.

At Westmount Minor Hockey, we are committed to serving the community by highlighting those whose talents have had a positive influence on their teams and peers. We will continue to support the recognition of young talent in the hopes that it will encourage and reinforce their participation in athletics, education and the greater community.

On behalf of the City of Westmount, we would like to extend our congratulations once again to Samuel and we look forward to seeing what he will accomplish in the future.

The City of Westmount is pleased to introduce its first ever youth all girls’ hockey team. This was one of the objectives established by The Westmount Minor Hockey Association prior to the pandemic.

This year 11 girls will take part at the M9 level (Novice). With the assistance of dedicated coaches, the girls have been practising together and developing their skills since September 11^th in preparation to start league games on December 1st.

The goal is to add an additional team of girls each year in hopes of bringing more of the Westmount community into the sport of hockey.

On the picture:
Top, left to right: MJ Blais, Caroline Parent Harvey, Chris Clark, Stephen Morganstein
Middle, left to right: Abigail Waters, Sophie Mantha, Eva Clark, Sophie Frenkiel, Raegan Piccioni, Romy Garshagen
Bottom, left to right: Emmanuelle Ghattas, Chloe Veronneau, Caroline San Gregorio, Mikki Morganstein, Emma Veronneau