Links - CISCIS womens field hockey Guelphs Stairs named pl - North River Minor Hockey Association

CISCIS womens field hockey Guelphs Stairs named player of the year CIS womens field hockey Guelphs Stairs named player of the yearVICTORIA (CIS) Thirdyear University of Guelph forward Brienne Stairs was named player of the year in Canadian Interuniversity Sport womens field hockey Wednesday nightThe native of Kitchener Ont became the first Gryphon to claim the Liz Hoffman award since the inception of the trophy in 1992The other CIS major award winners announced during the AllCanadian Gala were UBCs Abigail Raye of Kelowna BC who captured the Joyce Slipp award as the nations best rookie Albertas Jennifer Foster of Pincher Creek Alta who received the Gail Wilson Outstanding Contributor award and Saint Marys Sharon Rajaraman who was named coach of the year and received the Marina van der Merwe award presented by Coaches of CanadaThe 2009 CIS championship gets under way on Thursday at the University of Victoria The goldmedal final is scheduled for Sunday at 1 pm Pacific Time LIZ HOFFMAN AWARD (player of the year) Brienne Stairs GuelphStairs led the nation in scoring for the second straight year tallying a phenomenal 30 goals in 14 conference games after finishing with 19 markers in 13 outings in 2008 A threetime OUA allstar and a secondteam allCanadian a year ago the biomedical sciences student already ranks fifth on the Gryphons alltime scoring leaders list with 55 goals in three seasonsThanks in large part to Stairs dominance the Gryphons finished first in the OUA in the regular season with a schoolrecord 1202 mark led the conference with a teamrecord 68 goals scored captured their second OUA title in three years and the second in team history with a 10 goldmedal win over archrival Toronto and enter the CIS championship as the only undefeated team in the country and as the No 1 seed for the first time in history Guelph hopes to improve on a fourthplace finish in 2008 when Stairs was named a CIS tournament allstarBrienne has a passion for competition said Guelph head coach Michelle Turley Losing is not an option Her endurance speed and competitive edge make her the ideal athlete She is one of the best to ever play for GuelphJOYCE SLIPP AWARD (rookie of the year) Abigail Raye UBCRaye became only the second Thunderbird to receive the Joyce Slipp award since the inception of the trophy in 1992 Former UBC great Laura Dowling won the award in 2003Raye joined the UBC program after being named Kelowna Secondary Schools Female Athlete of the Year in 200809 A starter from day one with the Thunderbirds she had two goals in her first CIS campaign showcasing her versatility and talent by playing in almost every position on the pitch She played a major role in the TBirds 102 regular season and seventh consecutive conference championshipA me...