Truro, N.S. (August 9, 2019) – The Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) is proud to announce Gabriel Vanier, formerly of the Edmundston Blizzard, is the winner of the Bob Boucher Hockey Assistance Fund (BBHAF) Scholarship for the 2018-19 season.
The late Mr. Boucher was a coach and executive, working at levels ranging from Nova Scotia Intermediate to the NHL over the course of his long career. The scholarship was established in his name several years ago by a number of Mr. Boucher’s former players as a means to support students within the game who have displayed exceptional scholastic achievements.
Vanier finished his second and final season in the MHL in 2018-19, posting 31 goals and 32 assists in 48 games for the Edmundston Blizzard as well as two goals in five playoff games. He joined the team in 2017-18, with 13 goals and seven assists in 30 games. In the playoffs, Vanier would help the Blizzard capture the league championship with nine goals and six assists in 17 games.
The 21-year-old from Boisbriand, QC was a student at the Université de Moncton Edmundston campus in 2018-19, enrolled in the Bachelor of Business Administration – Finance program. Committed to the Université de Moncton for 2019-20, Vanier is aiming for a Masters degree in Finance once he completes his Bachelor program. For his efforts this past season, Vanier was named winner of the Édupôle Cup as Edmundston’s student player of the year. Off the ice, Vanier was involved in a number of initiatives, including the Blizzecture program which aims to motivate kids from Grades 3 to 5 to read and has a special focus on those students who are struggling to read.
As the winner of the BBHAF Scholarship, Vanier will be presented with a cheque for $2,000 when he and his Université de Moncton teammates visit the St. Mary’s Huskies (SMU) on November 29th. The location was chosen as Mr. Boucher was inducted into the SMU Hall of Fame in 1998. He coached the Huskies for 13 years and led the team to the National Championship game in four consecutive seasons from 1970 to 1973.
This is the fifth year in which MHL players have been eligible for the award. Previous winners were Luke MacMillan of the Truro Bearcats (2017-18), Sam Cameron of the Woodstock Slammers (2016-17), Thomas Stavert of the Summerside Western Capitals (2015-16), and Lucas Sangster of the Amherst Ramblers (2014-15).
Media Contact:
James Faulkner
Director of Communications
Maritime Hockey League
jfaulkner@themhl.ca