Truro, N.S. (January 1, 2025) – The Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) is pleased to name the awards for December with the Top Forward, Top Defenseman, and Top Goaltender.
Top Forward – Philippe Collette (Edmundston Blizzard) – The 19-year-old from Saint-Antoine led all players in the MHL last month with nineteen points in just six games for an outstanding 3.17 points per game. Collette’s twelve assists were tied for second-most in the league, while his seven goals were tied for third-most. Seven of his points came on the powerplay (two goals and five assists), while he added two game-winning goals. Entering 2025, Collette leads the MHL with 58 points and 39 assists.
Collette scored two goals, including the overtime winner, in a 5-4 victory against West Kent on the 5th. He had one goal and one assist, as well as another goal in the shootout, in a 4-3 loss to Fredericton on the 6th, and then three assists in a 4-3 overtime win on the 13th. Collette tallied two goals and four assists, including the game-winner, in a 6-5 overtime victory against Fredericton on the 14th. Those six points tied Grand Falls’ Jérémy D’Astous for the most by any player in a game this season. He finished his month with two goals and an assist against the Red Wings on the 20th and three assists against Amherst on the 21st.
Honourable Mention – Mathis Perron (Amherst Ramblers) – The 20-year-old from Sherbrooke, Quebec had fourteen points in seven games for the Ramblers in December. His eight goals were second-most last month to go with six assists. Perron did some of his best work on special teams, racking up three goals and four assists on the powerplay. He also had two shorthanded goals, which were among four goals he scored in a 6-3 win over Valley on the 13th. Five of his seven games were multi-point efforts last month.
Top Defenseman – Raphael Denis (Grand Falls Rapids) – The 20-year-old from McMasterville, Quebec was tied for second in league scoring for December with fourteen points in eight games. His twelve assists were tied with Edmundston’s Philippe Collette for the second-most among all players. Denis had one goal and four assists on the powerplay for Grand Falls last month. Denis recorded at least one points in all eight games he played last month, including six multi-point games. He finished December with one goal and nine assists in five games, including two assists in each of the last four.
For the season, Denis is fifth in assists among all skaters, leading defensemen in points (32) and assists (26), while sitting tied for third in powerplay points (14).
Honourable Mention – Coen Strang (Amherst Ramblers) – The 20-year-old from Moncton, N.B. had one goal and seven assists in seven games for the Ramblers last month and all of those points came on the powerplay. Strang started the month with three assists in a 5-4 win over Yarmouth on the 5th and scored the game-winner in a 6-3 victory on the 13th over Valley. He sists fourth in points among defensemen through the end of December with 26 and tied for second in assists with 22, while leading the way among blueliners with seventeen powerplay points.
Top Goaltender – Alexis Cournoyer (Truro Bearcats) – The 18-year-old from Trois-Rivières, Quebec has been named the MHL’s top goaltender for the second month in a row after logging heavy minutes for the Bearcats last month. Cournoyer had a record of 3-2-0-0 with a 1.77 goals against average, .954 save percentage, and one shutout. His 186 saves made were the most in the MHL in December and his 305 minutes played were fourth-most. For the season, he has the highest save percentage at .927 and sits third in both goals against average (2.83) and saves (753).
Cournoyer made 28 saves in a 2-1 overtime win in Campbellton on the 6th, followed by 35 saves in a 2-1 win in Miramichi the next night where he also stopped both shooters he faced in the shootout. He made 40 saves in a 4-3 loss to Summerside on the 12th and then topped that with 53 saves in a 3-0 loss in Amherst on the 15th. Cournoyer picked up a win in his final start of the month, making 30 saves in a 1-0 Truro victory over Valley on the 18th.
Honourable Mention – Xavier Farrah (Amherst Ramblers) – The 19-year-old from Moncton, N.B. has been locked in for the Ramblers since being acquired from Valley at the end of November. Farrah went 4-1-1-0 in December with a 2.84 goals against average and .909 save percentage with one shutout. Standout performances last month included 30 saves in a 5-2 win over Summerside on the 10th and 22 saves in a 3-0 win over Truro on the 15th. Farrah also made 38 saves in a 5-4 overtime loss in Edmundston on the 21st.
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Media Contact:
James Faulkner
Director of Communications
Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL)
jfaulkner@themhl.ca