ALUMNI: Matt Fonteyne earns major Canada West award
Former Everett Silvertips captain Matt Fonteyne has won the UBC Hockey Alumni Trophy for Sportsmanship and Ability for the 2022-23 USPORTS Men’s Hockey season.
Fonteyne, a Silvertip from 2013-18, is one of five former WHLers to earn a major Canada West award at the USPORTS level. The third-year forward serves as captain of the University of Alberta Golden Bears, helping lead them to a 20-5-3 record. He is the eleventh player in school history to earn the distinction.
🐻 🏒 𝗔𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗗 𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗦
Matt Fonteyne earned the @CanadaWest Sportsmanship & Ability Award, and Jakin Smallwood was named the 2023 Rookie of the Year!Fonteyne recorded 32 points in 28 games & Smallwood led all rookies with 16 goals in 26 games.https://t.co/kQDywhKG1o
— UAlberta Golden Bears & Pandas (@BearsandPandas) February 22, 2023
He finished the season ranked third on the team in scoring with 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) while only accruing four penalty minutes in 28 games played in the regular season.
From the University of Alberta’s official press release:
“Matt is the leader of our team on and off the ice. He consistently leads by example whether it is academics, workouts, practices or games,” said Bears head coach Ian Herbers. “Matt has played with multiple wingers throughout the season and has been able to elevate their games while maintaining his dominant play. He is a key player for us in all situations and is heavily relied upon. Matt is a perfect example of a Golden Bears student-athlete.”
From the Western Hockey League’s official press release:
Fonteyne is among the nearly 350 WHL Alumni taking advantage of the WHL Scholarship during the 2022-23 academic year.
WHL Clubs have invested over $2 million to deliver WHL Scholarships this season, with nearly 150 going to student athletes attending Canada West institutions and competing at the U SPORTS level in the Canada West men’s hockey league. In many cases, these student athletes have combined their WHL Scholarship with additional financial assistance from Canada West universities to receive the Western Canada Premier Hockey Scholarship.
The Canada West semi-finals are set for this weekend. The top-ranked University of Calgary Dinos host the University of Saskatchewan Huskies beginning Thursday, while in Edmonton, the University of Alberta Golden Bears begin a best-of-three series against the UBC Thunderbirds starting Friday evening.
