Team Stories

TORONTO (U Sports) – The CIS student-athletes announced last month (Oct. 19) as Top Eight Academic All-Canadians for the 2015-2016 season were honoured in Ottawa on Tuesday morning.

His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, presented the fourth Governor General’s Academic All-Canadian Commendation to the eight recipients, during a ceremony at Rideau Hall, his official residence.

Every year, a growing number of CIS student-athletes are recognized as Academic All-Canadians, having maintained an average of 80 per cent or better over the academic year while competing for one – or more – of their university’s varsity teams.

Among these outstanding individuals, one female and one male student-athlete from each of the four conference are selected annually to make up the Top Eight.

The 2015-16 recipients from Atlantic University Sport (AUS) are Elenor Henry (Toronto), a soccer player and biochemistry student from Mount Allison University, and Geoff Schemitsch (Thornhill, Ont.), a hockey player and kinesiology student from Acadia University.

Representing the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) are Laval University’s Gabrielle Lapointe (Montmagny, Que.), a soccer player and medical student, as well as McGill University’s François Jarry (Lachine, Que.), a cross country/track and field athlete and physical and health education major.

The winners from Ontario University Athletics (OUA) are Cindy Nelles (Belleville, Ont.), a rugby player and civil engineering student from McMaster University, and Colin Behenna (Waterloo, Ont.), a hockey player and math and business student from the University of Waterloo.

Last but not least, the Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA) recipients are swimmer Rebecca Terejko (Brantford, Ont.), a kinesiology student, as well as Chad Bush (Ottawa), a soccer player and history major, both from the University of British Columbia.

“The number of Academic All-Canadians speaks volume about the quality of our student-athletes, but also our coaches, support staff and our universities,” said Graham Brown, chief executive officer of U Sports. “To be selected among 12,000 of their peers is an achievement these exceptional student-athletes should be extremely proud of. They represent the very best of what university sport is all about.”

Following is a profile of each member of the 2015-16 Top Eight, as well as a list of all-time winners.

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Valley netminder voted ECAC’s Goaltender of the Week

The Acadia hockey community would like to say congratulations to Grande Pre’s Kate Spooner on being voted the ECAC’s Goaltender of the week. Kate is suiting up this season in Division 1 with Union College, and we wish her continued success throughout the season.

ALBANY, NY – First year defenseman Abby Ellis and first year goaltender Kate Spooner were both received ECAC honors, as announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon.

Ellis was named Rookie of the Week after netting a goal and adding an assist in Friday’s 2-0 win over RIT. She helped on the eventual game winner in the second period as she helped find Katie Laughlin who scored her first career goal for Union to put the Dutchwomen up 1-0. Ellis would get her own career first as just 39 second into the third period she found the back of the net for her first career goal in Garnet and White.

Spooner also played an integral part in the victory over the Tigers as she stopped all 16 shots that she faced recording her first career collegiate shutout. For her efforts she was voted as the ECAC Goaltender of the Week finishing the weekend with a save percentage of .953.

This was the first time since Dec. of 2014 that Union has won back-to-back games.

Union is back on the ice tonight as it travels to Providence for a midweek clash in with the Friars. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

By John DeCoste (’77)

Geoff Schemitsch, a fourth-year student-athlete and member of the Acadia hockey Axemen, has moved around a good deal during his career, but it’s unlikely his travels have included a trip to meet His Excellency the Governor-General of Canada David Johnston at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.

That’s where Schemitsch will be November 8 after being named a CIS Top-Eight Academic All-Canadian. Academic All-Canadians are exceptional student-athletes who achieve an academic standing of 80 per cent or better while playing on one of their university’s varsity teams. Among these outstanding individuals, one female and one male from each CIS regional association are selected annually. Schemitsch is this year’s AUS representative.

It’s the fourth year in a row that an Acadia student-athlete has earned CIS Top-Eight Academic All-Canadian status. Previous honorees include Katie Ross (in 2015), Michelle Pryde (2014), and Travis Gibbons (2013).

In pursuit of excellence

Growing up in Thornhill, Ontario, in the northeast sector of Toronto, Schemitsch tried a variety of sports as a youngster, but by about age 10 it was pretty much all hockey.

He became a AAA-level player in his final year in the novice division. He started his career as a forward, but shifted to defense in his second year of novice. “Our team had a few injuries on defense,” he says. “I started playing D in the playoffs that year, and made it permanent the following year.”

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TORONTO (CIS) – Canadian Interuniversity Sport proudly announced Wednesday the student-athletes selected as Top Eight Academic All-Canadians for the 2015-2016 season. Acadia’s Geoff Schemitsch, a fourth year hockey player, was named to the Top 8. It is the fourth year in a row for Acadia to be honoured with a CIS Top 8.

Link to Story on Geoff Schemitsch>

The elite group will be honoured in Ottawa on November 8, when His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, presents the fourth annual Governor General’s Academic All-Canadian Commendation to the eight recipients during a ceremony at Rideau Hall, his official residence.
Every year, a growing number of CIS student-athletes are recognized as Academic All-Canadians, having maintained an average of 80 per cent or better over the academic year while competing for one – or more – of their university’s varsity teams.

Among these outstanding individuals, one female and one male student-athlete from each of the four CIS regional associations are selected annually to make up the Top Eight.

The 2015-16 recipients from Atlantic University Sport (AUS) are Elenor Henry (Toronto), a soccer player and biochemistry student from Mount Allison University, and Geoff Schemitsch (Thornhill, Ont.), a hockey player and kinesiology student from Acadia University.

Read more →

Hear what Coach Burns has to say about his 2016-17 Acadia squad

Whynot, Levy, & Burns selected to provincial teams

Congratulations to Cameron Whynot on being selected to the Nova Scotia U14 team that will be participating at the upcoming Atlantic Challenge Cup. Cameron played last season with the Valley Wildcats Major Bantam team as an underage.

Congratulations to Brady Burns and Brent Levy on being selected to the Nova Scotia U15 team that will be participating at the upcoming Atlantic Challenge Cup. Brady and Brent played last season with the Valley Wildcats Major Bantam team.

Cameron, Brady and Brent are all products of the Acadia Minor Hockey Association and Acadia Hockey Camps. They recently traveled with Acadia Hockey Development teams to Boston to participate in the prestigious Chowder Cup Tournament.  All three have shown excellent dedication and leadership skills for young hockey players in the Valley.  We wish them continued success as they continue to work towards their goals.

The Atlantic Challenge Cup will be held Oct 7-10^th in Moncton, NB. The tournament consists of provincial teams from NFLD, NB, PEI and NS.

Full Day Camp + 3 Additional Ice Sessions with Axemen Goalies

Monday Aug 15^th – Friday Aug 19^th

Acadia Hockey Development is proud to present Finn Goaltending Program this August. AHD’s goalie camp has always proven itself to be one of the best in Atlantic Canada with excellent instruction and motivation for goalies of all ages. This year we are pleased to announce that we are adding Finn Goaltending to our lineup. Jack Hartigan’s passion for this position coupled with excellent goalie to instructor ratio with many hours of ice will prove to be an excellent opportunity for your son or daughter to improve dramatically at this position.

Also, as a bonus we will also offer three additional ice sessions for free on Aug 30^th, Sept 1^st and Sept 2^nd which will be run by the Acadia Axemen goalies. This will be an opportunity for everyone to get on the ice right before try outs and get some additional goalie instruction. The ice times will be from 6:15pm-7:15pm.

Drop off: 7:30am

Pick up: 4:00pm

Cost: $399

Please Register at – https://central2.acadiau.ca/my/camps?step=1