The Airdrie Techmation Thunder put the wraps on a remarkable season last night (June 19) at their annual year end awards banquet.  

The team took the time to say thanks to its many sponsors, volunteers, players, coaching staff and team management for the 2018-2019 season that saw them capture not only the Heritage Junior Hockey Leauge (HJHL) championship but also the Alberta Junior "B" Championship.

Jordan McConnell took home two awards from last night's hardware handout.  McConnell was named the Thunder's Most Valuable Player and also captured the scoring title.  Neither award was much of a surprise as he also won the HJHL MVP after a season that saw him score an incredible 125 points on 50 goals and 75 assists.  His feat set a new Heritage League scoring record. 

McConnell says, in his wildest dreams, he never imagined a season like this.  "No I didn't.  If I did the year over again there's no way I could do it again.  I had really good teammates I was playing with all year, got really good bounces all year.  I can credit everyone else who was a part of the Airdrie Thunder this year 'cause they obviously helped us do that.  I don't want to take credit for everything because my teammates helped us win all year long."

McConnell explains that, when the year started, the team felt that they'd be very competitive this season but their year long success was remarkable to everyone.  

"We obviously had a lot of guys from Junior A teams and a lot of good guys coming back from the team last year.  We knew we'd have a really good team but it's pretty incredible that we were able to stay that good all year."

Even though Jason Wenzel finished fourth in the HJHL in scoring with 65 points in 35 games, it was his defensive work that was recognized last night.  Wenzel was named the Thunder's Top Defenseman.  Wenzel believes his award needs to go to every Thunder player.  "It definitely reflects well on the team," says Wenzel.  "We were a really strong defensive team so they made it pretty easy on me.  I'm proud to accept the award but it was defintely a team thing."

Team management had championship rings created for all the Thunder players to recognize their double accomplishments this season as Heritage Junior Hockey League Champions and Provincial Junior "B" titleists.  They were given to the players at the end of the night.  

Here is a list of all the award winners last night:

Rookie of the Year:  Brett LeGrandeur 

Sportsmanship Award:  Kirkland Spencer 

Most Improved Player:  Jackson Gibson 

Best Defensive Forward:  Cooper Page 

Heart, Pride & Sacrifice Award:  Brayden Dunn 

Unsung Hero Award:  Tristan Paquette

Dedication Award:  Rylan Plante-Crough 

Best Defenseman:  Jason Wenzel 

Top Playoff Performer:  Jackson Little 

Top Scorer:  Jordan McConnell 

Most Valuable Player:  Jordan McConnell 

President's Award:  Zach Giroux 

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