MacDougall, McCallum, Gilmour Win Awards
(TORONTO, ON) On the eve of the 2024 U SPORTS men’s hockey championship tournament, three members of the UNB REDS were honoured with national awards on Wednesday morning.
REDS’ head coach Gardiner MacDougall was named Coach of the Year, and winner of the Father George Kehoe Award, Kale McCallum was named defenceman of the year, and Brady Gilmour was named most sportsmanlike player of the year, and winner of the R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award.
“You can compete hard and be disciplined at the same time,” said Gilmour. “That’s something that Gardiner stresses. I’m honoured to get the award and looking forward to puck drop on Thursday.”
The awards ceremony, held at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Mattamy Athletic Centre, formerly Maple Leaf Gardens, was attended by the eight teams in Toronto for the University Cup.
For MacDougall, who guided the REDS to a 30-0-0-0 record in the Atlantic University Sport regular season and a 5-0 run through the conference playoffs, it’s the third time he’s been recognized as the nation’s top coach.
“It’s a team and staff award,” he said. “I’ve got the best coaching staff in the country, they go the extra mile, I just play a role in it. We have an amazing team, a special team, and amazing support from the University of New Brunswick.”
“There’s only one university president here this morning and that’s ours,” added MacDougall, acknowledging the presence of UNB president and vice-chancellor Dr. Paul Mazerolle.
McCallum was among the nation’s leading scorers, the top defenceman in U SPORTS scoring with 11 goals and 31 assists.
“It’s an honour, but it’s a team award,” said McCallum, finishing his second season as a RED. “We’re the number one team in the country for a reason. There’s a lot of people behind us, trying to help us get there, so it’s a team award.”
Along with the award winners, McCallum and forward Austen Keating were also named 1st Team All-Canadians.
The REDS are the tournament’s top seed. They face the No. 8 Brock Badgers in the tournament’s opening game, Thursday at 1:00pm Eastern (2:00pm Atlantic).
“We’re looking forward to the journey ahead here,” said MacDougall, making his 18th appearance at the national championship tournament.
STORY BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics
PHOTOS BY: Toronto Metropolitan University Athletics