Okotoks Oilers see two players honoured with CJHL awards

The Okotoks Oilers saw two of their own honoured this week with the announcement of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) awards.

Riley Morris was awarded the 2017-2018 CJHL’s Goaltender of the year, while Jacob Bernard-Docker won the national leagues’ Defenseman of the year award.

Morris said that he has changed over his four years in Okotoks.

“The person that I was when I first came to Okotoks and the person I am now are completely different. I attribute that to the coaches, management, billets, and community,” Morris said.

He adds that winning this award is just the cherry on top of his career with the Alberta Junior Hockey League team.

Over his four years with the Okotoks Oilers Morris set a number of franchise records including most shutouts in a career, 10, most career games played, 141, and most career wins, 88.

The Calgary native said that he wouldn’t have won this award if it wasn’t for his defensive core including Defenseman of the year winner Jacob Bernard-Docker.

“I credited almost everything I have obtained this year to him and the rest of the d-core on the Oilers, but he is getting the credit that he fully deserves.”

The 17-year-old defenseman said that there was a number of players this award could have gone to and he is honored to have been chosen.

He said that it’s an excellent way to end such a great season with the Oilers.

“It was an unbelievable season with that group – probably the best group of guys I have had the honour of playing with so far,” Bernard-Docker said.

He agreed with Morris’s sentiment about not being the same person, or player he was when he first started in Okotoks. He believes he has become more patient with the puck, and that has made it so he can create more opportunities.

The Canmore native is estimated to be picked 33 in the upcoming National Hockey League Draft, but will be heading to North Dakota to play for the University of North Dakota on the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 Scholarship.

He said that he is looking forward to his upcoming time in North Dakota and will never forget the lessons he learned while playing in Okotoks.

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