Green Gaels Christmas Awards Banquet

On Sunday, December 22, the Green Gaels gathered the 2024 team together for one last night to celebrate the 2024 season and the team award winners at Chanterelle in downtown Bowmanville. Gathered together with parents and volunteers, plenty of hardware was handed out to a variety of award winners and graduating players.

A number of players from the 2024 team graduate from the organization to Senior Lacrosse or other endeavours. Each player was presented with a commemorative plaque for commitment to the Green Gaels.

  • #1 - Harrison Kerr
  • #4 - Matteo Siciliano
  • #7 - Zach Pipher
  • #9 - Cole Tucker
  • #15 - Colton McNutt
  • #22 - Robbie McGrayne
  • #23 - Ty Taylor
  • #24 - Cam Beckett
  • #33 - Mason Blacktopp

The Tom "Slick" Wreggitt award for Offensive MVP was awarded to team Captain Cole Tucker following his third and final season with the club in which he finished with 21 goals and 56 assists in 17 games once he returned from St. Bonaventure in May.

The Defensive MVP award for the 2024 season was awarded to Brody Strong. Upon returning from D'Youville University in mid May, he helped settle the defensive unit into a rhythm and played with his heart on his sleeve to lead both on and off the floor.

Robbie McGrayne was presented with the Kenny Johnston Award as the Grinder of the Year as selected by the Green Gaels training staff. Coming back from Post University, Robbie battled through injuries to put up 10 goals and 43 assists in his final season with the Gaels and add another 2 goals and 13 assists in four playoff games.

Kaleb Tatarek took home the Rookie of the Year honours. After leading the Clarington Gaels U17 team in goals scored in 2023, he led the Green Gaels in goals with 41 in 2024 in 17 games played.

The player selected as Most Likely to Succeed was Mason Blacktopp. Acquired from the Ironheads at the 2023 trade deadline, Mason battled injuries during the 2024 season but never missed an opportunity to contribute. Recovering from surgery while at Stevenson University, he stepped into the lineup when he returned home and was a key figure in the Gaels defence. Even when injured, he never missed an opportunity to be a leader within the team.

The Most Underrated Player was awarded to Drew Cairns following his first season with the team. Drew battled to make the team out of training camp impressing the coaching staff during the teams two exhibition games and became a key part of the teams defensive and penalty killing units as the season wore on. 

The Jim Bishop Memorial Award for Perseverence and Dedication was awarded to Zach Pipher. In his third and final season with the team, Zach came back from a nearly catastrophic and potentially career ending injury midway through the 2023 season to fight back and be a leader with the club in 2024. Zach embodied what being a Green Gael means and was a true leader both on and off the floor for the club.

Cole Tucker collected his OJBLL Eastern Conference Most Sportsmanlike Player award that was voted on by the General Managers of each Eastern Conference team.

For the second year, the Green Gaels alumni presented the Jim Bishop Memorial Scholarship which was awarded to Zach Tucker. 

The Green Gaels do not get much time to rest as preparations for the 2025 season get under way on Friday evening at Childrens Arena with the Joint Christmas Evaluation Camp taking place on December 27th and 28th as the pre-season schedule is being firmed up with an announcement regarding the Gaels conditioning camp and pre-season activities coming soon in the new year.