CALGARY – The first-place, No. 3-ranked University of Calgary Dinos placed four players on the Canada West all-star teams as the conference announced its 2011-12 women's hockey awards Thursday.

Forwards Hayley Wickenheiser and Iya Gavrilova joined defenceman Stephanie Ramsay on the first all-star squad, while blueliner Melissa Zubick landed on the second all-conference team as the Dinos earned fully one third of the 12 all-star honours available.

The Dinos host the Alberta Pandas for the Canada West Championship this weekend at Canada Olympic Park. The best-of-three series opens Friday night at the Markin MacPhail Centre, with puck drop at 7:30 p.m., with Game 2 Saturday night at 8 p.m. If necessary, Game 3 will go Sunday at 6:15 p.m. All games will be streamed live on CanadaWest.tv.

All-Time Dinos Women's Hockey Honours

Saskatchewan and Lethbridge swept the major awards, with the Huskies' Julile Paetsch earning player-of-the-year honours and teammate Kelsey Tulloch taking the student-athlete award. Lethbridge freshman Sadie Lenstra was named rookie of the year, while her head coach, Chandy Kaip, took home the honour of Canada West coach of the year.

It's the second straight first team selection for Wickenheiser, who was named the Canada West and CIS player of the year in 2010-11. The three-time Olympic champion scored 32 points in just 16 games on the season, including a conference-leading 17 goals. Gavrilova earns all-conference honours in her first season of CIS competition after finishing fourth in the conference with 27 points on the year.

On the blue line, Zubick moves to the second team after a first team selection last season. It marks the third time in four seasons that Zubick has been recognized as an all-star, beginning in 2009 when she earned all-conference honours in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference during the Dinos' championship season.

Ramsay, meanwhile, is no stranger to conference awards and earns the second all-star selection of her career. In 2009 with the University of Alberta, Ramsay was named the conference rookie of the year, a first team all-star, and a second team All-Canadian. This season, her first with the Dinos, Ramsay scored nine goals and added 16 assists to lead all defencemen in the conference with 25 points on the campaign.

2011-12 Canada West Women's Hockey Awards
Player of the Year: Julie Paetsch, Saskatchewan
Rookie of the Year: Sadie Lenstra, Lethbridge
Student-Athlete Award: Kelsey Tulloch, Saskatchewan
Coach of the Year: Chandy Kaip, Lethbridge

2011-12 Canada West Women's Hockey All-Stars
First Team
G Crystal Patterson, Lethbridge
D Nicole Pratt, Alberta
D Stephanie Ramsay, CALGARY
F Iya Gavrilova, CALGARY
F Hayley Wickenheiser, CALGARY
F Julie Paetsch, Saskatchewan

Second Team
G Kaitlyn Chapman, Alberta
D Addie Miles, Manitoba
D Melissa Zubick, CALGARY
F Shelby Ballendine, Lethbridge
F Nellie Minshull, Manitoba
F Cara Wooster, Saskatchewan

2012 Canada West Women's Hockey Championship
No. 3 Calgary Dinos (20-4-0, 2-0) vs. No. 5 Alberta Pandas (14-3-7, 2-0)
All games at the WinSport Markin MacPhail Centre, COP
All games streamed live on CanadaWest.tv

Game 1: Friday, Feb. 24, 7:30 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, Feb. 25, 8 p.m.
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, Feb. 26, 6:15 p.m.

-UC-