VANCOUVER – The season didn't exactly go the way they had hoped it would, but there was a positive on the final day of the 2014 campaign for the Dinos field hockey team as goalkeeper Alicia Frisch was named the Canada West player of the year.

The Dinos wrapped up their season with a 4-0 loss at the hands of the UBC Thunderbirds in Vancouver Sunday.

Frisch becomes the first Dino to win the honour since Teresa McLachlan earned the same distinction in 2000. Three years earlier in 1997, Marla Richardson became the Dinos' lone winner of the Liz Hoffman award as the top field hockey player in CIS.

Frisch was the most impactful presence for the young Dinos team this year, finishing with a 4.00 goals-against average while playing all 560 minutes of the season.  Powerhouse rivals Victoria and UBC kept the scoreless and winless Dinos in their end the majority of the season, but both teams struggled to beat Frisch.  On Calgary's road swing to Victoria, Frisch commanded her team to ward off over 40 penalty corners in two games. Besides earning the league's top individual honour, Frisch also took home the Canada West Goalkeeper of the Year award.
 
Frisch returned to Calgary after completing her undergrad in Economics at Maine to pursue graduate studies in urban design and planning.  

"Alicia was a phenomenal addition to a squad that is undergoing a rebuilding process," said Dinos head coach Henré Meyer. "With only five returning players this year, most entering their third year of eligibility, she offered experience and maturity to a young team while providing resistance between the pipes. The inexperience of the team resulted in gritty defending with Frisch leading the way, often making a staggering amount of saves – some that were absolutely exceptional at any level."

Frisch, a Calgary native, was joined on the conference all-star team by fellow Dinos Jess Britton and Janelle Rice. Additionally, Rice earned the Canada West student-athlete community service award for her contributions on and off the field. Rice is on her third year of study, majoring in science and math.  

"Janelle leads by example - working hard at practice as well as in the conditioning and athletic conditioning sessions," said Meyer. "She is often the first to arrive and the last to leave practices – discussing ways she can improve, the team can improve or what needs to be undertaken from a team-building point of view.  Janelle understands the importance of how to manage people and different personalities, and this stands her in good stead as co-captain of this young squad. She also enjoys coaching youngsters in various sports."
 
Rice is the fifth Dino to be given the Student-Athlete Community Service Award, following Carolina Romeo in 2012.  Rice will represent the Canada West on the ballot for the CIS Gail Wilson Award.

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