The York University Lions men's hockey team recently handed out its annual team awards at a small online banquet to celebrate the accomplishments of its players from the 2019-20 season.
 
Third-year defenceman Sal Filice was the recipient of the prestigious Mark Cross Heart of a Lion Award. Named in honour of Lions alumnus Mark Cross, who passed away in the tragic Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018, this award is presented to the player who best embodies Mark's spirit by exhibiting elite levels of character, respect, optimism, sacrifice and selflessness.
 
Filice, an associate captain this season, has blossomed into a strong leader on and off the ice for a young squad that featured 17 rookies. He played in 27 of the team's 28 regular-season games on the blueline and recorded four points (one goal, three assists).
 
Head coach Russ Herrington presented the Bill Maguire Yeoman's Service Award to Jesse Cook for his extraordinary level of dedication, commitment, service and loyalty to the program. Cook, a York graduate who played for the Lions while completing his degree, works as both an assistant coach and the team's strength and conditioning coach. His continued drive to find new ways to improve the team's individual and collective development is unmatched.

    
 
The remaining seven awards handed out were voted on by the members of the team. Captain Scott Feser was selected as the recipient of the Dave Chambers Most Outstanding Player Award for the second straight year after leading the team in scoring with 24 points. He played in every game and was also the team's leader in assists (18), finishing 26^th overall in OUA scoring.
 
Feser also received the Graham Wise Lasting Legacy Award along with goaltender Mack Shields. Both of them will graduate this season after tremendous careers with the Lions. As rookies, they were instrumental in leading the Lions to the OUA championship in 2017 – Feser led the Lions in playoff scoring and Shields started every playoff game – and since then have grown into leaders. They have both won multiple conference awards for their play on the ice and succeeded in the classroom, earning academic all-Canadian honours.

    
 
In addition to the Mark Cross Award, Filice also received two awards voted on by his peers. He won the David Kosoy Best Teammate Award for the third straight year and earned the Bob Hedley Unsung Hero Award for putting forth the greatest effort for the team while sacrificing personal success.

    
 
Another repeat winner was Alex Mowbray, who won the Ian Macdonald Academic Excellence Award for the third straight year. He has maintained academic all-Canadian status while studying in the demanding Schulich School of Business and has also served as an academic mentor to his teammates.
 
Jack Goranson, last year's recipient of the Mark Cross Award, received the Guy Burry That's a Lion Award this season. In addition to his strong play on the ice and his leadership as an associate captain, he is an academic all-Canadian, a mentor in the PAWS program and a member of the York Sport Council.

    
 
The final award of the night was the Bill Purcell Community Leadership Award, which went to Kaleb Dahlgren. Although unable to play, he is an integral piece of the team for the variety of other roles he holds, including as the team's sport council member and lead recruiter, among others. He also achieved academic all-Canadian honours in his first season.