King, Parent win Gauntlet’s Extra Effort Award

By Sonny Sachdeva, April 9 2015 —

On April 7, the University of Calgary Dinos gathered for the 48th annual Night of the Dino awards gala, honouring the best athletes in the U of C’s athletics programs.

The Dinos were honoured with various awards, including the prestigious Dr. Dennis Kadatz Athlete of the Year awards, given to Andrew Buckley and Iya Gavrilova.

Buckley, the quarterback for the Dinos football team, had an excellent season with one of the best offensive performances in Canada West history. The Dinos became the first to ever top 5,000 total yards.

Gavrilova, captain of the Dinos women’s hockey team, posted dazzling numbers this season as well. She finished first in the country with 21 goals and third in overall points, tallying 37 in 23 games.

Each year the Gauntlet recognizes our own noteworthy athletes, naming one male recipient and one female recipient of the Gauntlet’s Extra Effort Award.

The selection committee chose Kevin King and Janelle Parent as the 2015 recipients of the award, finding both to have exhibited exemplary leadership throughout their respective seasons.

King, the captain of the Dinos men’s hockey team, had a standout 2014–15 season, leading his team to a 20–8–0 conference record in his first campaign with the C on his sweater.

The team’s performance earned them a second-place ranking in Canada West, allowing them to compete for the national championship at the University Cup for the first time since 2011.

King was crucial in helping the Dinos find this success, emerging as a key offensive contributor. The fourth-year forward finished in the top five in goals, assists and points among all Dinos players. He racked up six multi-point games this season and finished second on the Dinos in game-winning goals.

King was invited to compete for Team Canada at the 2015 Winter Universiade in Spain, and was named an alternate captain for the Canadians. He tied for the team scoring lead with eight points (five goals, three assists) in six games to help Canada capture a bronze medal at the tournament.

Janelle Parent came through with clutch play for the Dinos women’s hockey team as well.

Despite being forced to battle through personal adversity during the season, Parent remained a consistent contributor for the Dinos, finishing as the second-highest scorer on the team with 37 points (18 goals, 19 assists) in 34 games. She also ranked as the fourth-highest scorer of all Canada West players.

Parent was at her best when it mattered most, following up her solid regular season campaign by leading the Dinos in playoff scoring.

Her five goals and eight points were the most of any Canada West player during the conference playoffs.

Both King and Parent emerged as leaders for their respective teams, finding on-ice success while balancing the demands that come with life as a student-athlete.

While King will return next season for his final year with the Dinos program, Parent’s 2014–15 campaign was her last at the U of C.

After posting a career season and emerging as one of the Dinos’ most dangerous offensive threats, her absence will certainly be felt both on the ice and in the locker room.