2023 ACAC Women's Hockey Rookie of the Year
Edmonton, AB (March 17, 2023) -
Rookie of the Year presented by CCM Hockey: Hailey Carothers
The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) is pleased to announce Hailey Carothers of the Lakeland College Rustlers has been selected as the 2021-22 ACAC Women’s Hockey Rookie of the Year.
Hailey was a highly sought after recruit for the Rustlers as they headed into their opening season of play in the ACAC. The Rustlers had 7 players returning from their team last season in the Alberta Junior Female Hockey League, and had lost some offensive punch in the lineup. In stepped Carothers, who got off to a slow start in the regular season posting eight points in semester one. A torrid scoring pace in January with six goals, two assists and eight total points over four league games led Carothers to jump up the scoring race in the ACAC, a place she firmly held onto for the remainder of play.
Overall for the season, Hailey put up monster numbers, nearly scoring a goal per game. Her total of 19 goals, 8 assists and 27 total points in 20 games ranked her first overall in league scoring by seven points behind her nearest competitor. Carothers ranked first overall in power play goals with four and was the only player to record multiple hat tricks this season, scoring three at home against NAIT on January 28th and repeating the feat on February 26th in Calgary against SAIT.
The Rustlers played their inaugural season in the ACAC, finishing with a 10-10 regular season record, good enough for the number three seed overall. Carothers goal pace was eleven more than her nearest competitor, showcasing her touch around the net and ability to score whether on the power play, penalty kill or even strength. Her eight assists ranked her tied for sixth overall in that category.
“Hailey adjusted to the speed and skill of the ACAC quickly. She is a gifted natural athlete with an exceptional offensive skill set” says head coach Morgan Mann. “Hailey will continue to improve as a player because of her strong work ethic, and willingness to learn. But most importantly, she loves the game!”
Carothers is in her first year at Lakeland College, currently enrolled in the University Transfer program.
Congratulations on a fantastic 2022-2023 season Hailey and bright future in the ACAC!
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About the ACAC: The ACAC is the governing body for intercollegiate athletics in Alberta. Its mission is to provide competitive collegiate sport experiences, promote academic achievement and be a leader of sport development in Canada.
For more information on the ACAC, please visit our website: www.acac.ab.ca
For additional information, contact:
Mark Kosak, ACAC
Chief Executive Officer
403-875-7329
markk@acac.ab.ca
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