(Please note: a previously published version of this list did not include the midfielders. That has been corrected).
The All Baggataway Cup team is selected annually by a committee of executive members from C.U.F.L.A. The League would like to congratulate the following players for being named part of the All Baggataway Team for 2024.
Attack:
Zach Bye, McGill Bye scored McGill's first goal in their semifinal against Western. He scored their last goal, the one that gave them their final lead when it made the score 11-10 with less than four minutes to play. In between, Bye added another 3 goals, continuing the success he had in the regular season, when he led CUFLA with 29 goals. Just for good measure, Bye also added 4 goals and an assist in the CUFLA Rookie All Star Game Saturday night. |  |
Liam Aston, Guelph Aston is another player who carried his regular-season success over to the Baggataway. After leading the league in scoring with 46 points, Aston put up 2 goals and 2 assists in Guelph's semifinal loss to Queen's. |  |
Connor Murphy, Western A pair of goals in each of the Mustangs first two wins were critical to their success, then he led the team with a hat trick as they put up a dominant performance to win the championship game 11-3. |  |
Midfield:
Noah Millsap, Queen's Millsap was strong all over the field. He was a centrepiece of Queen's solid defensive performance, regularly helped facilitate success in the offensive zone, and chipped in with 3 key goals in the semifinal win over Guelph. |  |
Chris Da Silva, Western Many midfielders played well and deserved consideration for a spot on this team. Da Silva gets the nod because his 5 goals included the brilliant play to beat the clock with two seconds left in the fourth overtime against McGill. |  |
Jacob Hickey, Western Among all the talent, discipline and drive that came to the fore on Semifinal Saturday, it could be lost that Jacob Hickey scored 7 goals and added an assist for Western. The big, strong, skilled midfielder was an almost unstoppable force as he produced over half of Western's scoring. That came after he had scored 6 goals in their opening win over the Ottawa Gee-Gees. Then, as the Mustangs prevailed 11-3 over the Queen's Gaels in the championship game, while Hickey scored only 1 goal he reminded everyone what a good two-way player he is. Hickey was a key contributor in the defensive zone. All of that adds up to the Baggataway Cup MVP. |  |
Faceoff:
Hawkeye Hamilton, Queen's The faceoff battle of Hamilton against Aiden Colebrook and Liam O'Dwyer was a fascinating subplot in the final. As he had throughout the tournament, Hamilton gave the Gaels the majority of possession off the draw. |  |
SSDM:
Sam Van Der Zalm, Western One of the key reasons that the Western Mustangs were so successful at the Baggataway Cup was that it seemed whenever they needed a clear, they were able to achieve it. In many cases, the process could not have been simpler—give the ball to Van der Zalm (or have him scoop up one of the many ground balls he claimed) and let him run through, over or around anyone coming on the ride. May well have been the MVP had Hickey not so thoroughly stood out. |  |
LSM:
Griffin Hill, Queen's Played a solid role in the Gaels' defensive zone, pushed the pace effectively in transition, and even scored a goal on a remarkable long-pole, back-door quick-stick. |  |
Defence:
Michael Wilson, Western One of a dozen Mustangs graduating from this championship team, Wilson was the lynchpin of the Western defence, as he has been for years. |  |
Ty Wheatley, Queen's Rugged defensively and always a threat to push the ball over midfield and either have a shot at scoring himself or help set up a teammate for a chance. |  |
Kaz Nizielski, Western Regularly tasked with guarding opponents' top threats, Nizielski showed a combination of relentless motor, speed and stick skills. |  |
Goalie:
Quinton Greenfield, Queen's Probably the leading MVP candidate heading into the final, Greenfield was simply sensational in keeping Brock to 3 goals. He then led the way as Queen's kept Guelph below the 10-goal mark for the first time in their last 10 games. |  |