VANCOUVER – Completing an outstanding first campaign in the blue and gold, UBC Thunderbirds defenceman Jaylyn Morris has been selected as Canada West Women's Hockey Rookie of the Year.

On a veteran team, Morris stood out for all the right reasons, finishing the campaign as the conference's leading first-year scorer with 16 points in just 23 games. She also amassed the fourth highest total by any Canada West blue liner.

Joining her hometown team, the Maple Ridge, B.C. product scored three of her four goals on the power play while adding 12 total assists. Morris also led all Canada West rookies with a +15 rating.

Morris is just the second Thunderbird to ever be named the conference's Rookie of the Year and the first since Melinda Choy in 2006-07.



As part of the conference's awards announced Wednesday, fourth-year forward Mackenzie Kordic is also being formally recognized as the Canada West's leading scorer. The Edmonton product paced the Canada West with 36 points, the highest single-season total in five years.

The fourth-year T-Bird also led the Canada West in goals with 15, assists with 21 and plus/minus with a +32 rating. Playing in all 28 regular season games, Kordic had multi-point efforts on 12 occasions over the course of the campaign including a five-point game against the Bisons in Manitoba.

Kordic makes it two Thunderbirds in the last three seasons to lead the conference in scoring after teammate Chanreet Bassi accomplished the feat in 2021-22.

The T-Birds host the Alberta Pandas for the Canada West Final starting this Friday, March 1 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. Game one of the best-of-three series gets underway at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are available online now.