Brandon Halchuk (Hamilton, ON) and Melissa Borowski (Welland, Ont.) of the Niagara College Knights Curling team were named the Male and Female Tournament Sport Players of the Year for 2011-2012. They were presented their awards at the the 43rd Annual Athletic Awards Banquet on Saturday, March 31 at the Welland Lions Club.

Scott Brown, head coach of the Niagara College Knights Curling team had the following to say about Brandon and Melissa:

Male Tournament Sport Player of the Year - Brandon Halchuk

"This was Brandon's third year on the team, and his first year as Skip. Brandon was always looking for ways to improve the team. He was involved in the decision making of selecting the team. He was always involved in assisting his team during practices to make sure the team was on the "same page". During the Provincial Championships, Brandon was able to keep the team focused on the task at hand and never was upset when a shot would not work. He was constantly talking to his teammates trying to keep them upbeat. Opposing coaches and players all commented on how calm Brandon was during games, even when things did not go our way. This allowed the other players on our team to realize that even though they were playing to win, it is still only a game at the end of the day. This kept them relaxed throughout the entire Championships.

His actions during practices and at the Provincial Championships made him worthy of the Leadership Award."

Female Tournament Sport Player of the Year - Melissa Borowski

"As a rookie on a team, there are times when one individual comes to the forefront. This was the case with Melissa. During our practices she always wanted to ensure the team worked on delivery, releases, and sweeping in order to make the team better. She was vocal at key times, which is why I feel she is very worthy of receiving this award. She also was very helpful when deciding on shots the team was facing during the Provincial Championships. As Vice of the team, she not only assisted in making calls, but swept when the Skip made her shots. Melissa is a very strong sweeper and has an excellent judge of "weight" (speed of the rock).

Because of her strong commitment to the success of the team, and her willingness to assume a different role at the Provincials, Melissa was awarded the Women's Curling team Leadership Award."