Mangapai's Mark Thorne and Springfield's Jodie Nichol shared top honours as they came away with the Peter Lawson Sportsman, and Sportswoman, of the Year titles at the Hockey Northland Awards Dinner.
Thorne, who returned to Northland this year after moving away from the region, coached the Mangapai men and Maungakaramea premier women's teams while himself setting a high standard on the field for the Mangapai men.
As a result, Thorne was selected to represent Northland at NHL level and had an outstanding tournament. To claim the award, Thorne beat other finalist Sam Webb.
Nichol, who is a current member of the NHL women's team, claimed the sportswoman title at the awards ceremony at the start of this month for her top season with Springfield's premier women's team. Nichol also coached Tauraroa Area School collegiate girls team this year, proving to be a top role model for the girls.
The Peter Lawson Sports Awards for sportsman and sportswoman have a set of rules which state nominees must always display a high level of sportsmanship both on and off the field but not necessarily the best on the turf. Winning players must be a dedicated hockey player and one who has achieved high standards in the current year.
