PETERBOROUGH, ON - The Peterborough Petes held their Year End Awards Banquet last night at the Trentwinds and to say it was a success might be considered an understatement.

Matt Puempel picked up four awards including Petes Rookie of the Year and Petes Most Valuable Player as voted on by his teammates.

Minus a captain for most of the year, Jack Walchessen was given the duty of delivering the captain's speech, and what a great job he did. Thanking all of the staff and the fans, Walchessen then thanked his teammates for pushing him to be better day in and day out.

The highlight of the night came when the Petes introduced a new tradition to the banquet. General Manager Dave Reid got up and introduced all fifteen draft picks that were selected on May 1st and Head Coach Mike Pelino presented each of them with a jersey and a draft hat that to some was the biggest honour in their life.

"I couldn't wait to put the jersey on," stated Steve Pierog, a member of the Guelph Jr. Storm selected in the eleventh round.

Other award winners from last night include:

Top Defenceman - Chris Breen

Most Improved - Jack Walchessen

Off-ice Contribution - Trevor Eves

Most Dedicated - Jack Walchessen

Three Star Award - Matt Puempel

Hardest Working Pete - Chris Breen

Most Sportsmanlike - Ryan Spooner

Special Recognition for Service to the Organization - Gord Gibb

Combining Hockey and Scholastics - Matt Puempel

Leading Scorer - Pat Daley