DANBURY, Conn. – Following a second straight second-place finish in the conference regular-season standings, head coach Arlen Marshall was named the ECAC West Conference Coach of the Year and four of his players grabbed All-Conference recognition, according to the release from the conference office on Tuesday morning.
In addition to Marshall’s first coaching honor, senior Tanner Hicks (Calgary, Alta./Brooks Bandits (AJHL)) was named to the All-Conference first team while senior Adam Platt (Trumbull, Conn./Springfield Pics (USPHL)) and sophomores Matt Lippa (Richmond Hill, Ont./Oakville Blades (OJHL)) and Tyler Feaver (Whitby, Ont./Whitby Fury (OJHL)) were recognized with spots on the All-Conference second team. The team’s four All-ECAC West first- and second-team players are the most among all eight conference schools and also the most in a single season in program history, surpassing the previous high of three achieved on six different occasions.
Marshall earned the first coaching honor of his career after guiding the Valiants, who were picked to finish fourth in the conference preseason poll, to a runner-up finish in the regular season with a 10-4-0 mark in ECAC West play. Following his MAC Freedom Coach of the Year recognition as leader of the men’s golf team this spring, he is the first coach in Manhattanville history to be recognized in multiple sports.
Hicks was honored as one of the top two defensemen in the ECAC West Conference after setting new career highs with three goals and a team-leading 13 assists for 16 points as a senior. He finished the regular season fourth among conference blueliners in scoring thanks to six multi-point games, including his first career two-goal game on October 29 versus Daniel Webster College and a career-high three points at SUNY Cortland on January 7.
In 94 games as a Valiant, Hicks finished with seven goals and 32 assists for 39 points, leading all active Manhattanville skaters in assists.
Platt earned the first All-Conference honor of his career after a breakout senior season, ranking second on the team in all offensive categories with 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points. The assistant captain ranked fifth in the conference with nine goals in 14 ECAC West regular-season games, including six special-teams tallies that were second-best among conference skaters. His three shorthanded goals overall in 2016-17 tied him for second on the school’s single-season list as well.
Thanks in part to his huge senior season, Platt finished his career with 15 goals and 19 assists for 34 points in 96 games. His three career shorthanded goals are tied for eighth all-time at the school.
Lippa followed up his All-Rookie campaign with a big sophomore season, leading the Valiants with 15 goals and adding 10 assists for a team-best 25 points, and he also averaged over a point per game in conference play with eight goals and seven assists in 14 contests. The forward finished the regular season fifth among ECAC West players in goals after scoring the most goals by a Valiant underclassman since Jason Murfitt ’08 potted 16 in 2005-06. He was named ECAC West Player of the Week for the second time in his career after three goals and two assists in two conference wins over Hobart College and Elmira College on November 11-12.
In just two seasons with the team, Lippa has already scored 23 goals with 16 assists for 39 points in his first 50 career games.
Feaver earned his first All-Conference recognition after a solid sophomore season between the pipes for Manhattanville, posting a 12-9-1 record, a 3.25 goals against average and .891 save percentage in 23 games (21 starts). The sophomore played the most minutes in conference play of any ECAC West goalie this season and posted a 2.87 GAA against conference foes.
After two seasons, Feaver is 19-16-2 with a 3.25 goals against average and .890 save percentage in 38 games as a Valiant, and already ranks sixth in school history in both wins and saves (989).
Lippa and Feaver will be back next season to lead Manhattanville into a new conference, as the Valiants look to make their mark on the new United Collegiate Hockey Conference in 2017-18.
