ANNVILLE, Pa. – Junior Matt Lippa (Richmond Hill, Ont./Oakville Blades (OJHL)) and sophomore Ryan Jackson (Montreal, Que./Hawkesbury Hawks (CCHL)) were named the inaugural Middle Atlantic Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year to lead five All-MAC selections for the Manhattanville College men’s hockey team, the conference office announced on Wednesday morning.
Lippa and Jackson both earned All-MAC first-team recognition as well for the Valiants. In addition, senior assistant captain Thimmy Garbenius (Nykvarn, Sweden/Sodertalje SK (SWE)) and juniors Cory Anderson (Bakersfield, Calif./Notre Dame Hounds (SJHL)) and Tyler Feaver (Whitby, Ont./Whitby Fury (OJHL)) earned All-MAC second-team honors as well. Manhattanville’s five All-MAC selections tie Stevenson University for the most among the four MAC schools.
Lippa has put together an excellent junior season so far for the Valiants to earn Offensive Player of the Year recognition, scoring a career-high 16 goals with 14 assists for 30 points to lead all MAC players in both goals and points this year. Lippa also led all players in scoring with 11 points in six MAC games this season, scoring four goals with seven assists against Stevenson, King’s (Pa.) College and Lebanon Valley College, and also was the only player to score multiple game-winning goals in MAC play. The junior’s 16 goals are tied for 10th on the school’s single-season list, while his 38 tallies in three years are already tied for ninth on Manhattanville’s all-time ledger.
Jackson has had a breakout sophomore season on the blue line for the Valiants to earn Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors, leading all MAC defensemen with seven goals and adding 10 assists for a MAC-best 17 points. His seven tallies are tied for the most by a Valiant defenseman since A.J. Mikkelsen ’10 in 2019-10. He finished the regular season tied with Garbenius and junior Oscar Arfelt (Stockholm, Sweden/Connecticut Oilers (EHL)) for the most points among defensemen in MAC games with six points in six games, scoring once with five assists.
Anderson finished the regular season second among Valiants in goals with a career-best 10 while adding six assists for 16 points to tie for fifth on the squad in scoring. He was one of only six MAC players to reach double figures in goals on the year, thanks to a strong final stretch where he scored six goals in his final six games. In addition, his five goals against MAC schools tied him for second in the conference this season.
Feaver has had an excellent season so far between the pipes for the Valiants, posting an 8-8-4 record with a 2.42 goals against average and .914 save percentage in 20 starts. The junior posted the second-best goals against average (2.02) and save percentage (.930) against MAC competition this year, and finished third among MAC goalies in saves despite only appearing in four of the team’s six MAC contests.
Garbenius has been another key figure on the Valiant blue line this season, scoring two goals and leading Manhattanville with 15 assists for a career-best 17 points. He matched Jackson for the most points among MAC defensemen both overall and in conference games, while his 17 points also ranked 10th in the conference overall. The senior also leads all Valiants with 10 points (1-9-10) on the power play this year as well.
Manhattanville’s five All-MAC honorees will lead the Valiants into the first round of the United Collegiate Hockey Conference Tournament, which takes place tonight at 7 p.m. at Playland Ice Casino. A fan bus will leave Spellman at 6:30 p.m. for all Manhattanville students, while fans that can’t make it to the rink can follow live stats and video online at http://www.govaliants.com/live.
