By Warren Kozireski —
(Photo of Nick Abruzzese)
Two players born in New York State and two more with New York ties were among those honored by the American Hockey Coaches Association as they announced their All-American selections in men’s college hockey for the 2021-22 season Friday.
Slate Hill’s Nick Abruzzese and Setauket’s Bobby Trivigno were both named First Team All-America (East).
Abruzzese, a Second Team AHCA/CCM All-America selection in 2019-20, followed up a phenomenal first year with Harvard with another standout season this year, earning First Team All-ECAC Hockey and Ivy League Player of the Year honors after putting up 33 points (nine goals, 24 assists) in 28 games to lead the team in per game scoring (1.18 points per contest). He represented the United States in men’s ice hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, where he recorded four points (goal, three assists) in four games. A 2019 NHL Entry Draft selection of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Abruzzese signed an entry-level contract with Toronto and made his NHL debut on April 2.
Trivigno becomes the first player in University of Massachusetts program history to become a two-time All-American at the Division I level. He also was awarded the Walter Brown Award for a second-straight year in 2022, presented annually to the best American-born Division I college hockey player in New England, just the fourth player to win the award in back-to-back years since it was first presented in 1953.
The junior forward was a Top-10 Finalist for the 2022 Hobey Baker Award and was crowned the 2021-22 Hockey East Player of the Year. He finished third in the nation in points with 49 on 20 goals and 29 assists, all career highs for the forward over 37 games this season. He was fifth nationally in points per-game (1.32), tied for eighth in assists and was 11th in goals. He became just the seventh player in program history to join UMass’ 50-goal, 100-point club when he scored his 50th career goal on February 26 at Vermont. He finished his collegiate career as the all-time leading scorer of the program’s Hockey East era with 131 points in addition to holding the school record for career plus-minus (+75), ranking second in career game winning goals (9), fourth in assists (78) and tied for fifth in goals (53). His 2021-22 points total (49) tied for fifth in program history, while his 29 assists ranked seventh on the school’s single-season list. He signed a free gent contract with the New York Rangers in early April.
Buffalo Sabres prospects Devon Levi and Owen Power also were honored. Levi was the First Team All-America (East) goaltender while Power was named Second Team All-America (West) on defense.
Levi’s extensive accomplishments this season are listed in a separate story.
Power, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2021 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres, led the nation’s defensemen in points per game prior to leaving for the World Juniors and the Olympics. A finalist for B1G Defensive Player of the Year, he was a first-team all-conference selection. Power totaled 32 points in 33 games with 29 assists and three goals. His 29 assists were the fifth most in the NCAA and the most by a defenseman in the nation. He led the team in blocked shots with 50 and finished +27.
He signed a three-year professional contract with Buffalo April 8th.
(Harvard Men’s Hockey Photo)
