Senior Keegan Asmundson (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) highlighted the Canisius College hockey team’s postseason award winners by collecting team MVP accolades, announced by head coach Dave Smith on Wednesday.
Asmundson earned MVP honors after setting school records with a 1.96 goals against average and .930 save percentage. The senior was especially strong down the stretch as Canisius matched its best finish in school history. Asmundson posted an 11-3-1 record in the final 15 games of the season, leading the country with a 1.39 goals against average and .947 save percentage during that span. Overall, Asmundson placed seventh nationally during the 2014-15 season in goals against average and ninth in save percentage.
Junior Ralph Cuddemi (Concord, Ontario) earned Top Forward accolades after leading Canisius with 39 points, 22 goals and eight power-play tallies. His 22 goals are the second most in program history and placed 10th in the country, while he also ranked eighth nationally in power-play goals.
Junior Chris Rumble (Seattle, Wash.) collected Top Defenseman honors after helping anchor the top scoring defense in the conference. Rumble also led all Canisius defenders with 20 points, seven goals and 13 assists.
Asmundson, Cuddemi and Rumble all collected all-conference honors during the 2014-15 campaign. Rumble became the first Canisius defender in 16 years to earn first-team accolades, while Asmundson and Cuddemi both placed on the All-Atlantic Hockey Second Team. The three all-conference selections matched the program record, also accomplished during the 2009-10 season.
Freshman Ryan Schmelzer (Buffalo, N.Y.) earned Rookie of the Year accolades. Schmezler led all Canisius freshmen with 14 points, five goals and nine assists this season, while his plus/minus rating of +15 was the program’s highest mark since the Griffs joined Atlantic Hockey in 2003.
Sophomore defender Geoff Fortman (Crystal Lake, Ill.) was the named the team’s Most Improved Player. He helped key the best scoring defense in Atlantic Hockey and also added five assists during his sophomore campaign. Fortman was also honored for his work off the ice by receiving the program’s Community Outreach Award.
Senior captain Doug Jessey (Langdon, Alberta) received the Dr. David B. Dietz Award, which is presented to a player for his dedication in both athletics and academics. Jessey, who maintains a 3.88 grade point average, recorded 11 points, two goals and nine assists in his final season in the Blue & Gold.
Seniors Braeden Rigney (Singhampton, Ontario) and Logan Roe (Fort Myers, Fla.) were honored with the Tom Chapman Memorial Award as the team’s unsung heroes. Both were key members of the defense and penalty kill units with Rigney recording eight points on four goals and four assists and Roe totaling seven assists from the blue line.
Canisius ended the 2014-15 season with an 18-12-7 record and matched the program’s best Atlantic Hockey finish with a two seed for the conference tournament.
