COLGATE
The Colgate men’s hockey team held its annual team banquet giving out awards and also announcing the captains for the 2012-13 season.
All the awards were voted on by the players, except for the Best Offensive Player and Coaches Award.
The big winner of the night was senior Matt Firman, who won the Steve Riggs Memorial Award and the Whit Williams Award. Firman played in 39 games this season and finished with 149 games in his career as a Raider. He had a great year on the ice, setting career-highs in the three offensive categories with seven goals and eight assists for 15 points. He also tied a career-high with two multi-point games this season. The Riggs award is given to the player who is most known for gentlemanly play and possesses a high standard of ability, while the Whit Williams Award is given to the most improved player. The winner has great integrity and a passion for the game of hockey and through his commitment to excellence, improved the most over his career or season.
Austin Smith also took home a couple of honors with the Best Offensive Player Award for leading scorer and the Terry Slater Trophy. The trophy is awarded by the Silver Puck Club and goes to the senior whose performance, leadership, and dedication on and off the ice during his career had the greatest impact on Colgate hockey. Slater, who presided over the Raider hockey program for 15 years, passed away due to a stroke at the midway point of the 1991-92 season.
Smith led the nation in goals with 36 and averaged just under a goal a game this season with 39 games played and was a Hobey Hat Trick Finalist. He led the country in shorthanded goals with six and was third in the nation with 57 points. He had 16 multi-point games and two hat tricks.
Smith had the most goals by an ECAC Hockey player since Clarkson’s Todd White in 1996. He tallied a point in all but five games and finished the season with a team-high +25 on the ice.
The Rob Ries Award, which is given to the player who provided the most inspiration and leadership to the team, went to senior Mark Nasca. The forward played in a career-high 32 games this season for the Raiders and registered three points. He had great success in the classroom this season and is a finalist for the ECAC Hockey Student-Athlete of the Year Award, In addition to that honor, he was a recipient of a Dana Scholarship and was accepted a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
The Dan Coley “Barrell” Award, which is given to the best defenseman, was received by senior Corbin McPherson. A tri-captain for the Raiders, McPherson played in all 39 games and finished his career with 152 games played. He finished his career with 10 goals and 23 assists and five of his 10 goals were gamewinners, including two this season. McPherson had a three-game point scoring streak including an assist at Rensselaer (2/4) and goals against Yale (2/10) and Brown (2/11).
McPherson also won the Best Defensive Player Award, which was split with Chris Wagner. The two played exceptional defense all season long and both were at the top of the league in plus-minus throughout the season. Wagner finished the year right behind Smith with a +21 rating, while McPherson had a plus-nine. Wagner stepped up his game with 51 points this season to join Smith on the 50-point single season club and the two became the first duo to reach 50 points in the same season since Mike Harder ‘97 and Chris DeProfio ‘97. Wagner ended the year on fire with five goals in the best-of-three series against Quinnipiac and was held scoreless just three times since the New Year. He recorded 30 points in the final 21 games of the season and nine of those contests were multi-point games.
The coaching staff gave out its annual Coaches Award and that went to student manager Jaime Helibron. The senior from Panama has been with the team since his freshman year as the manager and has been in integral part of the Raiders ever since arriving on campus. He was always at the rink early to set up the benches and went to every practice. Helibron is also a sports editor for the Maroon News and wrote the stories for men’s hockey throughout the season.
Colgate also named its captains for the 2012-13 season and all three are blueliners. Thomas Larkin will be a captain for the second-straight season and he will be joined by seniors Jeremy Price and Nathan Sinz.
CORNELL
The Cornell men’s hockey team held its annual awards banquet at the Lake Watch Inn announcing postseason award-winners and captains for the 2012-13 season. Sophomore goalie Andy Iles took home the night’s top honor by winning the Nicky Bawlf Award as the team’s most valuable player, and current juniors Erik Axell, Braden Birch and Nick D’Agostino have been selected to lead the team next season as tri-captains.
Seniors Keir Ross and Sean Collins, juniors Braden Birch, D’Agostino and Erik Axell, and freshman Brian Ferlin also earned postseason awards. Each award, as well as team captaincy, is voted upon by the players on the 2011-12 roster.
Iles finished the season as one of just two goalies across the Division I landscape to serve as his team’s goaltender exclusively for the entire season. He posted a 19-9-7 record with a 2.12 goals-against average which ranked 10th in the country. He was also recognized for his six shutouts on the season, which was just one behind the national leaders. The Big Red has at least one shutout in 17 consecutive seasons. Iles also won the Joe DeLibero-Stan Tsapis Award for skilled efficiency, unselfish dedication and hard-nosed competitive desire.
Keir Ross took home a pair of awards on the night. He was tabbed for the Bill Doran Sportsmanship Award after serving as the team’s sole captain in the 2011-12 season. He had two goals and five assists while posting a career-high rating of plus-15, which was highest among the Big Red’s defensemen for the second consecutive season. He was also one of 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. Ross was also given the Mark Weiss Memorial Award, which is awarded to a senior with a career-long dedication and passion for the sport of hockey.
Braden Birch was presented the Cornell Hockey Association Award, which is given annually to the player whose contributions to the team doesn’t show up in the box score, but rather are in the form of energy, heart and hustle. Birch fit that mold to a T, serving as one of the top defensive defensemen in ECAC Hockey. He went two months without being on the ice for an even-strength goal against — a streak covering 12 games and 668 minutes, 49 seconds.
The Sam Woodside Award for overall career improvement by a senior went to Sean Collins, who enjoyed a breakout season with 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points, which ranked second on the team only to Greg Miller’s 31 points. He set or tied career highs in goals, assists, points, plus/minus rating, power-play goals and game-winning goals. After the Big Red’s season ended in the NCAA regional finals, Collins signed a contract with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets and notched a goal and four assists for five points in just eight games with Columbus’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Falcons.
Erik Axell received the Iron Man Award, presented to the player who showed determination to overcome injuries. Axell played in all 35 games on the year, accumulating a career-high four points while serving as one of the team’s primary penalty-killers.
The Greg Ratushny Award for the most promising rookie went to Brian Ferlin, who was selected as the Rookie of the Year in both the Ivy League and ECAC Hockey. He finished second in league rookie scoring with 17 points in 19 conference games, but led that race until a late-season injury shelved him and allowed Quinnipiac’s Matthew Peca to surpass him.
D’Agostino claimed the Crimson Cup, given to the player who was the standout performer in the season series against Harvard. Against the Crimson this season, D’Agostino scored two power-play goals in the Big Red’s 4-2 victory on Nov. 11 in Cambridge, Mass., and then he added an assist in the 2-2 tie on Jan. 21 at Lynah Rink.
The team also issued awards to players who scored shorthanded goals during the season — freshmen Joakim Ryan (who had two) and Joel Lowry, junior Vince Mihalek and seniors Locke Jillson and Collins.
Axell, Birch and D’Agostino will serve as the program’s first tri-captains since the 2000-01 season, when Andrew McNiven, Larry Pierce and Danny Powell all wore the ‘C’ for the Big Red in Mike Schafer’s sixth season as the Jay R. Bloom ‘77 Head Coach of Men’s Hockey.
HAMILTON
The Hamilton College men’s hockey team held their annual awards banquet at the Skenandoa Club in Clinton.
Mike DiMare ‘14 was selected the 2012 Most Valuable Player. The forward made the NESCAC all-conference first team after he finished second in the conference with 33 points, third with 16 goals and tied for fifth with 17 assists.
Evan Haney ‘14 received the Albert I. Prettyman Award. The award is presented in memory of Albert Prettyman, who was the founder of Hamilton hockey and the College’s first hockey coach from 1918 to 1943. He was also the U.S. Olympic Coach in 1936. This award is presented to the player who demonstrated outstanding dedication, determination and desire. His attitude has proven to be not only an asset to his team, but an inspiration to his teammates and coaches.
Joe Quattrocchi ‘14 received the Coaches Award, which is given to the player who the coaching staff believed had a strong season and impacted the game in a positive and significant manner. The goalie posted a 3.23 goals against average in more than 1,200 minutes, a .905 save percentage and two shutouts in 19 starts.
Bennett Schneider ‘14 received the Most Improved Player Award, which is given to the player who showed great dedication to improve his game throughout the season or from the previous season. The defenseman was credited with three assists and played in all 25 games.
Bryan Kelly ‘12 received the Michael S. White Award, which is given to a graduating senior in recognition of team spirit, leadership and integrity, and whose enthusiasm for the game makes it a great experience for all players. Kelly finished his 98-game career with 28 goals and 23 assists for 51 points.
Sam Choate ‘12 received the Sellers Award. The award is presented to the player who, in the judgment of his teammates and coaches, has contributed greatly to the success of the program through his effort and performance both on and off the ice. The forward appeared in 77 games during his college career. Choate was also one of the top hitters in Hamilton baseball history.
Pat Curtis ‘15 received Rookie of the Year honors. This award is given to the freshman who made the most impact to the success of the team in his first season. The forward scored seven goals and added nine assists in 25 games. Curtis ranked third on the team with 16 points.
HOBART
Six members of the Hobart College ice hockey team were recognized by the Statesmen Athletic Association and the Hobart College Athletics Department at the annual Block H Awards dinner. Senior forward Greg Ciciola was honored with the Boswell Award as the team’s most valuable player.
Junior Marty Ausserhofer was presented with the Holden Award, while the D. Michael Hazelton ‘85 Memorial Award was given to juniors Frank Salituro and Bobby Hannah. The Rookie Award for Hockey went to first-years Tommaso Traversa and Ryan Michel.
An All-ECAC West honoree and team captain, Ciciola led the Statesmen with 15 goals and ranked second with 24 points. He finished the season second in the ECAC West in goals and ranked 11th in points. Ciciola was tied for 10th in the league with 11 power-play points and tied for sixth with six power-play goals. He recorded a season-high four points on two goals and two assists in a 10-3 win over Manhattanville. Ciciola logged two goals in a 5-0 rout of Neumann in the ECAC West championship game, earning a spot on the All-Tournament team. In 82 career games, he has recorded 37 goals and 31 assists. Ciciola has earned a spot on the ECAC West All-Academic Team for the last four years. He also received the William C. Stiles ‘43 Award.
An ECAC West All-USCHO.com first team selection, Ausserhofer played 17 games in goal, starting 16. He posted a 2.34 goals against average and a .911 save percentage. Ausserhofer logged a 10-5-1 record in net, and earned a shutout stopping all 20 shots he faced in a 4-0 win over Potsdam. He finished with a career-high 35 saves in a 4-1 victory at Neumann. Ausserhofer finished the season ranked atop the ECAC West in goals against average and second in save percentage. He was tabbed ECAC West Goalie of the Week Twice and earned a spot on the ECAC West All-Academic team for the second straight year.
Salituro played in all 27 games this season and led the Statesmen with 26 points on 11 goals and a team-high 15 assists. He recorded a season-high of three points on a goal and two assists against then No. 11 Elmira and in a 10-3 triumph over the Valiants. Salituro scored the game-winning goals in a 4-2 win over Buffalo State and in a 3-0 shutout of Manhattanville. He finished the year tied for first in the ECAC West with 14 power-play points and tied for second with seven power-play goals. Salituro was also tied for eighth in the conference in points, tied for ninth in goals, tied for 12th in assists, and tied for sixth in game-winning goals (2). He garnered All-ECAC West honorable mention and ECAC West All-USCHO.com second team honors. Salituro also earned a spot on the ECAC West All-Academic team for the second straight year.
Hannah played in 26 games this season. He scored seven goals and added four assists. Hannah notched two goals in a 5-4 win over the then No. 11 Soaring Eagles. He logged the short-handed game-winning goal in a 5-0 victory over Neumann in the ECAC West Championship game. Hannah earned a spot on the ECAC West All-Tournament team for his efforts. He also earned a spot on the ECAC West All-Academic Team for the second year in a row.
The ECAC West All-USCHO.com Rookie of the Year, Traversa logged 10 goals and 10 assists in his first season as a Statesman. He earned spots on the All-ECAC West and ECAC West All-USCHO.com rookie teams and garnered Rookie of the Week honors twice during the season. Traversa recorded a hat trick, including the game-winning goal in a 5-2 win over Curry. He logged the game-winner in a 10-3 rout of Manhattanville. He recorded three straight three-point games against Manhattanville on Feb. 17, 18 and 25. Traversa shared the conference lead for first-year scoring.
Michel played in 26 games in his rookie season. He tied for second on the team with 11 assists and chipped in three goals. Michel scored his first collegiate goal on what proved to be the game-winner in a 5-1 victory over Salve Regina. He played a key role in the Hobart defense that finished the season ranked first in scoring defense (2.59 g/gm). Michel ranked third in the ECAC West in first-year scoring and tied for fourth in defenseman scoring.
The Statesmen posted a 16-10-1 overall record and won the ECAC West Championship for the second time in program history. Hobart finished the year ranked No. 9 in the D3hockey.com poll, No. 13 in the USCHO.com poll and No. 8 in the NCAA East Region Rankings. It was the Statesmen’s 10th consecutive winning season.
OSWEGO
Oswego State junior men’s ice hockey player Jon Whitelaw has been honored as a State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor’s Scholar-Athlete Award winner for the 2011-12 academic year. The award is given annually in each sport to a First, Second, or Third Team All-Conference member with the highest grade-point average and has completed three or more semesters.
Whitelaw, an adolescent education major, posted the top GPA among men’s ice hockey All-SUNYAC honorees with a 3.49 cumulative average. He led the Lakers in points and goals with 41 and 19, respectively, while sitting in second place on the team with 22 assists. The Second Team All-America and First Team All-SUNYAC selection tied for the league lead in points (27) and was first in goals (13). He also led the team with seven power-play and four game-winning goals. Whitelaw joined the 100-point club earlier this season, and now has 109 points on 43 goals and 66 assists in his career.
Whitelaw becomes just the fifth Oswego State student-athlete to garner the award since its inception in 2003-04.
UTICA
Senior Tim Coffman was named a 2012 recipient of the Richard “Dick” Miller Most Inspirational Player Award at the College’s Pioneer Hall of Fame and Senior Athlete recognition dinner.
The Dick Miller Award, which has recognized 59 UC student-athletes since 1987, honors dedication to physical fitness, athletic competition and a commitment to excellence. It is awarded annually to deserving male and female senior student-athletes who have exhibited excellence, determination, hard work and outstanding athletic achievement over the course of their time spent at Utica College.
Coffman, a captain for the Pioneer hockey team, was a two-time ECAC West All-Conference First Team selection and was named an East Region All-American this past season. He was named to the 2008-09 ECAC West All-Rookie Team and was the League’s Rookie of the Year that same season. He holds the school record in career points (140), career assists (91), and the single season record for goals scored (19). He was also a two-time ECAC West scoring leader.
