Mid-Season All-ECAC Team & Awards

I know it's not exactly half way through the season (ECAC teams have played anywhere from six to 11 league games, and 11 to 20 overall games), but I figured this would be a good time to do this. There are no more ECAC games this calendar year, and there's only two league teams in action this weekend.

So, here are my Mid-Season All-ECAC Team, All-Rookie Team, and Awards:

All-ECAC Team

Jeremy Welsh

Forwards
Austin Smith (Colgate): I've already said how great Smith has been so far this season, so I'll let the numbers speak for themselves: 18 goals (#1 in nation, more than 1 goal per game), 28 points (t-#2 in nation), five shorthanded goals (#1 in nation), five game-winning goals (t-#1 in ECAC). Smith has also tallied a point in 16 of his 17 games this season, with Yale being the only team to shut him out.

Chris Wagner (Colgate): Wagner has been overlooked by many, mainly because he's Smith's linemate, but deserves as much credit as Smith does for leading the Raiders to their hot start. His 13 assists is tied for tops in the league, and is second with 20 points. Right now, Wagner and Smith are the most lethal combo in the league.

Jeremy Welsh (Union): After an inconsistent start to the season, people are once again realizing why the scouts come see Welsh play. His combination of size and skill has propelled him to become Union's leading scorer with 12 goals (t-#2 in ECAC) and 16 points (t-#5 in ECAC). His six power-play goals are also tied for sixth most in the country.

Others considered: Jeremy Langlois (Quinnipiac), Connor Jones (Quinnipiac), Louke Oakley (Clarkson), Alex Killorn (Harvard)

Defensemen
Nick D'Agostino (Cornell): Since D'Agostino joined Cornell, he has been one of the best offensive defensemen in the league. He keeps getting better every year, and it looks like his junior campaign will be his best. D'Agostino has already tied is career-high of seven goals and is just five points away from tying his career-high of 18 points. He is averaging over a point per game, and leads all ECAC defensemen in goals. Also, his 13 points is currently tied for second most in the league, and his five power-play goals is the most for any defenseman in the country. Don't forget that he's a part of the Cornell defensive core that is tied for the nation's lead in goals-against per game.

Danny Biega

Danny Biega (Harvard): Like D'Agostino, Biega has also been a stud since joining the NCAA ranks. The third of the famous Biega Brothers, currently leads all ECAC defensemen with 14 points, and is tied with Union's Mat Bodie for the lead in assists with 11. He has been a big reason why the Crimson have got off to a nice start.

Others considered: Mat Bodie (Union), Loren Barron (Quinnipiac), Jeremy Price (Colgate)


Goaltender

Andy Iles

Andy Iles (Cornell): Trying to score on Andy Iles at Lynah Rink has been absolutely impossible so far this season. Since Cornell's home opener vs. Mercyhurst, Iles has not allowed a goal at home since, which is a span of five games... that's over 312 minutes of game time! Many were worried that Iles was going to have a sophomore slump after allowing 16 goals over his first five games, but over his last six games he's only allowed two goals (both against BU at MSG). His 1.62 GAA is tops in the nation (among goalies with at least seven games played), and is the backbone of the nation's top defense (1.64 goals-against per game is tied with Merrimack

Others considered: Paul Karpowich (Clarkson), Troy Grosenick (Union)


All-Rookie Team

Forwards

Matthew Peca

Brian Ferlin (Cornell): Ferlin was a highly regarded recruit coming into this season, and he has proven why so far. He has arguably been Cornell's best forward this season as he's tops among Big Red forwards with five goals and 12 points in just 11 games. In those 11 games, he's tallied a point in eight of them.

Matthew Peca (Quinnipiac): Like Ferlin, Peca is another 2011 NHL Draft Pick that has proven why there has been a lot of buzz about him. Peca's 11 assists and 15 points are the most of any ECAC rookie, and is a major cog in the lethal Bobcat offense.

Tyler Sikura (Dartmouth): The Aurora, Ontario native is off to a very nice start to his college career, posting six goals, three assists, and 9 points in just 11 games. His six goals is tied for most by any ECAC rookie. While the Big Green have been disappointing so far this season, Sikura is showing that he has a bright future.

Others considered: Chris Martin (SLU)

Defensemen

Spiro Goulakos

Patrick McNally (Harvard): The 2010 draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks has been tremendous so far this season. He is currently fourth among ECAC defensemen with 12 points, and is tied for second with three power-play goals. McNally and Biega create the most dynamic offensive duo from the blueline in the league.

Spiro Goulakos (Colgate): Goulakos has been a very nice addition to the Raiders blueline this season. His nine assists (there are conflicting numbers on this... some say eight, other places say 10) are tied for the most of any ECAC rookie defensemen. I also like that he's a +6.

Others considered: Sam Labreque (Clarkson), Joakim Ryan (Cornell)

Steve Michalek

Goalie
Steve Michalek (Harvard): The Minnesota Wild draft pick is the only freshman netminder in the league that can be considered a starting goalie. His 3.10 GAA and .898 save percentage aren't great, but he's managed to go 4-2-2 in nine appearances (7 starts). While he has not been amazing in net, he's been a big reason why the Crimson are in contention to finish in the upper half of the ECAC standings. Right now he is proving that he can win, and to me that's the most important thing.

Others considered: Colin Stevens (Union), Scott Diebold (RPI)

Don Vaughan

Awards

MVP
Austin Smith (Colgate)

Top Goaltender
Andy Iles (Cornell)

Top Defenseman
Nick D'Agostino

Top Rookie
Brian Ferlin (Cornell)

Top Coach
Don Vaughan (Colgate)

Top Team
Colgate