Player of the Year
Stats: 34GP, 34G, 18A, 52PTS (22GP, 25G, 9A, 34PTS)
Let's be honest, this award was already given to Smith a long time ago. We've all seen and heard how good this guy has been this season. You've read what I've written about him all year and know his numbers, so there's really shouldn't be much of an explanation here. He's the nation and league's top goal scorer, and has been absolutely dominant in every game he's played in, only being held pointless three times in 34 games. End of story. Don't get me wrong, Brian O'Neill is having a great senior campaign, but Smith has pretty much single-handedly brought Colgate from last place to a first round bye in one season.
Other Nominees: Brian O'Neill (Yale)
Goaltender of the Year (Ken Dryden Award)
Stats: 27GP, 1.64GAA, .937SV% (16GP, 1.60GAA, .940SV%)
This award is definitely not as clear cut as the previous one. Many like Clarkson's Karpowich, others feel Cornell's Iles is the best, and there's even a good case to be made for RPI's Merriam or QU's Hartzell. But, I feel Union's Troy Grosenick is the top netminder in the league. Like his predecessor and the 2010-11 Dryden Award winner, Keith Kinkaid, Groesnick is not the flashiest goaltender and might not seem to steal games, but he makes all the stops and is probably the most valuable player on the team. The Dutchmen have only won four of the seven games where he has not started, and have a better winning percentage when he starts (This is definitely not a knock on Colin Stevens, who I personally think is the best freshman goaltender in the league... the numbers prove it). The sophomore from Brookfield, Wisconsin is also second in the nation in GAA and third in Save%, as well as in shutouts. In ECAC play, he leads all goaltenders in GAA, SV%, and shutouts. First place teams need first rate goaltenders, and luckily for the Dutchmen they have one.
Other Nominees: Andy Iles (Cornell), Paul Karpowich (Clarkson), Eric Hartzell (Quinnipiac)
Rookie of the Year
Stats: 29GP, 5G, 17A, 22PTS (22GP, 4G, 11A, 15PTS)
Revision: I originally had QU's Peca as my ROY, but after Jason Klump pointed out that I counted his five points from his playoff series with Brown, I've decided that the five points was a big enough deal to change my choice.
This one was a very tough decision. There were many deserving rookies for this award, but no one really stood out above and beyond any other player. Ferlin came in with high expectations, and fulfilled them for the most part before his season-ending injury. But I didn't pick him because he slowed down towards the end of the season. I originally picked Peca because of his play-making abilities, but have decided not to select him because many of his points were picked up earlier in the season against lesser out of conference opponents and his ECAC numbers weren't as impressive as I originally thought. Brandon McNally could be a great replacement for Doug Jones and a top goal scorer in the future, but feel is 10 league goals is a tad inflated by his two empty net goals. So in the end, I'm going to go with Harvard's Patrick McNally. The Glen Head, New York native's 15 points in league play were the fifth most of any ECAC defenseman. His three power-play goals in ECAC contests were also tied for the most of any freshman skater, and was even more than teammate (and probably the best offensive defenseman in the league) Danny Biega. As you can see, he made a huge impact on the Crimson power-play which is currently the top ranked unit in the league and second in the nation. With McNally's help, Harvard received a first round bye, which surprised many this season.
Other Nominees: Brian Ferlin (Cornell), Matthew Peca (Quinnipiac), Brandon McNally (Dartmouth)
Defensive Forward of the Year
Stats: 34GP, 8G, 31A, 39PTS, +16 (22GP, 5G, 20A, 25PTS, +13)
This is always a tough award to hand out because when you watch a game you're usually not paying attention to what forwards do on the defensive side of the puck. There really isn't a place where you can look up faceoff percentage, takeaways, penalties killed, and other important things to a defensive forward in the college game. You have to give this award to a forward who does everything right and makes the little things the best part of their game. For four years, I've seen Kelly Zajac do this night in and night out. Everyone he's a tremendous playmaker and has great vision, but he's also stellar when it comes to puck possession on the boards, faceoffs, penalty killing, and being a smart hockey player overall. I think it's also important to note that Zajac has only received six penalty minutes this season, showing that he's always on the ice and never hurts his team. He as proven that he is extremely effective in all facets of the game.
Other Nominees: Chris Wagner (Colgate), Greg Miller (Cornell)
Defensive Defenseman of the Year
Stats: 29GP, 2G, 5A, 7PTS, +14 (22GP, 1G, 4A, 5PTS, +14)
This is another tough one to pick since I can't watch every team play every game. For an award like this you have to go with the stats, reputation, and the small sample size that you saw a player live this season. I got to watch Cornell in person twice and a few times on TV, where each time I thought their captain was very impressive on the defensive side of the puck. His +14 in league play is the best of any ECAC defenseman, and has been a key contributor to Cornell's second ranked league defense (also eighth in the nation). I also took into account that Ross only took four penalty minutes during league play, proving that while being a shutdown defenseman harassing opposing forwards, he isn't being beaten and outworked where he has to take a penalty to make up for a mistake.
Other Nominees: Thomas Larkin (Colgate), Shawn Stuart (Union)
Coach of the Year (Tim Taylor Award)
Stats: 20W-7L-7T (14W-4L-4T)
Like the Dryden Award, the Tim Taylor Award has been up to debate for awhile. Coach Vaughan brought Colgate from last place to a first round bye in one year, Coach Schafer had the Big Red finish in second with lesser talent than usual, and Coach Donato led the Crimson to a first round bye with a young squad. But, I've decided to choose Union's first year head coach Rick Bennett. The reason I have chosen him is not just because Union finished in first, but because of the intangibles. Last year, Nate Leaman set the standard by leading Union to their first Cleary Cup and NCAA Tournament appearance. So, once Leaman left and Bennett was hired, anything less from Bennett would be considered a failure. The prior season's success was thought to be hard to reach without First Team All-American goaltedner Keith Kinkaid and the program's all-time leading scorer, Adam Presizniuk, but as of this moment, Bennett is on his way to at least replicating Leaman's success from last season. The Dutchmen have already won the Cleary Cup, and are currently 8th in the PWR. If Union can win the league playoffs and win a game in the national tournament, there is no doubt that Bennett accomplished more than anyone could have expected. Also, you can't say that Bennett is coaching Leaman's team. Bennett recruited pretty much every player on Union's roster, and deserves almost as much credit as Leaman did for Union's rise to the top.
Other Nominees: Don Vaughan (Colgate), Mike Schafer (Cornell), Ted Donato (Harvard)
I've also decided to add my own awards this season:
Most Improved Player Award
Stats: 37GP, 16G, 19A, 35PTS (23GP, 9G, 12A, 21PTS)
This award is given to the player who I felt surprised everyone with their output this season, compared to prior seasons. While many Golden Knights are worthy of the award, I felt senior Louke Oakley was the most worthy. Oakley hadn't scored more than three goals in any of his first three seasons in Potsdam. But this year, he found his scoring touch netting 16 goals, nine of which came in league play. He also finished his senior campaign with 19 assists and 35 points (13 more than his previous career high), which are also career highs. This year, Oakley grew from a nice role player to an important scorer.
Other Nominees: Nick Tremblay (Clarkson), Ben Sexton (Clarkson), Jack Berger (Princeton)
Unsung Player Award
Stats: 32GP, 17G, 13A, 30PTS (25GP, 15G, 10A, 25PTS)
I've already said a lot about Laganiere this week, as I named him my First Star of the First Round. Here's what I said: " The junior power forward from Quebec is quietly having a breakout season, while being overshadowed by teammates like Brian O'Neill, Andrew Miller, and Kenny Agostino. In his first two seasons in New Haven, Laganiere accumulated 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points. This season, he has netted 17 goals (tied for 5th in the league) and added 13 helpers for 30 points. Talk about an increase in production." I should also mention that while Laganiere is fourth on the Bulldogs scoring list overall, he's second in league games with 25 points and tied for tops with Brian O'Neill with 15 goals. Those numbers are also tied for fifth and first, respectively, in the league. Laganiere's seven power-play goals in league contests are also second in the league behind Brown's Jack Maclellan. When your numbers are comparable to some of the league's best, it's safe to say that you've had a great season.
Other Nominees: Austin Mayer (Colgate), Marshall Everson (Harvard), Zack Currie (Quinnipiac)
What do you think? Was I spot on in your book, or was I way off base with a few picks? Either way, this what I feel, and we'll see if the league agrees or disagrees with me. Honestly, any of these awards (besides MVP) can go to a different person. There are a lot of great players in this league.
