Thursday, the New England Hockey Writers honored the region’s top Division I, II and III men’s and women’s hockey players and coaches at their annual banquet, led by Hobey Baker Award winner Chris Drury.
Drury took the Leonard Fowle Award for New England’s Most Valuable Player, the Herb Gallagher Award for top forward and the Frank Jones Trophy for best defensive forward. The Boston University star also earned the Walter Brown Award for the second straight year, given by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston to the outstanding American-born college hockey player in New England.
Drury’s Boston University teammate Tom Poti, a sophomore, took top defenseman honors.
Yale coach Tim Taylor was named the winner of the Clark Hodder Award as the top Division I coach, following his team’s first ECAC championship in a season in which it had been projected to finish tenth.
Outgoing ECAC commissioner Clayton Chapman was awarded the Sheaffer Pen Award for contribution to New England amateur hockey.
The other Division I awards included Boston College forward Brian Gionta (the George Carens Award for top rookie), UMass-Amherst goaltender Brian Regan (the Joe Tomasello Award for unsung hero) and Merrimack forward Kris Porter (the Paul Hines Award for most improved player).
Named to the Division I All-Star team were Drury, Poti, defenseman Chris Kelleher and goaltender Michel Larocque (all of Boston University); forwards Mark Mowers, Jason Krog and Tom Nolan (New Hampshire); defenseman Ray Giroux and forward Jeff Hamilton (Yale); forward Marty Reasoner and defenseman Mike Mottau (Boston College); and goaltender Marc Robitaille (Northeastern).
The region’s Titan All-Americans were also recognized: Drury, Mowers, Kelleher, Poti, Giroux, Hamilton, Gionta, Reasoner, Mottau and Yale netminder Alex Westlund.
Division II Awards
Named to the Division II all-star team were defensemen Rick Vallarelli (Bowdoin), Rob Koh (Colby), Ryan Goldman (Middlebury) and Sam Ftorek (St. Anselm); goaltenders Francois Bourbeau and Chris Farion (both of Middlebury); and forwards Jean Labbe and Mike DePlacido (both of Connecticut College), Mark Spence (Middlebury), Marc Bellemare (Norwich), Jeff Jarvis (St. Anselm) and David Carillo (Williams).
Holy Cross coach Paul Pearl took top D-II coach honors.
Babson’s Edward Gallagher IV was presented the J. Thom Lawler Award, given by officials in the NIHOA.
Division III Awards
Earning berths on the Division III all-star team were goaltenders Jeff Reid (Wentworth) and Chris Yurco (St. Michael’s); defensemen Keith Blanchette (Worcester State), Kyle Lanfear (St. Michael’s), Garrett Trull (Bentley) and Kane Beaudry (UMass-Dartmouth); and forwards Steve Bartkis (UMass-Dartmouth), Jeff DuRoss (Fitchburg State), Michael Dupont (St. Michael’s), John Gurskis (St. Michael’s), Damon Moore (Fitchburg State) and Ryan Soderquist (Bentley).
The writers named Wentworth coach Bill Bowes the D-III Coach of the Year.
Women’s Awards
New Hampshire forward Brandy Fischer, who recently was honored with the inaugural Patty Kazmaier Award as the nation’s top female player, also took New England Player of the Year honors.
Joining her on the region’s all-star team were: forwards Meaghan Sittler (Colby), Sarah Hood (Dartmouth), Melisa Heitzman (UNH), Hilary Witt (Northeastern) and Angie Francisco; defensemen Catherine Hanson (Providence), Nicole Luongo (UNH), Jaime Totten (Northeastern) and Courtney Kennedy (Colby); and goaltenders Laurie Belliveau (Yale) and Ali Brewer (Brown).
Dartmouth coach George Crowe was named Women’s Coach of the Year.
