Amid a backdrop of war and with machine gun-armed soldiers protecting the campus, the 2003 MAAC Final Four got underway on Thursday with the league’s award banquet.
The story of the night was the youth movement, with Bentley rookie head coach Ryan Soderquist — the youngest headman in the game — capturing the MAAC Coach of the Year award, and Army freshman goaltender Brad Roberts sharing the ITECH MAAC Goaltender of the Year award.
For Soderquist, the award caps off a remarkable season that saw him take the Falcons from back-to-back last-place finishes to a fifth seed in this year’s MAAC playoffs, accompanied by a 2-0 upset win in the quarterfinal, earning Soderquist and his Falcons their first-ever trip to the MAAC Final Four.
The other half of the goaltending duo taking top netminder honors was Sacred Heart senior Eddy Ferhi, who finished the season first in conference goals against average and save percentage.
Holy Cross’ Brandon Doria was named ITECH MAAC Offensive Player of the Year, after leading the Crusaders to a third-place finish this season and their first appearance in the MAAC Final Four since capturing the inaugural championship in 1999.
Quinnipiac’s Wade Winkler was named ITECH MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, topping the conference in scoring on the power play and among defensemen.
Mercyhurst’s Scott Reynolds and Holy Cross’ Tyler McGregor shared the MAAC Offensive Rookie of the Year award. McGregor, who began the year for the Crusaders on the fourth line, finished third in scoring among MAAC rookies with 24 points. Reynolds finished one point ahead of McGregor with 25 points, helping lead the Lakers to their third-consecutive league title.
A total of 46 players were named to the New York State Lottery All-Academic team, led by Iona sophomore Trevor McCall, who posted a 3.89 grade point average as a business major.
The all-league selections rounded out the evening’s honors:
ITECH All-MAAC First Team
F: Brandon Doria, Holy Cross
F: Martin Paquet, Sacred Heart
F: Matt Craig, Quinnipiac
D: Wade Winkler, Quinnipiac
D: Les Hrapchak, Sacred Heart
G: Eddy Ferhi, Sacred Heart
G: Brad Roberts, Army
ITECH All-MAAC Second Team
F: Brian Herbert, Quinnipiac
F: Rich Hansen, Mercyhurst
F: Rae Metz, Fairfield
D: T.J. Kemp, Mercyhurst
D: Joe Dudek, Army
G: Simon St. Pierre, Bentley
2002-03 MAAC All-Rookie Team
F: Tyler McGregor, Holy Cross
F: Paul Markarian, Bentley
F: Ryan Mayhew, Bentley
F: Scott Reynolds, Mercyhurst
D: Conrad Martin, Mercyhurst
D: Tim Songin, Canisius
D: Ryan Swanson, Iona
G: Brad Roberts, Army
