Sunday, April 17, 2011

YEAR END AWARDS

Last night the athletic and academic successes of the Brockport hockey team were celebrated at the team’s annual banquet held at the Brockport Free Methodist Church, with the meal expertly prepared and hosted by the Dickinson family and friends.

The festivities began with special recognition awards being doled out to the WBSU broadcast team of Gary Efthemis and Ryan Gates, and the training team of Gwen McNamara, Rob Larson, and Darren Vukovic. A special award (the captain’s chair) was given to Athletic Director Noah LeFevre for his support of the team.

The crowd was then entertained with another great video from Cam Noble that looked at a recent Oswego/Cortland road trip and the off-ice pursuits of the men. Following the video, the team awards were given out.

James Cody was recognized for his honorable mention on the All-SUNYAC team for a season that saw him ranked among the nation’s leaders in goals, scoring and short-handed goals. He was also selected as the recipient of the team’s Brian Cavanaugh MVP Award. This was the first year that the award was issued in Brian’s name, as many players past and present see Brian as the ultimate Brockport player. Brian played on the club team and then in the first three seasons of the varsity program when he racked up on astounding 124 points.

The Outstanding Scholar Athlete Award was well-earned by Chris Berardini. The senior business administration major had a perfect 4.0 GPA last fall and his 4-year GPA to date is an amazing 3.84.

The Jimmy Mac Most Improved Player Award – in honor of former player and owner of what was once Jimmy Mac’s, Mr. Jimmy MacCollum – was given to freshman defenseman Patrick Hayden.

The EJ McGuire 7th Player Award took on special meaning this year with the recent passing of the former Brockport captain and coach and NHL executive. The recipient was Adam Shoff, recognized for his scrappiness, penalty killing and face-off skills.

The Bob Pedersen Coaches Award went to Justin Noble, who for the last two seasons has been the hard-playing captain of this squad. The consummate leader – on and off ice – then passed the torch to Adam Shoff who will assume the captaincy next season. Adam’s two assistants will be forward James Cody and defenseman Mike Hayward.

The festivities closed out with the joyous (yet always sad) celebration of the seniors who each received a Brockport Hockey director’s chair emblazoned with their numbers. It was great to hear the heartfelt speeches of the six seniors who have been such key parts of Brockport’s two recent playoff seasons. It was sad to see the likes of Justin Noble, Ray Tremblay, Tom Galiani, Chris Berardini, Nick Sampson and Jeremy Rossignolo say good bye to their teammates and the program. They’ve created a lifetime of memories for themselves, their teammates and the fans.