CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The Hockey East Association announced its 2009-10 All-Stars and major individual award
winners Thursday. The recipients will be honored at tonight’s championship banquet at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in
Cambridge, Mass.
VIDEO LINKS AT HOCKEY EAST'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
Hockey East 2009-2010 Plays of the Year
Athletic Republic Player of the Year Finalists
Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Year Finalists
Coach of the Year Finalists
University of New Hampshire captain Bobby Butler (Marlboro, Mass.) has been chosen by the head coaches as the
2009-2010 Athletic Republic Hockey East Player of the Year, headlining a trio of Wildcats named among the first-team
All-Stars. Butler dominated all Hockey East scorers with 21 goals and shared the lead with 41 total points in just 27
league games.
Only slightly off Butler’s pace was Merrimack rookie Stephane Da Costa (Paris, France) who was an easy selection
as Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Year. Da Costa ranked third in league play with 36 points (9g,27a) in his first season
with the Warriors. He averaged better than one assist per game in league play and was among the nation’s scoring
leaders all season long. He swept the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Month Award this year, winning it five consecutive
times since the season began, which marks a new league record.
The coaches of the respective major award winners, UNH’s Dick Umile and Merrimack’s Mark Dennehy, were co-winners
of the Bob Kullen Coach of the Year Award as each led his team to a much better finish than anticipated. Picked
to finish fourth in the preseason coaches’ poll, the UNH Wildcats battled some of the deepest competition in Hockey
East history to emerge with their 8th regular season title, tying Boston University for the second most ever. Merrimack,
meanwhile, following five straight last place finishes, was picked to finish last once again. But Dennehy coached the
Warriors to 12 wins in league play this year, their most ever, including one each over BC, BU, Maine and UNH, to finish
in a tie for 6th. He is the first Merrimack coach to be honored as Hockey East Coach of the Year, and he and Umile are
the first-ever co-winners.
ATHLETIC REPUBLIC Player of the Year
Bobby Butler, New Hampshire (Sr., F, Marlboro, Mass.)
Runner-Up: Gustav Nyquist, Maine (So., F, Malmo, Sweden) |
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PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE of the Year
Stephane Da Costa, Merrimack College (F, Paris, France)
Runner-Up: Chris Rawlings, Northeastern (G, North Delta, B.C.) |
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BOB KULLEN CCM Coach of the Year
Mark Dennehy, Merrimack College
Dick Umile, New Hampshire
Runner-Up: Tim Whitehead, Maine |
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