2007 Men's Ice Hockey All-Conference Teams Announced
Colby's Osborne Scores NESCAC Player
of the Year
HADLEY, Mass. - Colby senior forward Greg
Osborne (Stoughton, Mass.) has been named the 2007 NESCAC Player of
the Year, as determined by the conference coaches. Osborne helped
the Mules to a 11-7-1 conference mark this season and a third place
showing in the NESCAC standings. It is the first time that a Colby
skater has been honored with the league's top award.
Osborne also earned NESCAC All-Conference First
Team honors for the first time in his career. Heading into this
weekend's NESCAC Men's Ice Hockey Championship, Osborne leads the
NESCAC in scoring with 40 points on 21 goals and 19 assists through
24 games, with his 21 goals and 11 power-play goals also pacing the
league. Osborne's success on the ice has shown for the Mules
(14-8-2) this season as he has scored at least one goal in 12 of
Colby's 14 wins this season, while conversely Osborne has been held
without a goal during six of the Mules' eight losses. Of the 18
contests that Osborne has scored in, 11 have been multi-point games
with four different four-point evenings, his best showing coming
against Curry on Jan. 2 with three goals and an assist. Osborne has
donned the Colby sweater 96 times during his four-year career,
tallying 48 goals and 56 assists for 104 points.
Joining Osborne on the All-Conference First Team
is teammate Arthur Fritch (South Boston, Mass.). The junior
defenseman is first among conference blue liners and is tied for
second among all skaters in scoring this season with 11 goals and
24 assists for 35 points. Fritch, who earned All-NESCAC Second Team
honors a year ago, also ranks first in power-play points,
collecting 23 of his 35 points while on the man-advantage. The
2006-07 campaign has been a career year for Fritch, as his 35
points has already surpassed the 26 points he collected in each of
the last two seasons. Fritch assisted on five of Colby's six goals
in a win over Curry on Jan. 2, a personal-best.
Wesleyan senior Will Bennett (Boston, Mass.) and
Amherst sophomore Joel Covelli (Carlisle, Ont.) partnered with
Osborne to represent the forwards on this year's First Team.
Bennett and Covelli are first on their respective squads in scoring
this season. Bennett, the 2004 NESCAC Rookie of the Year, is tied
with Fritch of Colby for second in the conference in scoring with
11 goals and 24 assists for 35 points through 24 games for the
Cardinals, a career-high in points and assists. Covelli follows
Bennett closely, ranking fourth among league players with 11 goals
and 23 assists for 34 points as he helped the Lord Jeffs reach the
NESCAC semifinals this weekend for the first time since 2001.
Trinity senior defenseman John Halverson
(Lexington, Mass.) earned All-Conference honors for the first time
in his career this year, joining Fritch on the blue line of the
First Team. Halverson made the switch from forward to defense in
2006-07 and had his best statistical season during his four years
with the Bantams, scoring a personal-record 12 goals, six coming on
the power-play, and 27 points to lead Trinity in both categories.
Halverson is currently second among conference defensemen in points
with 12-15-27. Part of Halverson's success this season can be
attributed to his lack of time spent in the penalty box, as he was
whistled for only four penalties for a total of eight minutes,
another personal-best and the lowest number among First Team
skaters.
Wesleyan sophomore goaltender Mike Palladino
(Litchfield, Conn.) rounds out the 2007 NESCAC All-Conference First
Team. Palladino leads the league in both goals against average
(2.12) and save percentage (.920), as he backboned a Cardinal
defense that is third in the conference at 2.67 goals per game.
After seeing action in only 15 games as a freshman, Palladino
appeared between the pipes in 20 of Wesleyan's 24 games this year,
posting a 10-6-4 mark. Palladino made 31 saves while allowing one
goal during Wesleyan's 4-1 victory over Norwich on Jan. 19, the
first win by the Cardinals in 14 all-time meetings with the Cadets.
NESCAC Rookie of the Year honors went to
Connecticut College goaltender Greg Parker (Trenton, Ont.). Parker
emerged this season as the Camels' top netminder, earning an 8-7-2
record with a .916 save percentage, second only to Palladino in the
conference, and a 2.70 goals against average. Parker also received
a spot on the All-Conference Second Team.
Fourth-year bench boss Chris Potter of Wesleyan
was choice among the coaches for NESCAC Coach of the Year. Potter
guided the Cardinals to an 11-8-5 overall record and a 9-6-4
conference mark to finish in fourth place in the NESCAC standings,
the highest place ever for Wesleyan. It is the second time that
Potter has received the award, after earning the honor during his
first year in the league in 2004.
2006-07 NESCAC Men's Ice Hockey
All-Conference
|
| First Team
| School
| Yr.
| Hometown
|
| F
| Will Bennett
| Wesleyan
| Sr.
| Boston, Mass.
|
| F
| Joel Covelli
| Amherst
| So.
| Carlisle, Ont.
|
| F
| Greg Osborne
| Colby
| Sr.
| Stoughton, Mass.
|
| D
| Arthur Fritch
| Colby
| Jr.
| South Boston, Mass.
|
| D
| John Halverson
| Trinity
| Sr.
| Lexington, Mass.
|
| G
| Mike Palladino
| Wesleyan
| So.
| Litchfield, Conn.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Second Team
| School
| Yr.
| Hometown
|
| F
| Sean Ellis
| Amherst
| Sr.
| Springfield, Mass.
|
| F
| Mickey Gilchrist
| Middlebury
| Jr.
| Ottawa, Ont.
|
| F
| Josh Reber
| Colby
| Jr.
| Edina, Minn.
|
| D
| Tom Maldonado
| Middlebury
| Jr.
| Bronx, N.Y.
|
| D
| Matt Smith
| Bowdoin
| So.
| Yarmouth, Maine
|
| G
| Greg Parker
| Connecticut College
| Fr.
| Trenton, Ont.
|
| G
| Chris Rossi
| Bowdoin
| Fr.
| Barrington, R.I.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Player of the Year
|
|
|
|
| F
| Greg Osborne
| Colby
| Sr.
| Stoughton, Mass.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Rookie of the Year
|
|
|
|
| G
| Greg Parker
| Connecticut College
| Fr.
| Trenton, Ont.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Coach of the Year
|
|
|
|
|
| Chris Potter
| Wesleyan
|
|
|
