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By: Jarett Leonard, Dave Souza and Matt Dresens<\/p>\n
Our men’s ice hockey writers broke down who they thought were the best in Hockey East during the regular season. The trio named a player, rookie and coach of the year, as well as naming a Hockey East First, Second and Rookie Team. They rounded out their selections with the Hockey East All-Names Team, which featured what they thought the best names in the conference were.<\/p>\n
Player of the Year:<\/span><\/strong> Adam Gaudette, Northeastern<\/p>\n You’ll probably be able to add a Hobey Baker Award to the long list of accolades that Gaudette will garner this season.<\/em><\/p>\n Rookie of the Year:<\/span><\/strong> Cayden Primeau, Northeastern<\/p>\n It came down to two goaltenders for this award between Primeau and Maine\u2019s Jeremy Swayman, but you have to give the edge to Primeau. His save percentage wasn\u2019t just the best among rookie goaltenders, but it was by far the best in all of Hockey East.<\/em><\/p>\n Coach of the Year:<\/span><\/strong>Mike Cavanaugh, Connecticut<\/p>\n This was a tough one. While an argument can be made for Jerry York after BC won the regular season title or Jim Madigan for his success with Northeastern, I always look at who exceeded expectations the most, and Cavanagh stuck out in that regard. Even without his starting goaltender Adam Huska, UConn went on a late season seven-game winning streak to earn the fifth seed and a bye in the tournament.<\/em><\/p>\n First Team<\/span><\/strong> We should just rename this Northeastern\u2019s starters (plus Fabbro). The best line in college hockey up front, Hockey East\u2019s top scoring defenseman, and the best goaltender in the conference are all deserving of First Team honors. The second D spot is a little more flexible, but Fabbro was second among defensemen in scoring and his goals came at important times for the Terriers.<\/em><\/p>\n Second Team<\/span><\/strong> Foley\u2019s 34 points was fourth in the league and provided an offensive threat on a team full of defensive-style players. Carpenter had 30 points and scored in bunches for BU, including a 5-goal weekend against UConn that almost single handedly delivered his team three points. Defense was a little tricky here, but Bryson and Hickey were both integral parts of their teams in different ways, with Bryson providing an offensive spark to the Friars from the backend and Hickey leading BU to a second-half resurgence. Take away the teams in front of them, and Lekkas is the best goalie in the league in my opinion. His numbers take a hit with Vermont\u2019s defense, but the sophomore has a bright future in front of him.<\/em><\/p>\n Rookie Team<\/span><\/strong> Hutsko led the league\u2019s rookies in points and Bowers\u2019 16 goals was second in the nation and most in Hockey East among freshmen. While BU\u2019s Brady Tkachuk was third in points for rookies and was a big presence early in the season, he seemed to not make as big of an impact in the last month or so, so I went with Leonard. Makar\u2019s skating reminds you a lot of Charlie McAvoy, and Gildon led the league\u2019s freshmen defensemen in goals, points, and power play goals.<\/em><\/p>\n Names Team<\/span><\/strong> Player:<\/span><\/strong> Adam Gaudette, (NU)<\/p>\n I mean there really isn\u2019t much to be said. He\u2019s the consensus conference player of the year \u2013 or should be \u2013 by every person who covers Hockey East. Leads the nation in goals (29) and points (56) plus has a 14th-best 27 helpers on the year too. Gaudette leads a Northeastern team that is already lethal and will look to inflict a massive amount of damage come tournament time. Oh, and pencil him in for the Hobey Baker Award while we\u2019re at it.<\/em><\/p>\n Rookie:<\/span><\/strong> Cayden Primeau (NU)<\/p>\n Northeastern hasn\u2019t lacked scoring talent over the last several years. While Gaudette is the newest edition of that firepower, he is not the only Husky to be a stellar goal-scorer. Before him came the likes of Zach Aston-Reese and Kevin Roy. But what kept Northeastern from being a true power in Hockey East was their goaltending. Names like Clay Witt and Ryan Ruck have started between the pipes for Northeastern in recent years, but they were only serviceable at best. Now the Huskies have a true number one goalie, Cayden Primeau. He\u2019s fifth in the nation with a 1.85 goals-against average and is tied for fourth with a 9.33 save percentage. Both of those numbers top Hockey East \u2013 by a lot. While other rookies like Bowers and Husko have made big impacts for their teams, neither has done so like Primeau.<\/em><\/p>\n Coach:<\/span><\/strong>Red Gendron (Maine)<\/p>\n This one was a toss up between Gendron, Carvel and Cavanaugh \u2013 as evident by all three of our choices. The reason I went with Gendron was similar to Jarett\u2019s reasoning for Cavanaugh, expectations were shattered. At the beginning of the season I thought Maine was going to be a cellar-dweller in the conference. Instead, they were a weekend away from a bye in the Hockey East playoffs and were one of the toughest teams to play against all season \u2013 especially in their own building. 18-14-4 overall and a tie for fifth place in the league? That\u2019s COY worthy in my book.<\/em><\/p>\n First Team<\/span><\/strong> I mean there really isn\u2019t that big of a discussion on all of the Northeastern picks. While the Huskies may not have won the league\u2019s regular season title, there is no doubt they are the best team in Hockey East. Their two best players, their best defenseman, and their stellar netminder have easily paced the entire conference. And while a lot of people may chastise me for not including the final third of the best line in college hockey \u2013 Nolan Stevens \u2013 my final forward selection has to go to Erik Foley. Mid-way through the season there were rumblings the Providence standout might win league MVP; and while Gaudette has run away with that award, Foley\u2019s great offensive play on a defense-first team is still worthy enough of a first team selection. Fabbro slots in as the last defense spot because of how he dictates the entire BU team. The offense usually is at its best when it generates from the point \u2013 specifically on the power play \u2013 and Fabbro is the best at doing so. In his own zone he\u2019s equally as important, blocking shots left and right.<\/em><\/p>\n Second Team<\/span><\/strong> The second team is where it gets interesting. Stevens and Carpenter are easy picks because of their offensive production \u2013 plus the latter\u2019s two-way and face-off abilities. Letunov also has some of that lethal scoring ability, and turns it on when he needs to. Hawkey has been a mainstay in the Providence net, anchoring a defense that allowed the second fewest goals both in conference and overall. Bryson and Gildon both provided massive sparks offensively from their team\u2019s blue lines.<\/em><\/p>\n Rookie Team<\/span><\/strong> Husko led all rookies in scoring with 29 points, though Bowers and Leonard nipped right on his heels with 27 \u2013 Bowers led all freshman in goals with 16. Leonard was one of the most noticeable players on the ice for the Minutemen and would have been the most impactful for UMass were it not for Cale Makar, their stud blue liner. Both young guns turned in highlight-reel goals against Vermont in their opening round series with the Catamounts.<\/em><\/p>\n Names Team<\/span><\/strong> Player:<\/span><\/strong> Adam Gaudette, NU (29-27-56)<\/p>\n Duh.<\/em><\/p>\n Rookie:<\/span><\/strong>Shane Bowers, BU (16-11-27)<\/p>\n Most consistent among rookies. Hutsko (12-17-29) had a great season, but scored 12 points in his last six games and had a stretch of plat where he scored only one point in eight games. The two have the same point total, but Bowers has four more goals and never went more than three games without a point. Second national among rookies in goals scored.<\/em><\/p>\n Coach:<\/span><\/strong> Greg Carvel, UMass<\/p>\n Yes, UMass finished 8th, but they were supposed to finish last. The Minutemen are hosting a home playoff series for the first time since 2007 and last year they went 5-29-2. They are 15-17-2 this year and Carvel have the team headed in the right direction. His recruits are outstanding, Makar and Ferraro are among some go the best defenseman in the league and. Five freshman and one sophomore lead the team in scoring.<\/em><\/p>\n First Team<\/span><\/strong> Second Team<\/span><\/strong> Rookie Team<\/span><\/strong> Names Team<\/span><\/strong> [soundcloud url=”https:\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/407586594″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” \/]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By: Jarett Leonard, Dave Souza and Matt Dresens Our men’s ice hockey writers broke down who they thought were the best in Hockey East during the regular season. The trio named a player, rookie and coach of the year, as well as naming a Hockey East First, Second and Rookie Team. 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\nF Adam Gaudette, Northeastern
\nF Dylan Sikura, Northeastern
\nF Nolan Stevens, Northeastern
\nD Jeremy Davies, Northeastern
\nD Dante Fabbro, Boston University
\nG Cayden Primeau, Northeastern<\/p>\n
\nF Erik Foley, Providence
\nF Bobo Carpenter, Boston University
\nF Max Letunov, Connecticut
\nD Jacob Bryson, Providence
\nD Brandon Hickey, Boston University
\nG Stefanos Lekkas, Vermont<\/p>\n
\nF Logan Hutsko, Boston College
\nF Shane Bowers, Boston University
\nF John Leonard, Massachusetts
\nD Cale Makar, Massachusetts
\nD Max Gildon, New Hampshire
\nG Cayden Primeau, Northeastern<\/p>\n
\nF Kasperi Ojantakanen, Connecticut
\nF Vimal Sukumaran, Providence
\nF Cedric Lacroix, Maine
\nD Kasper Kotkansalo, Boston University
\nD Dominic Dockery, Merrimack
\nG Hayden Hawkey, Providence<\/p>\n
\nDave<\/h2>\n
\nF: Dylan Sikura (NU)
\nF: Adam Gaudette (NU)
\nF: Erik Foley (PC)
\nD: Jeremy Davies (NU)
\nD: Dante Fabbro (BU)
\nG: Cayden Primeau NU)<\/p>\n
\nF: Nolan Stevens (NU)
\nF: Max Letunov (UConn)
\nF: Bobo Carpenter (BU)
\nD: Jacob Bryson (PC)
\nD: Max Gildon (UNH)
\nG: Hayden Hawkey (PC)<\/p>\n
\nF: Logan Hutsko (BC)
\nF: Shane Bowers (BU)
\nF: John Leonard (UMass)
\nD: Cale Makar (UMass)
\nD: Max Gildon (UNH)
\nG: Cayden Primeau (NU)<\/p>\n
\nKasperi Ojantakanen (UConn)
\nBiagio Lerrario (NU)
\nVimal Sukumaran (Providence)
\nKasper Kotkansalo (BU)
\nCroix Evingson (Lowell)
\nHayden Hawkey (PC)<\/p>\n
\nMatt<\/h2>\n
\nF, Dylan Sikura (NU)
\nF, Adam Gaudette (NU)
\nF, Erik Foley (PC)
\nD, Jeremy Davies (NU)
\nD, Tommy Panico (Lowell)
\nG, Cayden Primeau NU)<\/p>\n
\nF, Nolan Stevens (NU)
\nF, Logan Hutsko (BC)
\nF, Bobo Carpenter (BU)
\nD, Dante Fabbro (BU)
\nD, Michael Kim (BC)
\nG, Hayden Hawkey (PC)<\/p>\n
\nF, Logan Hutsko (BC)
\nF, Shane Bowers (BU)
\nF, Alex Esposito (Vermont)
\nD, Cale Makar (UMass)
\nD, Mario Ferraro (UMass)
\nG, Jeremy Swayman (Maine)<\/p>\n
\nEetu Torpstr\u00f6m (UMass)
\nKasperi Ojantakanen (UConn)
\nVeli-Matti Tiuraniemi (Maine)
\nSimon L\u00f6\u00f6f (Merrimack)
\nVlad Dzhioshvili (Vermont)
\nHayden Hawkey (PC)<\/p>\n
\n