Jack Grinold • NEHW Secretary Joe Bertagna • Commissioner Matt Houde • Brian Smith • Hockey East Director of Comm.

New England Northeastern University 360 Huntington Avenue , 02115 Hockey Writers Association (617) 373-2691, (617) 373-3152 (fax)

April 1, 2016 Contact: Matt Houde • Jack Grinold (617) 373-4154

2015-16 New England Division I Men’s Hockey All-Stars & Awards

BOSTON - The New England Hockey Writers Division I All-Star teams and awards have been finalized after tallying votes from all Division I coaches and respective media outlets throughout New England. This year’s banquet will be held on Wednesday, April 13 at the Prince Restaurant in Saugus, Mass. The banquet will start at 6 p.m. All awards and All-Star teams will be presented at the gala. All coaches, student-athletes, family members and friends are encouraged to attend Wednesday’s banquet. Please contact Suzanne Friedman at (781) 245-2122 or by email at intern@ hockeyeastonline.com for information on attending this event. Cost is $40 per person.

Harvard University senior forward headlines this year’s awards. The North Reading, Massachusetts, native picked up both the Leonard Fowle Award for Most Valuable Player and the Herb Gallagher Award for Best Forward. Vesey, a two-time Hobey Baker Top-Ten honoree, is one of the most electrifying players in college hockey. After deciding to return to Harvard for his senior season, Vesey concluded his collegiate career with 46 points (24 goals, 22 assists) in 33 games this season, helping guide the Crimson to its second straight NCAA tournament berth.

The 2016 ECAC Player of the Year, Ivy League Player of the Year, Walter Brown Award winner, Senior CLASS Award finalist, Vesey is seventh in the nation in points per game (1.39) and fourth in goals per game (0.73). Harvard was 17-6-1 this season when he recorded a point, and 15-2-1 when he scored a . Vesey will graduate with a degree in government this spring after leading the Crimson to a 19-11-4 record overall this season and an appearance in the ECAC Championship Game.

Boston College’s Colin White earned the George C. Carens Award for Rookie of the Year. The Hanover, Mass. native’s 19 goals and 23 assists this season are fourth in the nation among rookie skaters, helping the Eagles reach the Frozen Four for the second time in three seasons. White was also named the Hockey East Rookie of the Year, the seventh in school history, and he is Boston College’s first rookie to attain 40 points in his first season since Johnny Gaudreau did so in 2011-12.

Matt Grzelcyk of Boston University picked up the Bob Monahan Award for Best Defenseman. Grzelcyk, a native of Charlestown, Mass., was named a Hockey East First Team All-Star for the second straight year after he helped lead the Terriers to their second straight appearance in the NCAA tournament. Despite missing a dozen games due to injury, Grzelcyk was still sixth on the Terriers this season with 23 points 10 goals, 13 assists) and saw time during power play, even strength and killing situations throughout the year.

Yale senior Carson Cooper earned the Frank Jones Award for Best Defensive Forward after collecting 11 points this season with three goals and eight helpers. Cooper played a major role in helping the Bulldogs reach the NCAA tournament in each of the last two seasons. The forward is a solid contributor to a stingy defensive unit that allowed just 1.78 goals per game, the lowest in the country.

Zach Aston-Reese of Northeastern collected the Paul Hines Award for New England’s Most Improved Player after recording 43 points during the 2015-16 season, 20 points better than his 2014-15 total. Aston-Reese finished with career highs in both goals and assists with 14 and 29, as well as a plus/minus rating of plus-18. The Staten Island, New York, native led the Huskies in points as the team won the Hockey East tournament title and made its first NCAA tournament appearance since the 2009 season. Aston-Reese was named a Hockey East Second Team All-Star, and recorded the most assists for a Husky since the 2004-05 season.

Harvard’s Colin Blackwell picked up this year’s Joe Tomasselo Award for Unsung Hero. The forward missed all of the 2013-14 season, as well as most of the 2014-15 campaign, battling injuries. The North Andover, Massachusetts native returned for the final 11 games of the 2014-15 season to helping Harvard reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in nine years. He was then granted a fifth year for 2015-16, when he matched a career- high with 19 points.

Northeastern’s secured the Clark Hodder Award as New England’s Division I Coach of the Year after leading the Huskies to their first Hockey East tournament title since 1988. Madigan’s squad rebounded from a 1-11-2 start to become the nation’s hottest team throughout the second half of the year. Northeastern went 21-3-3 in its final 28 games, including a program best 13-game winning streak, 14-game unbeaten streak and the team’s first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2009. Since January 1, NU owns the nation’s top winning percentage (.870).

Travis Roy is honored with the Parker/York Award for Contributions to New England Hockey. He and his family founded the Travis Roy Foundation in 1997 to raise money and awareness for other quadriplegics and paraplegics and to support research for a cure. Travis received an outpouring of public support following a freak paralyzing injury playing for the then NCAA champions Boston University Terriers. In an effort to give back, Travis created a tax exempt charitable entity to raise money for others.

Vesey highlights the All-Star team and is joined by Quinnipiac’s Sam Anas, Boston College’s Ryan Fitzgerald, Mark Jankowski of Providence, Danny O’Regan of Boston University and New Hampshire’s Andrew Poturalski. Joining Grzelcyk on the All-Star defensive team are fellow Hockey East blueliner Jake Walman of Providence as well as Rob O’Gara of Yale and Quinnipiac’s Devon Toews. The three named to this year’s All- Star team are Kevin Boyle of UMass Lowell, of Boston College and Alex Lyon of Yale. Jack Grinold • NEHW Secretary Joe Bertagna • Hockey East Commissioner Matt Houde • Northeastern University Brian Smith • Hockey East Director of Comm.

New England Northeastern University 360 Huntington Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02115 Hockey Writers Association (617) 373-2691, (617) 373-3152 (fax)

- - 2015-16 New England Men's Division I All-Stars and Awards - - GOALTENDERS______LEONARD FOWLE AWARD - MOST VALUABLE PLAYER______Kevin Boyle, Sr., Manalapan, N.J. (UMass Lowell) Jimmy Vesey, Sr., North Reading, Mass. (Harvard) Thatcher Demko, Jr., San Diego, Calif. (Boston College) Alex Lyon, Jr., Baudette, Minn. (Yale) GEORGE C. CARENS AWARD - ROOKIE OF THE YEAR______Colin White, Fr., Hanover, Mass. (Boston College) DEFENSEMEN______Matt Grzelyck, Sr., Charlestown, Mass. (Boston University) HERB GALLAGHER AWARD - BEST FORWARD______Rob O’Gara, Sr., Nesconset, N.Y. (Yale) Jimmy Vesey, Sr., North Reading, Mass. (Harvard) Devon Toews, Jr., Abbotsford, British Columbia (Quinnipiac) Jake Walman, So., Toronto, Ontario (Providence) BOB MONAHAN AWARD - BEST DEFENSEMAN______Matt Grzelyck, Sr., Charlestown, Mass. (Boston University) FORWARDS______Sam Anas, Jr., Potomac, Md. (Quinnipiac) PAUL HINES AWARD - MOST IMPROVED PLAYER______Ryan Fitzgerald, Jr., North Reading, Mass. (Boston College) Zach Aston-Reese, Jr., Staten Island, N.Y. (Northeastern) Mark Jankowski, Sr., St. Catherines, Ontario (Providence) Danny O’Regan, Sr., Needham, Mass. (Boston University) FRANK JONES AWARD - MOST DEFENSIVE FORWARD______Andrew Poturalski, So., Williamsville, N.Y. (New Hampshire) Carson Cooper, Sr., Bow Island, Alberta (Yale) Jimmy Vesey, Sr., North Reading, Mass. (Harvard) JOE TOMASELLO AWARD - UNSUNG HERO______CLARK HODDER AWARD - DIVISION I COACH OF THE YEAR______Colin Blackwell, Sr., North Andover, Mass. (Harvard) Jim Madigan (Northeastern) PARKER / YORK AWARD - CONTRIBUTION TO NEW ENGLAND HOCKEY___ Travis Roy

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