| BURLINGTON, Vt. – The Vermont men's hockey team announced its annual team award winners this week after a 22-win season and a berth in the 2015 Hockey East Semifinal in Boston.
Colin Markison,
Mike Paliotta,
Anthony Petruzzelli,
Mike Santaguida,
Dan Senkbeil,
Brady Shaw, and assistant coach
Terry Lovelette were named 2014-15 award winners for their various contributions to the program.
JOHN C. CUNNINGHAM AWARD (Most Valuable Player)Mike Paliotta was voted as the team MVP after becoming the 22nd player in Vermont history to be named an NCAA Division I All-American. The senior captain was also named to the Senior CLASS Second Team and was a Hockey East Second Team All-Star. He was honored not only as the Best Defenseman in New England, but also the league's Best Defensive Defenseman. Paliotta became the first defenseman to lead UVM in scoring in nearly 40 years and was named the men's winner of the prestigious J. Edward Donnelly Award at last night's Rally Awards.
JIM CROSS COACHES' AWARD & MIKE GILLIGAN AWARD (Leadership on and off the ice and community service)Mike Santaguida won both awards for his work on and off the ice during his sophomore campaign. In the net, he was named one of 28 nominees for the Mike Richter Award for the best goaltender in Division I. He started 21 games for the Catamounts, posting a 2.08 goals against average, .923 save percentage, and three shutouts. Santaguida served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and was a speaker on the Athletics Advisory Board. He also volunteered for a number of community service projects, including You Can Play, It's On Us, Special Olympics, Buffalo Wild Wings Celebrity Server event, Chamberlin School book reading, and the Teddy Bear Toss delivery.
GEORGE BUZZELL AWARD (Rookie of the Year)Anthony Petruzzelli was a reliable two-way player throughout the season as a freshman. The forward was tied for the team-lead in scoring among rookies with 14 points on six goals and eight assists. He scored the game-winning goal in overtime at 10
th-ranked Boston College in February for Vermont's first win at Conte Forum since 2009. Petruzzelli finished the year at a plus-2 with 51 shots on goal while skating in 39 games to lead all UVM freshmen.
FRANK "MAC" MCINTOSH AWARD (Most Improved Player)Dan Senkbeil and
Brady Shaw were co-winners of the award for Most Improved Player. Senkbeil sat out the 2013-14 season after transferring from North Dakota, but made a significant impact in his first playing time for Vermont. The junior skated in 26 games and posted seven points while playing an energetic and physical style of hockey. Senkbeil finished the year with a plus-8 rating and scored his first career Catamount goal in a 5-2 home win against New Hampshire in February at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
Shaw had a breakout sophomore season as he led the team with 19 goals and ranked second on the squad with 31 points. The forward closed the year one goal shy of becoming Vermont's first 20-goal scorer since Viktor Stalberg (24) in 2008-09. He scored 11 goals in his last 16 games and ranked fourth in the country in second half goal scoring with 13. Shaw finished the season tied for first in Hockey East in power play goals (9), tied for fourth in game-winning goals (4), and tied for sixth in total goals (19).
CHILD TRAVEL PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD (Most "Three Stars" Honors)Colin Markison and
Mike Paliotta were named to the "Three Stars" list more often than any other Vermont players this past season. Markison ranked fourth on the team in scoring with career-highs in goals (9), assists (16), and points (25). The senior was tied for third on the squad in goals and ranked fourth on the team in power play goals (4) and shots on goal (91). The forward registered six multi-point games, including a season-best three-point performance against Maine in November.
Paliotta skated in all 41 games and led the team with a career-high 36 points on nine goals and 27 assists. He finished the season ranked sixth in the NCAA in defensive scoring. Paliotta led the Catamounts with a plus-15 rating and 151 shots on goal, the most by any Hockey East defenseman. He was tied for second on the team with five power play goals and registered 10 multi-point performances. The defenseman collected a career-high four points at No. 16 Northeastern in the season opener in a 6-2 victory.
DUNBAR BOSTWICK SERVICE TO UVM HOCKEY AWARDTerry Lovelette has served 21 years as a volunteer assistant coach for the Catamounts and has mentored many of the top goaltenders in program history. Lovelette guided
Brody Hoffman and
Mike Santaguida to a 2.18 combined goals against average, .919 save percentage, and four shutouts this past season. Each goalie finished the year ranked top-5 among the single-season GAA and SV% leaders in Vermont history. As a result of their goaltending success, the Catamounts ranked top-10 nationally in both scoring defense and penalty killing.
