Men's Ice Hockey

April 6, 2009

Individuals Honored At Men's Ice Hockey Banquet; '09-'10 Captains Announced


COLCHESTER, Vt. - For the first time in the program's history the Purple Knights captured back-to-back Northeast-10 Conference Championships with a 3-2 victory over Stonehill College on March 7. The championship was also won on the Purple Knights' home ice, Cairns Arena, for the second time in as many years. On Wednesday, April 1, the Purple Knights held their annual awards banquet to honor the individuals who helped guide Saint Michael's to their second consecutive conference crown. Two captains for the '09-'10 season were announced by the coaching staff.

Second-year head coach Chris Davidson and assistant coaches Doug Wright and Lou DiMasi III handed the awards out to three seniors, one junior, two sophomores, and a first-year.

Leading the team in points for the second straight season was senior Ryan Mero (Peekskill, N.Y./Avon Old Farms), who earned Co-Most Valuable Player honors along with the John Gurskis Award, given each year to the team's leading point-scorer. John Gurskis '98 is the all-time leading point-scorer in program history with 93 goals and 141 assists through a four year career. His goal and two assists in the championship game landed Mero a spot on the Conference's All-Tournament Team. Mero posted a career-best 43 points this season on 15 goals and 28 assists. For the second straight year Mero was named to the Northeast-10 All-Conference First Team. On February 3, Mero became the 13th Purple Knight to surpass the 100 career-point mark with a four-point effort in a win over Southern New Hampshire. On February 12, Mero was also picked as a semi-finalist for the Ninth Annual Joe Concannon Award. The Joe Concannon Award, which is presented by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston, is given to the best American-born college hockey player playing in New England at the D-II/III level. Mero finished his career ninth all-time with 119 points (51 goals, 68 assists).

Sharing the team's Most Valuable Player Award with Mero was senior net-minder Tyler Bilton (Penticton, British Columbia/Finlandia University). Bilton was instrumental this year in the Purple Knights title run, and for his efforts was garnered Northeast-10 Conference Goaltender of the Year as well as a spot on the All-Conference First Team. In the 3-2 championship win over Stonehill College Bilton was tremendous, stopping 38-of-40 shots while also adding an assist. For the second straight year Bilton was named Northeast-10 Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player. In just two season as a Purple Knight, Bilton ranks sixth all-time in wins with 21, second all-time with a 3.62 goals against average, and first all-time with a .907 save percentage.

The third senior honored was captain Chris Healey (Salem, N.H./N.H. Monarchs). Healey was awarded with the Ice Knight Award for his leadership on and off the ice and his dedication to the program. The senior captain found himself on the Northeast-10 Conference Second Team for the second time in as many years. Healey posted a career-best season with 19 goals and 14 assists, good enough for second on the team. Healey was also named to the Conference's All-Tournament Team after for his efforts in help guiding the Purple Knights to the conference title, as well as being named to the All-Tournament Team of the Saint Michael's College Holiday Classic in January.

The team's Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year were give to sophomore Matt Rigtrup (Upper Montclair, N.J./Pickering Panthers) and Brady Earle (Columbia, Md./The Gunnery School), respectively. Rigtrup led all defensemen on the team in scoring with 20 points on four goals and 16 assists. Rigtrup was also named the Northeast-10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year as well as a spot on the All-Conference First Team. Earle, who led all freshmen on the team in scoring with three goals and 11 assists, landed a spot on the Conference's All-Rookie Team as well.

The final two award recipients were junior Dave Vorozilchak (Clark Summit, Pa./CD Selects) and sophomore Nick Sheehan (Potsdam, N.Y./Cornwall Colts). Vorozilchak was award the Unsung Hero Award for his consistent and hard-nosed play throughout the season. Vorozilchak finished fourth on the team with 14 points and played in every game. Sheehan, who was named Most Improved Player, finished the season with six goals and six assists, as well as playing in every game for the Purple Knights.

Looking toward the '09-'10 season, Davidson, Wright, and DiMasi announced that former two-year assistant captain Dave Vorozilchak will be leading the Purple Knights as captain next season. Junior Alex Higgins (Phoenix, Ariz./Kent School), whose season was cut short due to a knee injury, was named assistant captain.

###PURPLEKNIGHTS###