SCHENECTADY, NY – Senior
Adam Presizniuk was named most valuable player of the Union College men's ice hockey team at the annual year-end banquet hosted by the Garnet Blades at the Mohawk Golf Club on Sunday. The 2010-11 team, which earned the school's first ever ECAC Hockey regular season title and first bid to the NCAA Tournament in the Division I era, was honored for having the most successful season in program history.
Presizniuk became the school's all-time scoring king on Jan. 7 with an assist against St. Lawrence, surpassing the previous mark of 115 points established by
Jason Walters ('10). Despite missing six games in December with a broken thumb, Presizniuk finished fourth on the team with 33 points (12 goals, 21 assists). On Oct. 9, Presizniuk set a school record with five assists in a 7-3 win against Sacred Heart. Presizniuk was a key player on special teams on both the power play and penalty kill. He was honored by ECAC Hockey as the league's Best Defensive Forward and earned ECAC Player of the Week Honors on Oct. 25.
The Calgary native was also voted as the das Design 7th PLAYER Award winner. The honor is co-sponsored by das Design and Lee's Trophies and is presented to the Union hockey student-athlete recognized by the fans as an individual who, with extra effort and skill, consistently created excitement through aggressive play, resulting in a team advantage.
Head coach Nate Leaman along with associate head coach
Rick Bennett and assistant coach Ben Barr gave the Coaches' Award to senior defenseman
Brock Matheson. Named ECAC Hockey's Best Defensive Defenseman, Matheson, a two-year captain, also earned Second Team All-League honors and was an All-American candidate.
Fellow senior
Luke Cain was also honored with the Charles N. Morrison Award. The honor is an endowed scholarship that was created from the gifts of friends in the memory of friends in the memory of Charles N. Morrison, Union's head hockey coach from 1978 to 1988. It is given annually to a student who participates in extracurricular activities while demonstrating academic interest and achievement.
For the third straight year, senior forward Stephane Boileau was given the Thomas VanArden Dukehart Award, which originated during the 1977-78 season to preserve the memory of Thomas VanArden Dukehart and is presented annually to the Union hockey student-athlete with the highest grade-point average. Boileau was named ECAC Hockey's Student-Athlete of the Year, Union's third winner of the award in the past five seasons (Olivier Bouchard – 2007, Matt Cook – 2009).
The Rookie of the Year Award went to freshman defenseman
Mat Bodie, an ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team selection. This season, Bodie set a Union record for most points by a defenseman with 32 (six goals, 26 assists). He led the team and ECAC Hockey with a plus/minus rating of +30.
Senior forward
Andrew Buote earned the Scott Richardson Unsung Hero Award becoming the first Union student-athlete to earn the award four straight years. Buote, one of Union's top penalty killers, recorded 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 37 games.
The team's Most Improved Player Award was given to senior forward
Justin Pallos, who produced a career-high 14 points (eight goals, six assists), including three game-winning goals, in 37 games. Pallos' previous career best point total came in 2007-08, when he recorded four assists in 27 games played.
