University of Connecticut Athletics
Men's Hockey Celebrates Season At Annual Awards Banquet
5/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
STORRS, Conn. (May 7, 2006) – The University of Connecticut men’s hockey team held its annual hockey banquet on Saturday, May 7 to honor is players and season accomplishments. The event, held at the Nathan Hale Inn, was hosted by Head Coach Bruce Marshall and celebrated seniors Chris Uber (Ithaca, N.Y.), Ryan Palmer (Groton, Mass.) and Aaron Kakepetum (Balmertown, Ont.) along with other members of the 2005-06 squad.
The 2005-06 team was a history making team. For the first time in program history, the UConn men’s hockey team received votes in the USCHO.com Division I men’s poll. On Monday, Oct. 25, 2005, the Huskies received their first three votes. This recognition came after a successful weekend in which the Huskies defeated Merrimack for the first time since 1960. Also this season, Head Coach Bruce Marshall notched his 250th career win. On Dec.8, The Huskies defeated Sacred Heart on the Pioneers’ home ice, 2-1, to make history for Marshall. Another Husky making history was Brad Smith who broke the school record for saves with 52 to help the Huskies advance to the semifinal round of the Atlantic Hockey Championships for the first time since the league’s inception.
The 2005-06 Most Valuable Player award went to junior Cole Koidahl (Minneapolis, Minn.). Koidahl led the team in points this season with 33 points. He notched 12 goals and a team-high 21 assists in 35 games.
The Seventh Player award was given to junior Brian Burns (Binghamton, N.Y.). Burns played in 36 games for the Huskies in 2005-06. In the two prior seasons, Burns played as a forward, but this season, he shifted to defense and made an immediate impact to the back line. As an offensive defenseman, Burns tallied three goals and two assists for five points.
Junior Trevor Stewart (Elk River, Minn.) was given the Coach John Chapman award for his hard work during the season. As a forward, Stewart recorded 10 points with four goals and six assists in 28 games. He sustained a season-ending injury at Army that did not allow him to finish out the season, but his positive attitude and dedication to the team from the bench earned him great respect from his peers and coaches.
The Thomas Jacquard Award, which was named after a rookie player that passed away in the early 1990s was given to freshman Sean Erickson (Eden Prairie, Minn.). Erickson was a valuable contributor to the Huskies this season. He tallied 16 assists and five goals as a defenseman. He was named to the Atlantic Hockey Association’s All-Rookie team at the conference banquet.
The final award of the night was the UConn Silver Bowl award. This prestigious award was given to senior captain Uber. Uber was the only member of the hockey team’s graduating class that has played on the team all four years. The well-spoken captain led his team by example on and off the ice. In his four year career, Uber climbed the record books and currently stands in fourth place in games played with 133. He scored a total of 26 goals and dished out 59 assists for 85 points.
The 2006-07 captains were also named at the banquet. Junior Matt Scherer (Seattle, Wash.), the team-leader in goals in 2005-06, was named the captain for next season. His assist captains will by Koidahl and Stewart.
