University of Connecticut Athletics
Men's Hockey Celebrates Season At Annual Awards Banquet
5/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
STORRS, Conn. (May 8, 2007) — The University of Connecticut men’s hockey team recently held its annual postseason banquet to honor its graduating seniors and celebrate its record-breaking season Saturday, May 5 at the Nathan Hale Inn.
Serving as banquet emcee, head coach Bruce Marshall opened the ceremony recognizing each of his player’s accomplishments that helped the Huskies produce one of its greatest seasons since joining Atlantic Hockey. UConn finished the season with a 16-18-1 overall record, ranking as the most single season victories since the 1999-00 squad collected a total of 19 wins. Inside the conference, Connecticut boasted a 15-11-2 record, setting the school-record for most conference wins since joining Atlantic Hockey. In fact, UConn’s conference record marked the first time the Huskies had finished with an above .500 record since the league’s inception.
Connecticut went on to record its highest finish ever in Atlantic Hockey, earning the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament after finishing in fourth place in the league standings. The Huskies hosted their first-ever Atlantic Hockey Tournament home game, and didn’t disappoint as UConn defeated sixth-seeded Mercyhurst, 5-4, to advance to the tournament semifinals for the second consecutive season.
Senior forward Matt Scherer (Seattle, Wash.) was selected as team most valuable player as voted on by his teammates. Scherer finished the season first on the team with 36 points on 22 goals and 14 assists in 35 games played this season. He finishes his career at UConn with 105 points on 62 goals and 43 assists in 138 games played. His 22 goals ranked first on the team, while his 14 assists were fourth. Inside the conference, Scherer was 11th in the league in points, was tied for second in goals scored, tied for fifth in game-winning goals with three and was tied for fifth with eight power-play goals. On a national level this season, Scherer was tied for 13th in the nation with his 22 goals. In addition, he was tied for 26th was eight power-play goals. For his career, Scherer became the 26th player in UConn hockey history to reach the 100-point plateau. He currently stands in 21st place on the school’s all-time points list with a total of 105 points. With his 105 points, he ranks second on the school’s all-time list in the Division I era. Scherer also ranks 11th all-time in goals and first in goals in the Division I era. With his 22 goals this season, Scherer set the single season record for goals in a season in the Division I era. He also ranks tied for sixth in assists on the school’s all-time list for the Division I era. During his four-year career, Scherer is second all-time with 138 games played. In addition to his statistical achievements, Scherer was named the Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week once as a junior. He was selected to the Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie Team in 2003-04, and made the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team in 2005-06. Scherer also earned UConn’s Thomas Jacquard as a freshman in 2003-04. This season, he was selected to the All-Atlantic Hockey Second Team as a forward.
Senior forward Trevor Stewart (Elk River, Minn.) was recognized with the Coach John Chapman Award for the second consecutive season. An honor given to the player who exemplifies hard work throughout the course of the season, Stewart finished the season third on the team with 32 points on nine goals and 23 assists in 36 games played this season. He finishes he career at UConn with 62 points on 20 goals and 42 assists in 129 games played. His nine goals ranked fourth on the team, while his 23 assists were first. Inside the conference, Stewart was 19th in the league in points, tied for ninth in assists and was tied for 13th with two game-winning goals. He currently stands in 10th place on the school’s all-time assist list in the Division I era with 42. During his four-year career at UConn, Stewart ranks ninth with 129 games played. In addition to his statistical achievements, Stewart is a versatile two-way player that plays a lot of minutes and is asked to do a number of different things when on the ice. In 2005-06, he was selected to the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team. He also earned UConn’s Coach John Chapman Award in 2005-06 as a junior. Stewart is also the team representative for SAAC. This season, he was named the Atlantic Hockey Best Defensive Forward.
The third senior to collect a postseason award, forward Jarrett Scarpaci (Billerica, Mass.) was given the Seventh Player Award for his efforts on the ice. In 32 games played this season, Scarpaci recorded 11 points on three goals and eight assists. A consistent performer throughout the season, Scarpaci may have saved his best for last while helping the Huskies clinch the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament. UConn entered the final weekend of the regular season in fourth place in the league standings by only one point. Needing to win both games over that weekend to secure the No. 3 seed, Scarpaci scored the game-winning goal in the Huskies’ 4-2 win over Holy Cross on Senior Night. The following night on the Crusaders’ home ice, Scarpaci tallied a season-high two points in helping the Huskies to a 5-2 road win.
Senior defenseman Brian Burns (Binghamton, N.Y.) was honored with the UConn Silver Bowl Award. Having played in all but one of UConn’s 36 games this season, Burns finished the year fourth on the team with 13 assists. A mainstay on the Husky blue line all season, Burns dished out his biggest assist in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament, sending UConn to the semifinals for the second consecutive year with the game-winning assist in a 5-4 win over Mercyhurst in the quarterfinals.
Named after a former UConn freshman who was tragically killed in an automobile accident in the early 1990s, the Thomas Jacquard Award is given to a Husky rookie that demonstrates the same characteristics as Thomas Jacquard. Freshman defenseman Michael Olmstead (East Lansing, Mich.) earned the award following an outstanding rookie season. Olmstead finished his freshman campaign having played in 33 games while collecting three points on three assists. He notched his first career point in UConn’s, 5-4, overtime win at Mercyhurst in late October. He also helped the Huskies maintain their standing in league play by recording the game-winning assist in both games against Holy Cross in the final weekend of the regular season.
At the conclusion of the banquet, Marshall announced the team had selected the captains for the 2007-08 season. Senior Charles Solberg (Barrington, Ill.) and junior Sean Erickson (Eden Prairie, Minn.) will serve as team captains next season.
-UCONN-
