University of Connecticut Athletics
Men's Hockey Announces Award Winners At Team Banquet
5/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
May 11, 2010
STORRS, Conn. - The University of Connecticut men's hockey team hosted their annual banquet on Saturday, May 8 at the Nathan Hale Inn where they recognized seniors Michael Coppola and Brendan Olinyk while also giving out individual awards.
Serving as banquet emcee, head coach Bruce Marshall opened the ceremony by recognizing each player and listing their accomplishments throughout the season. The Huskies competed with a young squad as 17of the 30 players were underclassmen. They finished the season with a 7-27-3 record, 6-19-3 Atlantic Hockey.
UConn tested itself during the season with some tough out-of-conference games against teams like Ferris State, Princeton, and Union who were all ranked at one point during the season. In conference, the Huskies played some tough games against both Air Force and RIT, who finished the season ranked 20th in the nation.
UConn will have three Huskies donning the `C' on their jerseys for the 2010-11 season. Jason Krispel and Andrew Olson, who were assistant captains for the 2009-10 season will be joined by Jeff Sapieha to form a strong tri-captainship for the upcoming season.
The team's most valuable player award went to Garrett Bartus as voted on by his teammates. Bartus joined the team halfway through the season and took over as the starting goalie for the Huskies. He broke a UConn Division I single game goaltending record, making 57 saves on 59 opportunities at Air Force and forcing a tie on the road to one of the top teams in Atlantic Hockey. Bartus was also lights out against RIT in the first game of the AHA Quarterfinals making 51 saves against the Tigers, including 33-straight saves to help the Huskies record three-straight goals and force overtime with the AHA Regular Season Champion. He finished the year with five of the Huskies seven wins, making 552 saves for a 3.26 GAA and .900 save percentage in 1122 minutes played in goal.
The Silver Bowl award was given to Coppola. Appearing in each and every game on the season, Coppola finished the year with four goals and five assists for nine total points. He was a mainstay on the Husky squad during his career, donning the `C' on his uniform in his final season of play. Helping the Huskies to their fifth quarterfinal appearance in six season in Atlantic Hockey, Coppola played in his 140th career game, more than any other UConn hockey player in the 50 year history of the program.
The Coach John Chapman award was presented to Olson for the second-straight season. The award goes to the player that most exemplifies the type of player that the late Coach Chapman would have wanted on his team. Olson was the leading scorer and pointgetter on the Husky squad tallying nine goals and 10 assists during the season. An assistant captain, Olson led the Huskies when they needed him the most as he registered two goals and an assist in the AHA postseason.
The seventh player award was given to Stevie Bergin, a mainstay in the Husky defensive core. The award is given to the player that demonstrated the most consistent effort on the ice. Playing in all 37 games on the year behind the blue line, Bergin's defensive prowess helped the Huskies out of a lot of tough situations throughout the season. He also eclipsed the century mark playing in his 100th game as a Husky on March 12th against RIT in the AHA playoffs.
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 that Thomas Jacquard possessed. This season the award was given to Sean Ambrosie who finished the season as the team's second-leading point-getter with seven goals and 11 assists after leading the team all season. His 18 total points ranks 10th all-time among UConn (DI) freshman scorers. Ambrosie earned the title of Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week in the first week of the season after recording his first goal and assist against CCHA powerhouse Ferris State.
