In a season devoid of jealousy or strife, the Boston University hockey team avoided a potentially team-killing conflict last night at the Hockey East Awards Banquet.
OK, maybe that is a bit overdramatic, but one thing is for sure: The Terriers’ senior co-captains will have no reason to be jealous of each other.
The coaches of Hockey East named Chris Dyment the Best Defensive Defenseman in the conference, while his roommate and the other man who dons the “C”, Mike Pandolfo, was named Best Defensive Forward.
Two BU freshmen, center Brian McConnell and defenseman Ryan Whitney, also earned All-Rookie team honors.
University of New Hampshire forward Darren Haydar was named Player of the Year after scoring 70 points and guiding his team to the top of Hockey East and the national rankings. His linemate, freshman Sean Collins, earned Rookie of the Year, while their coach, Dick Umile, completed a sweep of the big three awards when he was named Coach of the Year.
Pandolfo came into the year with the reputation of a goal scorer, but he is glad to see his work in stopping others from hitting the back of the net has been recognized.
“I take a great deal of pride in playing defensive hockey,” Pandolfo said. “In this day-and-age there are so many good two-way players, and I’m the first guy up who wants to jump out there and kill penalties. I love playing defense just as much as playing offense.”
For a player routinely matched up against the opposing team’s top line, Pandolfo sports an impressive +8, and his superb play on the penalty kill has spearheaded an effort that has seen BU rank second in the conference in penalty killing. Pandolfo has led by example all season, and his two-way play has been integral in BU’s resurgent season.
Equally important to BU’s return to the top is Dyment. While he hasn’t scored like Northeastern University’s Jim Fahey and the University of Maine’s Peter Metcalf — not coincidentally, the two blueliners named to the All-Conference first team — Dyment earned second team honors. Dyment has put up excellent offensive numbers from the back with six goals and 17 assists for 23 points. It isn’t the offense that has been Dyment’s biggest contribution this year. He leads the team with a +21, and his poise in the back has had a huge effect on the rapid development of gifted freshman Whitney, who has partnered Dyment all year long.
“[Dyment] never makes a mistake out there,” Pandolfo said. “He moves the puck and he always passes it to the right guy. He’s a great defenseman and he’s got a great future ahead of him.”
McConnell was named to the All-Rookie team after posting 26 points on 11 goals and 15 assists. McConnell has proven to be adept at both playmaking and mixing it up with the opposition this year, adding 68 penalty minutes, good for tops among the freshman class and third overall on the team. Whitney has, excepting a mid-season slump, mostly lived up to the awesome hype that accompanied his arrival at Babcock Street. The freshman has 20 points on four goals and 16 assists and sports a +19 topped only on the team by Dyment.
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