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University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Hands Out Honors at Team Banquet
April 07, 2003 | Hockey
April 7, 2003
The University of Massachusetts officially wrapped up its most successful season since joining Hockey East in 1994-95. The Minutemen were 19-17-1 overall and 10-14-0 in Hockey East, and reached the Hockey East semifinals for the first time.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Thomas P?ck earned the Most Valuable Player after the most productive season by a UMass defenseman in school history. P?ck scored a school-record for blue-liners 37 points on school records of 17 goals and 20 assists. The 37 points ranked him tops in Hockey East and fourth nationally among defensemen, and his 17 markers was seconds nationally. He was named a second team Hockey East All-Star, and earned two Hockey East weekly awards, three Dinn Brothers / UMass Athlete of the Week citations and was named USCHO.com National Defensive Player of the Week after his hat trick beat Providence on Jan. 5. P?ck, a junior, is currently back in Australia where he is preparing for the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships played in Finland in late April. P?ck ranks tied for 27th on the school's all-time scoring list with 61 career points.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Stephen Werner earned the Rookie of the Year honor after one of the best seasons by a UMass freshman ever. He scored 38 points (16 g, 22 a) to top all Hockey East rookies in scoring and rank sixth nationally. He was selected unanimously to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team and was named to the All-Tournament team after a stellar performance in the semifinals. Selected as USCHO.com National Player of the Week after an eight-point outburst in a three-game stretch in late November. Werner was honored as Hockey East Rookie of the Week twice late in the season and Hockey East Rookie of the Month in March. He saved his best performances for UMass' biggest games, scoring two goals in the Minutemen's 4-2 victory over Maine in the Hockey East Game of the Week on Feb. 21 and then two goals and an assist in the 5-4 semifinals loss to New Hampshire.
THE MINUTEMAN AWARD
Tim Turner won the award after closing out a stellar career at UMass. He finished his senior season with a career-best 35 points (15 g, 20 a), which marked the fourth straight season he scored at least 20 points. Finished his career with 107 points - good for fourth all-time, 47 goals - which is fifth on the career list, and 60 assists - which ranks tied for sixth all-time. More importantly, he was a team co-captain on a squad that featured 24 freshmen and sophomores. He is currently playing for the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.
JACK CANNIFF "UNSUNG HERO" AWARD
Mike Warner produced his finest statistical season and received this award after scoring 19 points (8 g, 11 a). His previous career-best point total was five points as a freshman in 2000-01. A tireless worker on the ice, Warner is always hanging around the play and was one of the most improved players in Hockey East. His play was a big reason behind the Minutemen's success and he produced one of the season's, if not the program's, biggest goals, when he scored late to push the lead to 4-2 in UMass' series-clinching victory over Maine.
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
After not scoring during his freshman year, Jeff Lang made a splash in his sophomore year quickly. He was named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 21 after scoring a goal and an assist in UMass' first win in a 4-3 victory over RPI. Lang finished the season with 12 points (3 g, 9 a) and was a big force on the UMass defensive end all year long.
ACADEMIC AWARD
Peter Trovato earns this award after a year in which he scored nine points (5 g, 4 a). He is as diverse off the ice as he is on. He writes a weekly column for the Massachusetts University newspaper, the Daily Collegian and is active in Big Brothers, while pursuing a degree in journalism. His GPA is one of the highest on the team. To top it off, he hasn't missed a game in 71 contests while at UMass.
COACHES AWARD
There are co-winners of this award. Senior Kelly Sickavish's season was cut short after 15 games, but his leadership stayed with the squad. A true stay-at-home defenseman, the co-captain registered an assist before the injury. However, after the injury, Sickavish remained with the team in every possible capacity. He was at every practice and meeting and led the team by example off the ice. Sickavish played in 106 career games for the Minutemen.
Junior defenseman Nick Kuiper scored six points (3 g, 3 a) on the season. But like Sickavish, his contributions come off the ice as well. Kuiper is a tireless worker on the ice, in the weightroom, in the lockerroom and in the classroom. He came to UMass midway through his freshman year undersized, and has quickly turned into one of the top defensive defenseman in Hockey East.