And now, after excessive delay, here is the final installment of the Falcon Hockey Hooligan Post-Season Awards.
Award winners previously named:
Flying Under the Radar: Andrew Hammond
Runner(s)-up: Cameron Sinclair, Marc Rodriguez, and Max Grover, Ian Ruel
Freshman of the Year: Jordan Samuels-Thomas
Runner(s)-up: Nathan Pageau
Defensive MVP: Kyle Page
Runner(s)-up: Ian Ruel
Offensive MVP:Tomas Petruska
Runner(s)-up: Tommy Dee
This week's awards: Most Improved Player and Team MVP.
For those who don't remember or didn't see it at the time, the mid-season Most Improved Player was Tommy Dee.
The post-season award will go to someone who has already been named for a previous award - Tomas Petruska.
I won't go into too much detail, because Petruska's accomplishments this season have been spelled out pretty well over the last half-dozen posts or so. It's safe to say he went from a well-liked and respected role player last season, to a star this season, especially over the final few weeks.
Runner-up: Nick Eno
And, finally, after weeks and weeks of waiting, here it is - Team MVP.
Choosing the Team MVP was a very difficult decision. Among the players considered were Tomas Petruska, Jordan Samuels-Thomas, Kyle Page, and Nick Eno. Ultimately, I decided to stick with the mid-season winner, Nick Eno.
As is usually the case when I have put praise on Falcon goaltenders this season, I'm sure there are people out there who would simply look at the team's record and dismiss the pick. If you're one of those people, you're certainly entitled to that stance. The win-loss record was abysmal and that can't be ignored.
But it's important to also look beyond the record. Anyone who watched Eno (and Hammond, for that matter) in games would know that the team's goaltending kept them in a position to win, most of the time.
Nick Eno made great strides this year as he continued to get back to form after an inconsistent sophomore season. Eno deserves a ton of credit for his improvement and performance this season.
Runner-up: Dennis Williams
The awards are for the players, which is why I didn't consider Coach Williams for the Team MVP, but I think he's at least deserving of a runner-up nod. Coach took a team that was on the verge of non-existence and losing players, and managed to salvage a season of hard-fought games and a team that never gave up.
As the University conducts its hiring search for the next BGSU hockey head coach, I sincerely hope they take into consideration what Coach Williams did in such extreme circumstances, the energy he brought to the team, and the faith the fans have in the job he can do.
If you ask me, my vote is safely with Coach Williams.
Anyway, that concludes the Post-Season Awards for 2009-2010. As always, feel free to let me know your thoughts about the whole thing in the comments.
Showing posts with label Sinclair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sinclair. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Post-Season Awards - Offensive and Defensive MVP
Welcome to installment #2 of the 3-part Post-Season Awards series.
For those just joining us, here are awards given at a previous ceremony:
Flying Under the Radar: Andrew Hammond
Runner(s)-up: Cameron Sinclair, Marc Rodriguez, and Max Grover, Ian Ruel
Freshman of the Year: Jordan Samuels-Thomas
Runner(s)-up: Nathan Pageau
Now that we're up to speed, let's get on with naming the next two awards.
Defensive MVP
Overall this year the Falcons had their share of defensive issues. The team gave up almost four goals per game and only had three players with a positive +/- rating, two of whom played less than 20 games.
Throughout the season, though, there were a number of players who showed signs of promise. Some players improved greatly over their previous seasons. One player stood out above the rest. That player was Kyle Page.
Another shocker. This awards thing is turning out to be pretty boring, eh?
Wait. Forget I wrote that. This is exciting stuff! You should keep reading!
But in all seriousness, Kyle Page deserves the nod for this award for continuing to be a part of the "glue" that held this team together. When the program was in its darkest hours, Kyle stuck with it, persevered, and has come out of it with a professional contract and the admiration of many BGSU fans.
Kyle Page is the definition of a leader, which is important on an underclassman-heavy defensive unit. On the ice, despite often giving up significant size to his opponents, he battled for the puck, blocked shots, finished his checks, and gave the Falcons offensive chances that helped keep them in games. Off the ice, Kyle excelled in the classroom and in life, earning three nominations for the CCHA's Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, and twice being named to the CCHA All-Academic First Team. Additionally, he received the Jack Gregory Scholar-Athlete Award and the Dr. Ron Zwierlein Leadership Award for the 2008-2009 season.
Kyle finished the season fourth in scoring, notching three goals and dishing out 14 assists. On the defensive side of things, he blocked 71 shots. Try to wrap your head around that for a moment - 71 frozen vulcanized rubber missiles that he willingly stepped in front of. Any team would be happy to have a player like that on their side.
Also worthy of mention are Ian Ruel, who is showing early signs of being a solid defender, and Andrew Krelove, who has made great strides in his game since last season.
Offensive MVP
There were a number of players at the top of the pack this season offensively. Tomas Petruska, Tommy Dee, David Solway, Jordan Samuels-Thomas and Kyle Page all stepped up at various times to carry the offensive load. You could probably make the case for any one of them, but I will avoid taking the easy way out and choose one. My offensive MVP is Tomas Petruska.
Locked in a close race at mid-season with Tommy Dee and Jordan Samuels-Thomas, Petruska was edged out for the award. While his overall production dropped off after the mid-point of the season (4-10-14 / 6-4-10) his goal scoring increased, and he came up big when it mattered. Most fans will long remember Petruska as the hero of shootouts against Notre Dame and Michigan State.
Petruska isn't the flashiest player on the ice, and I think his straight-forward style often left him out of the spotlight, but his physical play in the offensive end often resulted in loose pucks and scoring chances for the Falcons, and you can't argue with his success late in the season. It seemed whenever the Falcons needed a big boost or a clutch goal, Petruska was there to make it happen.
Tomas will be moving on after a fantastic senior season to join the Las Vegas Wranglers, reuniting with former Falcon Jimmy Spratt.
Both Petruska and Page have contributed in a big way to the Falcons over the past four years, and both will be dearly missed. I am sure I speak for all Falcon fans when I wish them the best of luck in the future with their professional careers and beyond.
Check back next week (hopefully!) for the final two awards, Most Improved Player and Team MVP, and as always, feel free to leave me a comment and let me know how you feel about my picks or make suggestions for the final two awards.
For those just joining us, here are awards given at a previous ceremony:
Flying Under the Radar: Andrew Hammond
Runner(s)-up: Cameron Sinclair, Marc Rodriguez, and Max Grover, Ian Ruel
Freshman of the Year: Jordan Samuels-Thomas
Runner(s)-up: Nathan Pageau
Now that we're up to speed, let's get on with naming the next two awards.
Defensive MVP
Overall this year the Falcons had their share of defensive issues. The team gave up almost four goals per game and only had three players with a positive +/- rating, two of whom played less than 20 games.
Throughout the season, though, there were a number of players who showed signs of promise. Some players improved greatly over their previous seasons. One player stood out above the rest. That player was Kyle Page.
Another shocker. This awards thing is turning out to be pretty boring, eh?
Wait. Forget I wrote that. This is exciting stuff! You should keep reading!
But in all seriousness, Kyle Page deserves the nod for this award for continuing to be a part of the "glue" that held this team together. When the program was in its darkest hours, Kyle stuck with it, persevered, and has come out of it with a professional contract and the admiration of many BGSU fans.
Kyle Page is the definition of a leader, which is important on an underclassman-heavy defensive unit. On the ice, despite often giving up significant size to his opponents, he battled for the puck, blocked shots, finished his checks, and gave the Falcons offensive chances that helped keep them in games. Off the ice, Kyle excelled in the classroom and in life, earning three nominations for the CCHA's Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, and twice being named to the CCHA All-Academic First Team. Additionally, he received the Jack Gregory Scholar-Athlete Award and the Dr. Ron Zwierlein Leadership Award for the 2008-2009 season.
Kyle finished the season fourth in scoring, notching three goals and dishing out 14 assists. On the defensive side of things, he blocked 71 shots. Try to wrap your head around that for a moment - 71 frozen vulcanized rubber missiles that he willingly stepped in front of. Any team would be happy to have a player like that on their side.
Also worthy of mention are Ian Ruel, who is showing early signs of being a solid defender, and Andrew Krelove, who has made great strides in his game since last season.
Offensive MVP
There were a number of players at the top of the pack this season offensively. Tomas Petruska, Tommy Dee, David Solway, Jordan Samuels-Thomas and Kyle Page all stepped up at various times to carry the offensive load. You could probably make the case for any one of them, but I will avoid taking the easy way out and choose one. My offensive MVP is Tomas Petruska.
Locked in a close race at mid-season with Tommy Dee and Jordan Samuels-Thomas, Petruska was edged out for the award. While his overall production dropped off after the mid-point of the season (4-10-14 / 6-4-10) his goal scoring increased, and he came up big when it mattered. Most fans will long remember Petruska as the hero of shootouts against Notre Dame and Michigan State.
Petruska isn't the flashiest player on the ice, and I think his straight-forward style often left him out of the spotlight, but his physical play in the offensive end often resulted in loose pucks and scoring chances for the Falcons, and you can't argue with his success late in the season. It seemed whenever the Falcons needed a big boost or a clutch goal, Petruska was there to make it happen.
Tomas will be moving on after a fantastic senior season to join the Las Vegas Wranglers, reuniting with former Falcon Jimmy Spratt.
Both Petruska and Page have contributed in a big way to the Falcons over the past four years, and both will be dearly missed. I am sure I speak for all Falcon fans when I wish them the best of luck in the future with their professional careers and beyond.
Check back next week (hopefully!) for the final two awards, Most Improved Player and Team MVP, and as always, feel free to leave me a comment and let me know how you feel about my picks or make suggestions for the final two awards.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Post-Season Awards - Flying Under the Radar and Freshman of the Year
This is the first installment of a series of post-season awards blogs. In this post I will name the winners of two awards: the somewhat nebulous "Flying Under the Radar" award, and the "Freshman of the Year" award.
As always, my picks and opinions are open to debate, and I welcome feedback and criticism in the comments.
Now, on to the awards.
Flying Under the Radar
The Flying Under the Radar award, as I have said previously, was mostly dreamed up as a way to point out what I thought was a great deal of potential in mid-season winner Wade Finegan. He's a strong, hard-working player with a bit of a mean streak, and I like the Falcons to have a few players like that. With the physical Kai Kantola graduating and moving on to an amateur tryout with the Norfolk Admirals and trusty captain Kyle Page joining the Toledo Walleye, the Falcons are going to need someone to step up and fill that void.
But this post isn't about the previous winner, it's time to name the post-season winner - Andrew Hammond.
Hammond's season, to me, was the definition of un-tapped potential. His stat line for the season was fairly disappointing: 13 starts, 0-12-2 record, 4.30 GAA, and 88.0 save %.
That being said, every time I looked at his stats, I was absolutely shocked to see that he hadn't won a game in overtime or regulation. He showed many flashes of greatness, standing on his head to keep the Falcons in games, but just never got the breaks to put a notch in the win column. Considering his play in the Miami and Michigan State series, I don't think it will take long before Hammond makes a big impact on the BGSU hockey team.
Also, a quick story to share. During pre-season practices, I went for a ride around campus and decided to stop for a moment at the Ice Arena. I went inside and noticed the team preparing for a practice, so I sat in Section D and watched for a while. As players made their way to the ice one-by-one, others were already taking shots on the empty net and working on passing. Just as one player shot the puck around the boards, a goalie was just stepping onto the ice. The puck whipped around at face-level, but the player snagged the puck with his glove-hand without having more than a second to react. I seem to remember at the time thinking it was Hammond. It may not have been, but having seen some of the saves he made, especially in the closing moments of the MSU series, it certainly wouldn't surprise me. Maybe Andrew or someone in the know could confirm this one for me.
Of course, there are plenty of other players whose futures I am excited about as well. Cameron Sinclair, Marc Rodriguez, and Max Grover showed a ton of heart and grit in the second series with Notre Dame, helping the Falcons to buck the years-long winless streak against Notre Dame. Also on the radar is Ian Ruel, whose size and physical play brought early comparisons to a young Rob Blake.
Anyway, moving on to award #2.
Freshman of the Year
At mid-season, there was really no room for debate on this one. Jordan Samuels-Thomas wasn't just leading the Falcons in scoring, he was near the top of a number of other conference and national lists as well. He took the ice by storm and won the appreciation of many of the Falcon faithful. Naming him as the winner of the award was really just a formality. Now that the season has come to a close, the winner is:
Jordan Samuels-Thomas
I'll give you a moment to compose yourself.
It was very tempting to name a different winner for this award, but ultimately I didn't think I could. JS-T ended the season in the same position statistically as he held at the break - the top. Samuels-Thomas finished the season with 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points, a one goal edge over late-season hero Tomas Petruska.
Samuels-Thomas' play was a key to the Falcons successes this season, as he frustrated opponents early and often, making them work hard to account for him, and opening up the ice for other players in the process.
The reason I was tempted to choose a different winner, though, was that his production dropped off in the second half. Hampered by a short-lived illness and facing teams who had learned a thing or two about slowing him down, JS-T's numbers faded a bit. Through the first half of the season, he collected six goals and nine assists for 15 points. In the final 18 games, he recorded only five goals and five assists, for a total of 10 points.
Another player I strongly considered for this award was Nathan Pageau. His hustle and offensive spark bode well for the Falcons' future, and his ability to step up against high-profile opponents should make him a hit with the fans. Of Pageau's 11 points this season, six came during games against Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, and Notre Dame.
Well, there you have it. My picks for the Flying Under the Radar award and the Freshman of the Year award.
The next two awards to be named will be Offensive MVP and Defensive MVP, followed by Most Improved Player and Team MVP.
As always, feel free to give your opinions in the comments. Tell my why I'm right, tell me where I messed it up, suggest someone for the upcoming awards, or just tell me about your day. As long as I see a couple of comments on the post, I'm a happy guy.
As always, my picks and opinions are open to debate, and I welcome feedback and criticism in the comments.
Now, on to the awards.
Flying Under the Radar
The Flying Under the Radar award, as I have said previously, was mostly dreamed up as a way to point out what I thought was a great deal of potential in mid-season winner Wade Finegan. He's a strong, hard-working player with a bit of a mean streak, and I like the Falcons to have a few players like that. With the physical Kai Kantola graduating and moving on to an amateur tryout with the Norfolk Admirals and trusty captain Kyle Page joining the Toledo Walleye, the Falcons are going to need someone to step up and fill that void.
But this post isn't about the previous winner, it's time to name the post-season winner - Andrew Hammond.
Hammond's season, to me, was the definition of un-tapped potential. His stat line for the season was fairly disappointing: 13 starts, 0-12-2 record, 4.30 GAA, and 88.0 save %.
That being said, every time I looked at his stats, I was absolutely shocked to see that he hadn't won a game in overtime or regulation. He showed many flashes of greatness, standing on his head to keep the Falcons in games, but just never got the breaks to put a notch in the win column. Considering his play in the Miami and Michigan State series, I don't think it will take long before Hammond makes a big impact on the BGSU hockey team.
Also, a quick story to share. During pre-season practices, I went for a ride around campus and decided to stop for a moment at the Ice Arena. I went inside and noticed the team preparing for a practice, so I sat in Section D and watched for a while. As players made their way to the ice one-by-one, others were already taking shots on the empty net and working on passing. Just as one player shot the puck around the boards, a goalie was just stepping onto the ice. The puck whipped around at face-level, but the player snagged the puck with his glove-hand without having more than a second to react. I seem to remember at the time thinking it was Hammond. It may not have been, but having seen some of the saves he made, especially in the closing moments of the MSU series, it certainly wouldn't surprise me. Maybe Andrew or someone in the know could confirm this one for me.
Of course, there are plenty of other players whose futures I am excited about as well. Cameron Sinclair, Marc Rodriguez, and Max Grover showed a ton of heart and grit in the second series with Notre Dame, helping the Falcons to buck the years-long winless streak against Notre Dame. Also on the radar is Ian Ruel, whose size and physical play brought early comparisons to a young Rob Blake.
Anyway, moving on to award #2.
Freshman of the Year
At mid-season, there was really no room for debate on this one. Jordan Samuels-Thomas wasn't just leading the Falcons in scoring, he was near the top of a number of other conference and national lists as well. He took the ice by storm and won the appreciation of many of the Falcon faithful. Naming him as the winner of the award was really just a formality. Now that the season has come to a close, the winner is:
Jordan Samuels-Thomas
I'll give you a moment to compose yourself.
It was very tempting to name a different winner for this award, but ultimately I didn't think I could. JS-T ended the season in the same position statistically as he held at the break - the top. Samuels-Thomas finished the season with 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points, a one goal edge over late-season hero Tomas Petruska.
Samuels-Thomas' play was a key to the Falcons successes this season, as he frustrated opponents early and often, making them work hard to account for him, and opening up the ice for other players in the process.
The reason I was tempted to choose a different winner, though, was that his production dropped off in the second half. Hampered by a short-lived illness and facing teams who had learned a thing or two about slowing him down, JS-T's numbers faded a bit. Through the first half of the season, he collected six goals and nine assists for 15 points. In the final 18 games, he recorded only five goals and five assists, for a total of 10 points.
Another player I strongly considered for this award was Nathan Pageau. His hustle and offensive spark bode well for the Falcons' future, and his ability to step up against high-profile opponents should make him a hit with the fans. Of Pageau's 11 points this season, six came during games against Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, and Notre Dame.
Well, there you have it. My picks for the Flying Under the Radar award and the Freshman of the Year award.
The next two awards to be named will be Offensive MVP and Defensive MVP, followed by Most Improved Player and Team MVP.
As always, feel free to give your opinions in the comments. Tell my why I'm right, tell me where I messed it up, suggest someone for the upcoming awards, or just tell me about your day. As long as I see a couple of comments on the post, I'm a happy guy.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Bowling Green Bucks the Trend
Friday night, after years of futility, the Falcons ended the Notre Dame Fighting Irish's 18-game reign of terror. Saturday they proved that what some were calling "the Notre Dame curse" is officially over.
Notre Dame scored in the second period, as Kyle Palmieri drew first blood. Tomas Petruska scored the equalizer in the third, bringing the BGSU Ice Arena to its feet. The rest of the third period remained scoreless, as did the overtime period.
The Falcons had an earlier chance to take a lead, but the goal was waved off after an extended review by the officiating crew as the puck did not completely cross the goal line. In the third period, another would-be goal was negated after Notre Dame's Mike Johnson bumped the goal off of its pegs while scrambling to make a save.
Both goalies stopped the first attempts against them in the shootout, then both teams' second shooters converted on their chances (Dan Kissel and James Perkin). Notre Dame's third shooter, Ryan Thang, lost the puck as he tried one too many moves, and Tomas Petruska again came to the rescue, pulling off a great move and putting the puck past Johnson.
Petruska and Eno were clearly the stars of the game, with Petruska scoring the only Falcon goal in regulation and netting the shootout winner. Eno stopped 38 of 39 shots in regulation and overtime and 2 of 3 in the shootout to pick up the extra point for the Falcons. Both skated off of the ice to volleys of cheers from the BGSU faithful.
The underclassmen, after coming up big in the third period of Friday's game, were a presence again on Saturday. Ryan Peltoma notched an assist on Petruska's goal, Cameron Sinclair showed a great deal of hustle on the forecheck, and Marc Rodriguez and Max Grover brought the physical game and kept the Irish on edge all night.
Notre Dame scored in the second period, as Kyle Palmieri drew first blood. Tomas Petruska scored the equalizer in the third, bringing the BGSU Ice Arena to its feet. The rest of the third period remained scoreless, as did the overtime period.
The Falcons had an earlier chance to take a lead, but the goal was waved off after an extended review by the officiating crew as the puck did not completely cross the goal line. In the third period, another would-be goal was negated after Notre Dame's Mike Johnson bumped the goal off of its pegs while scrambling to make a save.
Both goalies stopped the first attempts against them in the shootout, then both teams' second shooters converted on their chances (Dan Kissel and James Perkin). Notre Dame's third shooter, Ryan Thang, lost the puck as he tried one too many moves, and Tomas Petruska again came to the rescue, pulling off a great move and putting the puck past Johnson.
Petruska and Eno were clearly the stars of the game, with Petruska scoring the only Falcon goal in regulation and netting the shootout winner. Eno stopped 38 of 39 shots in regulation and overtime and 2 of 3 in the shootout to pick up the extra point for the Falcons. Both skated off of the ice to volleys of cheers from the BGSU faithful.
The underclassmen, after coming up big in the third period of Friday's game, were a presence again on Saturday. Ryan Peltoma notched an assist on Petruska's goal, Cameron Sinclair showed a great deal of hustle on the forecheck, and Marc Rodriguez and Max Grover brought the physical game and kept the Irish on edge all night.
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