Six members of the Hobart College hockey team were recognized by the Statesmen Athletic Association and the Hobart Athletics Department at the annual Block H Awards Dinner on May 3. Junior forward
Matthew Wallace was honored with the Boswell Award as the team’s most valuable player.
Seniors
Gregory Alberti and
Nick DeCroo were co-recipients of the Holden Award for sportsmanship, character, and leadership, while the D. Michael Hazelton ’85 Memorial Award was given to first-year
Cam Miller as the team’s most improved player. The Rookie Award for Hockey was shared by first-years
Nick Broadwater and
Brad Richard.
Wallace led the team and ranked fifth in the ECAC West in goals (15). He also led the league in short-handed points (4) and short-handed goals (4), and was fifth in power-play goals (7) and ninth in points (28). Wallace tallied a goal and four assists in a 9-2 victory at Lebanon Valley, tying the Hobart records for points (5) and assists (4) in a game. He also tied the Hobart season record for short-handed tallies. Wallace netted his second career hat trick this season, scoring all three Statesmen goals at Geneseo. He was named to the ECAC West All-Conference second team as well as USCHO.com’s ECAC West second team. Wallace was tabbed the league’s Player of the Week once.
A forward and tri-captain, Alberti has been a steady presence on the ice for the past four seasons. This winter, he ranked fifth on the team with 10 assists. He also netted a goal, in a 4-1 win over Utica. A three-time ECAC West All-Academic Team honoree, Alberti played in 96 career games, tallying 11 goals and 24 assists. Over the past four years, he guided the team to a 65-33-12 mark (.645).
Also a tri-captain, DeCroo missed the majority of this season due to an injury. He played in 10 games, recording four goals and two helpers. DeCroo joined the Statesmen as a sophomore, and led the team in goals in 2007-08 (15) and 2008-09 (20). A forward, he was tabbed first team All-ECAC West as a junior, after finishing the year ranked second in the league in goals and eighth in points (29).
DeCroo was named to the ECAC West All-Academic Team twice. He finished his career first on Hobart’s all-time records list for short-handed goals (8), and twice tied the standard for goals in a game (3). DeCroo also shares the top spot for short-handed goals in a season (4), and ranks ninth in both goals (20) and power-play goals (7) in a season.
In March, DeCroo signed with the Quad City Mallards, an International Hockey League affiliate of the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. He played in four games before returning to Hobart to finish his degree.
Miller, a forward, played in eight games this season. His positive attitude and work ethic made him a valuable asset to the team on and off the ice, and earned him the most improved player award. Miller scored his first collegiate goal in a 3-3 overtime draw vs. Utica. He also added two assists on the year.
Broadwater played 22 games in goal for the Statesmen, earning a 10-8-3 record. He posted a .925 save percentage, a 2.41 goals against average, and one shutout. Broadwater’s save percentage was the best in the ECAC West, and his goals against average ranked third. He stopped 644 shots this winter, including a season-high 49 in a 3-2 loss to then 11th-ranked Elmira. Broadwater ranks third on the all-time season records list in goals against average, fourth in save percentage, and fifth in saves. USCHO.com named him the ECAC West Rookie of the Year, and earned a spot on both the USCHO.com and the ECAC West All-Rookie Teams. Broadwater was dubbed the conference’s Goalie of the Week three times and the Rookie of the Week once.
Richard played in 24 games for the Statesmen, tallying three goals and 13 assists. He finished the year ranked fifth in the ECAC West in defenseman scoring and fourth in freshman scoring. Richard recorded a season-high three assists in Hobart’s 4-2 win at then 11th-ranked Manhattanville. He was named to USCHO.com’s ECAC West All-Rookie Team as well as the ECAC West All-Rookie Team. Richard was tabbed the league’s Rookie of the Week once.
Hobart posted a 13-10-3 overall record this winter and finished third in the ECAC West’s regular season standings with a 9-4-2 mark.