ECAC Women's West Announces Major Awards, All-Conference Teams
DANBURY, Conn. – The ECAC Women’s West Hockey League announced its major awards and all-conference teams for the 2016-17 season on Tuesday.
Plattsburgh State junior Melissa Sheeran was voted the Player of the Year, while Maggie Salmon of William Smith College received the award for Defensive Player of the Year. Oswego State’s Jacquelin White garnered the accolade for Rookie of the Year, and Plattsburgh State Head Coach Kevin Houle rounded out the major awards with the Coach of the Year honor.
Plattsburgh State placed six on the ECAC Women’s West All-Conference teams to lead all league schools, including four first-team selections. Elmira College had five players collect all-conference recognition, while four from Utica College were voted all-conference. SUNY Potsdam, Oswego State, Buffalo State, Neumann University and William Smith College each had one representative on the all-conference rosters.
Potsdam also had two players named to the ECAC Women’s West All-Rookie Team, while one skater each from Oswego, Buffalo State, Utica and Plattsburgh garnered rookie recognition as well.
Sheeran becomes the second Cardinal forward in as many years, and ninth overall, to be named Player of the Year. The junior finished the regular season with 26 goals to rank first in the league and nationally, and also picked up 11 assists for 37 points in 24 games. She also led the league in power-play tallies and game-winning goals with six and eight, respectively. In 17 games against league opponents, the forward recorded 28 points on 20 goals and eight assists.
Salmon takes home Defensive Player of the Year after a brilliant campaign for the Herons. The netminder appeared in 18 contests and accumulated a 6-8-4 mark in those outings while compiling a 1.92 goals-against average and .951 save percentage. The junior led all ECAC Women’s West goalies with 656 saves, and ranked second in the league and eighth nationally in save percentage at the end of the regular season. She is the first William Smith player to earn an ECAC Women’s West major award.
White’s award for Rookie of the Year comes after a stellar freshman campaign for the Lakers during which she was named Rookie of the Week five times. The first-year forward led all league newcomers in goals (14) and points (26) during the regular season, and also finished the regular season as Oswego State’s leading goal-scorer. Underscoring her importance to the Oswego offense, the Lakers went 13-2-1 in games in which White recorded at least one point during the 2016-17 regular season.
Houle’s takes home Coach of the Year for the seventh time in his Plattsburgh tenure, and first since the 2013-14 campaign, after leading the Cardinals to a 23-1-1 overall mark and a 16-1-1 record in conference play. Under Houle’s direction, the Cardinals held the number-one ranking in either or both of the USCHO.com and D3hockey.com national rankings in every week of the regular season, including six weeks as a unanimous No. 1 in both polls.
Player of the Year
Melissa Sheeran – F, Jr., Plattsburgh State
Defensive Player of the Year
Maggie Salmon – G., Jr., William Smith College
Rookie of the Year
Jacquelin White – F, Fr., Oswego State
Coach of the Year
Kevin Houle – Plattsburgh State
ECAC Women’s West All-Conference First Team
F: Melissa Sheeran – Jr., Plattsburgh State
F: Bek Lucas – Jr., Neumann University
F: Kayla Meneghin – Jr., Plattsburgh State
D: Erin Brand – Sr., Plattsburgh State
D: Megan Crandell – Jr., Plattsburgh State
G: Maggie Salmon – Jr., William Smith College
ECAC Women’s West All-Conference Second Team
F: Jordan Ott – Sr., SUNY Potsdam
F: Katie Granato – So., Elmira College
F: Erin Gehen – Jr., Buffalo State College
D: Meg Lahey – So., Elmira College
D: Jane Pagano – Sr., Utica College
G: Camille Leonard – Sr., Plattsburgh State
ECAC Women’s West All-Conference Honorable Mention*
F: Maddy Jerolman – So., Elmira College
F: Jordan Lipson – Sr., Plattsburgh State
F: Louisa Lippiatt Durnell – Jr., Elmira College
F: Gabby Schnepp – Sr., Utica College
D: Allison Ullrich – Sr., Oswego State
D: Kristin Chivers – So., Elmira College
D: Kayla Dion – So., Utica College
G: Keira Goin – Sr., Utica College
ECAC Women’s West All-Rookie Team
F: Jacquelin White – Oswego State
F: Natasha Steinle – Buffalo State College
F: Olivia Hirschy – Utica College
D: Hannah Kiraly – Plattsburgh State
D: Delphine Leonard – SUNY Potsdam
G: Alexa Pfeiffer – SUNY Potsdam
*Additional players added due to ties
The 2017 ECAC Women’s West Tournament will conclude on Saturday when Plattsburgh hosts Elmira for the league championship. Face-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. For more information about the 2017 ECAC Women's West Hockey Tournament,
click here.
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