May 4, 2009

Army Distributes Team Awards and Names Captain

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Senior captain Zach McKelvie was named the Henry “Hal” Beukema winner to highlight the Army hockey team’s annual banquet, Monday night on the grounds of the U.S. Military Academy.

McKelvie earned the team’s most valuable player award to cap his stellar career and was also among the senior players who were recognized for their four-year contributions.

Army hockey head coach Brian Riley, along with associate head coach Rob Haberbusch and assistant coach Trevor Large distributed the awards with director of hockey operations Tom Doran and head officer representative Col. Mike Griggs.

In addition to McKelvie, Will Ryan, Marcel Alvarez, Mark Tilch and Dave Horvath were also honored and rising senior Eric Sefchik was named team captain for the 2009-10 season.

Ryan, an alternate captain during his senior campaign, was named the Gunning Award winner, Alvarez was tabbed the Heinmiller Award winner, Tilch picked up the Haggerty Award and Horvath was honored as the Derek Hines Award winner.

A native of New Brighton, Minn., McKelvie competed in the NCAA Frozen Four Skills Competition over the weekend and then returned to West Point where he collected the Beukema award as the team’s most valuable player. Despite playing with an injury, McKelvie scored five goals and handed out 12 assists during his senior season. A key contributor on the power play and penalty kill, McKelvie led the team in ice time and scored one game-winning goal.

McKelvie won the fastest skater competition on Friday in Washington, D.C. and helped the East defeat the West in the annual Skills Challenge.

A two-time Atlantic Hockey Association first-team defenseman, McKelvie played in 136 games during his Army career with 14 goals and 44 assists. He was the 2007-08 Atlantic Hockey Association Defenseman of the Year and was the third Army player selected to participate in the Frozen Four Skills Challenge.

Beukema, a 1944 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, was a team captain his senior season. Following graduation, he became a pilot in the Air Force and served overseas as well as in the United States. He died in a crash near Langley Air Force Base in Virginia after achieving the rank of major.

Tilch, a defenseman from Silesia, Md., picked up the Haggerty Award after playing in a career-best 35 games during his senior campaign. Tilch scored his first career goal and also handed out eight assists.

Tilch played in 29 games during his first three seasons but his hard work and dedication was rewarded during his final season when he was a part of the two top defensive pairings.

The Haggerty Award is named in honor of Paul Haggerty, a 1991 USMA graduate who was a three-year letterwinner and an assistant coach under Rob Riley in 1996 who died suddenly during a workout. The award is presented annually to the Army hockey player who displays courage, determination and perseverance throughout his career.

Ryan, an alternate captain from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., was a four-year contributor, and was honored with the Gunning Award for his work in the classroom and on the ice. An Engineering Management major with a 3.7 grade point average, Ryan scored two goals and was credited with eight assists. He was one of three players to compete in every game.

The Gunning Award is in recognition of the cadet that displays the qualities of academic excellence, selfless dedication to his teammates, playing through pain and adversity and demonstrating a true love of hockey. The award is named in honor of Michal J. Gunning, a cadet who died following a hit-and-run accident in Dallas. Gunning (’96 USMA) was a 2nd Lt. stationed at Fort Sill, Okla., at the time of his death.

Alvarez, a defenseman from Cleveland, Ohio, was named the Heinmiller Award winner as the team’s outstanding freshman. He was one of three players to compete in all 36 games and was part of the top two defensive pairings. A key member of the power play and penalty kill, Alvarez scored one goal and handed out 15 assists to finish second among rookies in scoring.

The award is named after John Heinmiller, a former hockey player who worked his way from the junior varsity to varsity. Following the completion of his freshman varsity season, he was tragically killed in a train accident in April, 2001.

Horvath, a four-year manager, was presented with the fourth Derek S. Hines Award. In recognition of a person who has displayed an extraordinary amount of support toward the Army hockey program, the Hines Award goes to a person who has always cared more about giving than receiving while displaying a great passion and love for Army hockey. The head manager as a senior, Horvath assisted the team in a multitude of ways, including game and practice support, locker room set up and uniform and equipment assistance, in addition to many other duties.

The award is named after Derek Hines, a scrappy and hard-nosed player who earned four varsity letters before graduating in 2003. He was killed in action Sept. 1, 2006.

Following the presentation of awards and letterwinners, Riley announced Sefchik as the captain for the upcoming season. A center from Brooklyn, Ohio, Sefchik played in all 36 games during the 2008-09 season and led the team with 20 assists. He also scored nine goals and was second on the squad with 29 points. He tied for the team lead with three power play goals and also scored twice short-handed.

2008-09 Army Hockey Team Awards
Beukema Award (MVP) – Zach McKelvie
Haggerty Award – Mark Tilch
Heinmiller Award – Marcel Alvarez
Gunning Award – Will Ryan
Derek Hines Award – Dave Horvath
2009-10 Captain – Eric Sefchik