Canisius Annouces Postseason Award Winners

The Canisius College hockey team recently recognized its 2008-09 award winners at the program’s annual postseason banquet.

“It was a great way to celebrate our season and highlight our accomplishments,” said Canisius head coach Dave Smith. “Our seniors will certainly be missed for everything that they have brought to our program and we wish them the best in their future endeavors.”

Freshman Dave Kostuch (Richmond Hill, Ontario) earned team MVP honors in addition to Rookie of the Year and Top Forward accolades. Kostuch was named the Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Year after recording 32 points, scoring a team-best 21 goals and adding 11 assists.

Kostuch finished 11th in the country and first among all freshmen with 0.58 goals per game. He also led the team with eight power-play tallies. Kostuch’s 21 goals and eight power-play scores are both one shy of the program’s Division I record.

Junior Carl Hudson (Smooth Rock Falls, Ontario) earned Top Defenseman accolades. Hudson, who was named to the All-Atlantic Hockey Third Team, finished the 2008-09 campaign with 23 points, 14 goals, nine assists and eight power-play tallies. His 14 scores are the most in Canisius’ Division I history by a defender and he placed second in the country among blueliners with 0.40 goals per game.

Senior John Patera (Edina, Minn.) was awarded the team’s Most Improved Player. Patera played in 35 games on defense during his senior season, totaling a career-best five points on two goals and three assists. He finished second on the team with a plus/minus rating of +8.

Junior Dave Cianfrini (Dundas, Ontario) received the Dr. David B. Dietz Award, which is presented to a player for his dedication in both athletics and academics. The junior defender played in 36 games during the 2008-09 season, posting 14 points, while maintaining a 3.87 GPA.

Sophomore Vincent Scarsella (Lackawanna, N.Y.) was honored with the Tom Chapman Memorial Award as the team’s unsung hero. Scarsella recorded 26 points in his second season, scoring six goals and registering 20 assists.

Junior Jason Weeks (Seattle, Wash.) took home the Top Scorer Award. Weeks earned the award after recording 39 points in 2008-09, the second-most in the program’s Division I history. He registered 14 goals, including seven power-play tallies, and 25 assists during his junior campaign.

Junior Andrew Loewen (Winnipeg, Manitoba) earned the Three Star Award for accumulating the most points during the 2008-09 season. The top star in each game is awarded three points, with the second star picking up two points and the third star one point. Loewen, who totaled 22 points during the season, recorded a goals against average of 2.81 and a save percentage of .919.

Junior captain Peter MacDougall (Lumsden, Saskatchewan) was also recognized with a pair of community service awards, including one for his work with Hasek’s Heroes.

The Griffs also honored Patera and classmate Spencer Churchill (Brantford, Ontario) for their dedication to the Canisius program the past four seasons.