Hockey East announced Thursday night that Massachusetts-Lowell senior goaltender Kevin Boyle and Boston College junior goaltender Thatcher Demko have been selected as the Hockey East Co-Players of the Year — just the third time players have been named co-players of the year and the first where two goaltenders share the honor.
Additionally, Boston College freshman forward Colin White was named Rookie of the Year and Providence’s Nate Leaman was chosen Coach of the Year.
All three awards are voted upon by the league’s 12 head coaches.
The conference also revealed a pair of Hockey East All-Star Teams and a team of honorable mentions.
Boyle finished the 2015-16 campaign with the best GAA (1.62) and save percentage (.941) in Hockey East, compiling a 12-6-4 record with the River Hawks. For his efforts, he was named the Goaltending Champion and the winner of the Three Stars award. Nationally, Boyle finished fifth in GAA (1.84) and ninth in save percentage (.932).
Demko began his junior season allowing just six goals in his first nine outings, including six shutouts, and winning 13 of his first 15 starts (13-1-1). On a national level, Demko finished the regular season first in shutouts (9), second in save percentage (.937), and third in GAA (1.77) and wins (23).
White racked up 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in Hockey East play as a rookie, ranking second in the league and leading the Eagles in conference scoring during the 2015-16 regular season. He registered 12 multi-point outings, including a pair of four-point games in league play, and netted his first career hat trick Jan. 8 against Providence. Overall among all NCAA rookies, he finished the regular season fifth in goals (17), fourth in assists (22) and points (39).
Leaman guided the Friars to a 16-3-3 league record and a share of the Hockey East regular-season title for the first time in program history, coming off of winning the 2015 national championship. He has now coached PC to the Hockey East semifinals in four of his first five years at the helm.
2015-16 Hockey East First Team All-Stars
| Player's Name | Position | Class | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Fitzgerald | F | Jr. | Boston College |
| Mark Jankowski | F | Sr. | Providence |
| Danny O'Regan | F | Sr. | Boston University |
| Andrew Poturalski | F | So. | New Hampshire |
| Matt Grzelcyk | D | Sr. | Boston University |
| Jake Walman | D | So. | Providence |
| Thatcher Demko | G | Jr. | Boston College |
2015-16 Hockey East Second Team All-Stars
| Player's Name | Position | Class | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zach Aston-Reese | F | Jr. | Northeastern |
| Anders Bjork | F | So. | Notre Dame |
| Max Letunov | F | Fr. | Connecticut |
| Colin White | F | Fr. | Boston College |
| Jordan Gross | D | So. | Notre Dame |
| Ian McCoshen | D | Jr. | Boston College |
| Kevin Boyle | G | Sr. | Massachusetts-Lowell |
2015-16 Hockey East Honorable Mention
| Player's Name | Position | Class | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Cangelosi | F | Jr. | Boston College |
| Thomas DiPauli | F | Sr. | Notre Dame |
| Tyler Kelleher | F | Jr. | New Hampshire |
| Ahti Oksanen | F | Sr. | Boston University |
| Nolan Stevens | F | So. | Northeastern |
| Dylan Zink | D | Jr. | Massachusetts-Lowell |
| Nick Ellis | G | Jr. | Providence |
| Cal Petersen | G | So. | Notre Dame |
