The UCHC announced Wednesday its 2021-22 men’s award winners and all-conference teams.
The award winners were selected through a thorough survey of the league’s 10 head coaches.
Utica junior forward Dante Zapata was named the 2021-22 UCHC Player of the Year. Zapata is 10th nationally in points per game, averaging 1.56. He has 16 goals and 26 assists for 42 points in 27 games. Zapata is among the national leaders with eight power-play tallies, is plus-19, and has won 68.4 percent of his faceoffs taken. Zapata has 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) over his last nine games played.
Stevenson’s Ryan Kenny was named the UCHC Goaltender of the Year and earned all-UCHC first team accolades. He has enjoyed a tremendous junior season for the Mustangs, leading all UCHC netminders with 18 wins, while recording a 2.39 GAA and a .925 save percentage to go along with a pair of shutouts. Kenny made at least 30 saves in 11 contests this season. He is now 43-15-4 in three seasons between the pipes for Stevenson.
Neumann’s Nick Martino was named the conference’s rookie of the year. Martino has had an excellent rookie season for the Knights, as he currently sits third among all first-year players in Division III on a per game basis at 1.50 points per game. That figure also sits 12th nationally among all skaters. He has 39 points this season on 15 goals and 24 assists.
Utica’s Justin Allen was selected as the conference’s defensive player of the year. He becomes the third Pioneer to win the award alongside Dalton Carter and Daniel Frtiz. Allen leads all Division III defensemen with 30 assists and 38 points. He is second among all blueliners in points per game at an average of 1.41 per contest. He is also a team-best plus-34 this season.
Utica head coach Gary Heenan was named the conference’s coach of the year by his peers for the second time. Heenan has led the Pioneers to the best regular season in their 21-year history. He has piloted the team to a No. 2 ranking in the latest DCU/USCHO.com Division III poll, current record of 24-2-1, and a 17-0-1 record in conference play (53 of 54 possible points). The Pioneers won the UCHC regular-season title for a fifth straight year. Utica, which is riding an 18-game unbeaten streak, has advanced to the conference championship game for the fourth time in five seasons.
First Team All-UCHC
Forward: Buster Larsson, Utica
Forward: Regen Cavanagh, Utica
Forward: Donald Flynn. Wilkes
Forward: Dante Zapata, Utica
Defense: Justin Allen, Utica
Defense: Jayson Dobay, Utica
Goaltender: Ryan Kenny, Stevenson
Second Team All-UCHC
Forward: Tyler Barrow, Wilkes
Forward: Nick Martino, Neumann
Forward: Brandon Osmundson, Utica
Defense: Taylor Brierley, Wilkes
Defense: Michael Gurska, Wilkes
Goaltender: Nico Pidro, Wilkes
All-Rookie Team
Forward: Nick Martino, Neumann
Forward: Jack Cooper, King’s
Forward: Artem Mateichenko, Manhattanville
Defense: Zack Conner, Chatham
Defense: Aidan Graham, Stevenson
Goaltender: Ty Franchi, Lebanon Valley
