Men's Hockey Takes Four Atlantic Hockey Individual Awards, Cotton Highlights With Player of the Year
3/18/2020 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
WALTHAM, Mass.- Atlantic Hockey recognized four members of the Sacred Heart University Men's Ice Program who received Individual Award Honors. As a team the Pioneers were also awarded the Team Sportsmanship Award for their record breaking 2019-20 season. Senior Jason Cotton highlighted the awards panel as he was named Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year for his career season racking up 20 goals, 17 assists for 37 points.
Player of the Year: Jason Cotton, Sacred Heart, Forward, Senior
Cotton was one of the most prolific scorers in Atlantic Hockey this season. He was tied for fourth in point scoring (.96) in the conference and tenth in the nation in goal scoring at .59 goals a game. He was by far the best overall scorer, scoring three power play goals, three shorthanded goals, three game-winning goals, a hat trick and was named to the All-Conference First team this season. Cotton ends his Pioneer career playing 118 career games with 41 goals and 40 assists at Sacred Heart.
Rookie of the Year: Braeden Tuck, Sacred Heart, Forward
Tuck was an immediate contributor to the Pioneers this season. He scored the most points among freshman this season with 26 points and also led the AHA in assists among rookies with 22. Tuck also added a shorthanded goal, a game-winning goal and 13 blocks to his growing resume and also led the rookie class with a 16 plus/minus. Tuck is also tenth in the nation in points per game among freshman at .82 points per game and was also named to the All-Conference Rookie team this season.
Best Defenseman: Mike Lee, Sacred Heart, Senior
Lee capped off his senior year in style with the Pioneers. He was first in assist scoring (.86 APG), first in defenseman scoring (1.04 PPG) and tied for first in power play scoring (.64 PPG). The senior is also tenth in the nation in assists per game at .85 and is fifth in the nation in defenseman scoring a point a game. Lee ends his career at SHU with 10 goals and 48 assists in 119 career games as a Pioneer.
Scoring Champion (Conference Games Only): Austin McIlmurray, Sacred Heart, Senior, Forward
McIlmurray, voted to the All-Conference First Team, scored the most points in Atlantic Hockey with 31 on the season. Those 31 points included a league-leading 17 goals along with 14 assists. He also leads the league with 11 power play goals scored, tied for first nationally in that category, and scored three game-winners along with a hat trick in a breakout senior season.
Team Sportsmanship Award: Sacred Heart
The Pioneers, who are the number two seed in the tournament, finished the conference portion of their regular season with a league-low 230 penalty minutes in 28 games, for 8.2 penalty minutes per game, to earn the team sportsmanship award. They were also second in the league in shorthanded goals scored, with five in the regular season.
