University of Minnesota Athletics
Lucia Named Men's Hockey Most Valuable Player
4/24/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Tony Lucia earned two team awards, including the John Mariucci Most Valuable Player award, to lead the honorees at Saturday's University of Minnesota men's hockey awards banquet. The awards are voted upon by the team members and were presented at the annual banquet at Jax Café in Minneapolis.
Along with the team awards, head coach Don Lucia announced that a trio of seniors will serve as team captains for the 2010-11 season. Jay Barriball will be the team captain, while Mike Hoeffel and Alex Kangas have been voted as assistant captains. Barriball was a senior during 2009-10, but was injured following the sixth game of the season and received a medical redshirt.
In addition to his MVP award, Lucia was also named the Elwin "Doc" Romnes Leadership and Sportsmanship award winner. Lucia, a senior from Plymouth, shared the team's lead in scoring and had career highs in every category with 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points while playing in all 39 games. He also served as a team captain and notched 21 of his points in Western Collegiate Hockey Association games. Lucia concluded his career with 82 points in 160 games played at Minnesota.
Sophomore forward Taylor Matson was named the Mike Crupi Most Determined Player after battling back from a season-ending knee injury in 2008-09. Matson, a Mound native, returned to the lineup in 2009-10 after missing the final 23 games the previous season. He had two goals and three assists for five points in the first 19 games of this season before suffering an ankle injury on Jan. 2 that again sidelined him for the rest of the season.
Freshman defenseman Nick Leddy earned the Frank Pond Rookie of the Year award, becoming the first defenseman to earn the award since Alex Goligoski in 2004-05. An Eden Prairie native, Leddy notched three goals and eight assists for 11 points in 30 games, while posting a team-high plus-six rating. He was at his best during the month of February, leading the team with five points and 21 shots on goal during the month.
Junior forward Jacob Cepis was recognized as the Dr. V. George Nagobads Unsung Hero, despite making his debut with the team in the 19th game of the season. Cepis played in all 21 games during the second half of the season on the top forward line and collected seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points. A Parma, Ohio native, Cepis transferred from Bowling Green University and practiced with the Gophers for a full year before appearing in a game.
Kangas received the Tom Mohr Playoff Most Valuable Player award for his performance in the team's three-game postseason series at North Dakota. The Rochester native stopped 87 of 96 shots during the series for a .906 save percentage. He made 41 saves in the team's 4-2 win in the second game of the series.
Sophomore forward Nico Sacchetti earned the John Mayasich Outstanding Student-Athlete award. A Virginia native, Sacchetti is a management major and is enrolled in the Carlson School of Management. On the ice, he played in 38 of 39 games and totaled four goals and 11 assists for 15 points.
Freshman defenseman Seth Helgeson was named the Donald M. Clark Community Service Award winner. Helgeson, a Fairbault native, amassed the most hours of community service of any Minnesota player during the past season to earn the award. He played in 31 games as a freshman and scored a goal in the WCHA playoff win at North Dakota.
