Finalists Named for League’s Player-of-the-Year Award
ALBANY, N.Y. -- ECAC Hockey today announced the finalists for the 2009-10 Men’s Player of the Year Award. Sean Backman, Yale, Chase Polacek, Rensselaer, and Cornell’s Ben Scrivens have each been selected as finalists for the honor by the League’s coaches.
Tabbed to the ECAC Hockey first-team this season, Backman is a finalist for the league’s player of the year award. The Cos Cob, CT native was recognized for the fourth consecutive season as a member of one of the conference’s all-league teams. Backman finished the regular-season with 16 goals and nine assists. Six of Backman’s goals came on the power-play. His 77 career goals are fourth best at Yale and put him one behind Bob Kudelski for third. His 126 points in 122 games puts him in a select class of current Division I players who have over 100 games and as many points as games played. Backman, who was named to the College Hockey News (CHN) 2009-10 Pre-Season All-America squad, lived up to the billing. He has a point in 20 of 29 outings this winter and is fourth in Division I with .72 goals per game.
Fellow all-league first-team member Chase Polacek, was also selected as a finalist for the league’s top honor. The junior forward led the Engineers and ranked among the leaders in the entire league – in just about every offensive category. In 22 conference games, he recorded 1.59 points per game (17g-18a-35pts). Six of his goals in league games have come on the power-play and two were shorthanded. On the national scope the Edina, MN native is second in the nation in goals (26g) and points (26g-26a-52pts). He is tied for first in power-play goals (13), seventh in goals per game (0.67), and ninth points per game (1.33). Polacek was also a two-time ECAC Hockey Player of the Week (Feb. 1 & Feb. 15).
A member of this season’s all-league first-team and goaltender of the year finalist Cornell senior netminder, Scrivens turned in his finest year of a stellar career in Ithaca. He posted a .933 save percentage, tops in conference play, and had a 1.89 goals-against average, the only league netminder under 2.25. His .705 winning percentage, was again the highest among ECAC Hockey goalies. Scrivens logged nearly 1300 minutes of ice time during conference play and also recorded three league shutouts. On the national level, Scrivens ranks third in both save percentage (.932) and goals-against average (1.96).
