League Announces Coaches' Award Finalists
ALBANY, N.Y. -- ECAC Hockey today announced the finalists for
the 2010-11 Men’s Tim Taylor Coach-of-the-Year Award.
Yale’s Keith Allain, Princeton’s Guy Gadowsky, Bob
Gaudet of Dartmouth, and Union’s Nate Leaman have each been
named finalists for the honor by their peers.
A former Taylor Award Winner, Allain guided Yale to a second-place
ECAC Hockey regular-season finish in 2010-11. The Bulldogs,
currently ranked No. 3/3 in both national polls have been a
top-five team throughout the season. Yale earned its first-ever No.
1/1 ranking in national polls this season. Under Allain, Yale
posted a 17-4-1 record, earning 35 points, the most ever for the
Bulldogs in ECAC Hockey. Development continues in New Haven, as
Yale’s offense once again led the nation in scoring offense,
netting 4.28 G/GM and was equally impressive at the other end of
the ice allowing just 2.14 G/GM on defense, which was second best
in the nation. Allain’s Bulldogs feature nine
student-athletes that have registered double-digits in scoring in
conference play.
Under the direction of Gadowsky, Princeton posted a 9-12-1
conference record tying for fourth place with 19 points. The Tigers
were selected to finish sixth in both the coaches’ preseason
and media polls, Princeton plays its fifth-straight home-ice
playoff series this weekend at home. Princeton has won three of the
previous four in the stretch as it topped Brown in 2007, Yale in
2008 and Union in 2009, all in three games. Gadowsky’s
offense, which netted 3.14 G/GM in conference action led the league
in first period scoring with 25 goals. During his seventh season
behind the Tigers bench Gadowsky won his 100th game at Princeton on
Jan. 25 vs. Sacred Heart.
Up for consideration for the third time for the Tim Taylor Award,
Dartmouth Head Coach Bob Gaudet earned his 200th Dartmouth victory
in a shutout of Brown on Feb. 4 this season. Gaudet is just four
wins away from 300 career victories. He is the second winningest
coach in Dartmouth history behind the great Eddie Jeremiah. He is
the only current coach to have earned the award with two different
teams in ECAC Hockey history. The Big Green earned a No. 3 seed in
the upcoming ECAC Hockey Men’s Tournament by posting a 12-8-2
record in conference action. Eight current student-athletes
registered at least 10 points on the offensive end in conference
play for Gaudet’s team. Number three was common for Dartmouth
this season as it finished third in scoring offense (3.41 G/GM) and
scoring defense (2.18 G/GM) in conference play.
The fourth finalist for the league’s coaching honor is no
stranger to the award. Reigning Tim Taylor Award winner Nate
Leaman’s Dutchmen captured their first-ever Clear Cup after
posting a 17-3-2 conference record. The Dutchmen finished the
regular-season with an overall record of 25-7-4, setting school
records for most conference and overall wins. Union went 14-1-1 in
its final 16 games, all against ECAC Hockey opponents in helping
seal the conference title. Leaman’s squad posted a 31.0%
success rate overall on the power-play which was tops in the
nation. The Dutchmen only surrendered 2.03 G/GM which led the
nation as well. The Union defense has held its opponents to
two or fewer goals 22 times this season. The Dutchmen only allowed
43 goals to their ECAC Hockey opponents during the regular-season.
With a combined seven goals in games against Quinnipiac and
Princeton last weekend, Union upped its season goal total to 135 on
the season, breaking a school single-season goals record set in
2009-10 (134 goals). The Dutchmen are third in the nation in
scoring offense with an average of 3.75 goals per game. Union is
currently ranked No. 4/4 in both national men’s polls.
