Finalists Named for League’s Rookie-of-the-Year Award
ALBANY, N.Y. -- ECAC Hockey today announced the finalists for
the 2011-12 Men’s Rookie of the Year Award. Brian Ferlin,
Cornell, Patrick McNally of Harvard, and Quinnipiac’s Matthew
Peca have each been named finalists for the honor by the
League’s coaches.
Ferlin has been a dominant presence in his first season on East
Hill. He led the league in rookie scoring for most of the
regular-season until an injury kept him sidelined and allowed
someone to pass him on the final weekend. Ferlin had seven goals
and 10 assists for 17 points in 19 ECAC Hockey games, which is tied
for second in rookie scoring with fellow Cornell forward Joel Lowry
and St. Lawrence’s Chris Martin. Additionally, Ferlin is tied
for second on the team in overall assists (13) and points (21),
while also ranking second with a plus-15 rating. The Big Red last
won the award in 2008, when it was given to forward Riley Nash.
Other Cornell winners of the award, which was first bestowed in
1962, include David McKee (2004), Kyle Knopp (1996), Kent
Maderville (1990), Trent Andison (1988), Joe Nieuwendyk (1985) and
Doug Ferguson (1965).
Harvard freshman, Patrick McNally is another finalist for the
league’s top rookie award. McNally tied for fifth among
rookie scorers in ECAC Hockey play netting 0.68 points per game
(4g-11a-15pts). He was ECAC Hockey’s highest-scoring freshman
defenseman in league games. The Glen Head, N.Y. native tied for
fourth in the ECAC Hockey scoring among all defensemen. In overall
contests McNally is the nation’s second-leading scorer among
freshman defensemen with 0.76 points per game (5-17-22). McNally
helped Harvard hold 15 of its final 16 league opponents to three
goals or fewer and limit eight of the final 13 to two goals or
fewer and rank fourth in ECAC Hockey in scoring defense. He was
also a key player on league’s top power-play, which ranks
second nationally and led the nation for most of the
regular-season.
The final candidate for the league’s rookie award is Matthew
Peca from Quinnipiac. Peca was among rookie leaders in league play
averaging 0.91points per game (4g-16a-20pts). He currently ranks
second on the Bobcats with 35 overall points and is tied for
the team lead with 27 assists. The forward is just the sixth
freshman in Quinnipiac history to record 20 assists in his first
season and is just the fifth in program history to reach 30 points
in his first year. Peca posted an 11-game point streak which was
the second longest in program history for a freshman. He was tabbed
at the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week on 10/24/11, 2/28/12 and
03/06/12.
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