Colgate Announces End-of-Season Awards

HAMILTON, N.Y. – David McIntyre (Pefferlaw, Ont.) and Austin Smith (Dallas, Texas) headlined the evening as Colgate men’s hockey announced its end of season awards, Saturday evening at the Colgate Inn.

McIntyre, who completed his collegiate career on March 13, was the recipient of the Terry Slater Trophy and Rob Ries Memorial Award.  The Terry Slater is awarded by the Silver Puck Club and goes to the senior whose performance, leadership, and dedication on and off the ice during his career had the greatest impact on Colgate hockey.  Slater, who presided over the Raider hockey program for 15 years, passed away due to a stroke at the midway point of the 1991-92 season.  The Ries Award is handed out to the player who provides inspiration and leadership.

McIntyre skated in 151 games during his collegiate career and finished 24th on Colgate’s all-time scoring list with 131 points (56-75-131).  His 151 appearances rank sixth all-time at Colgate.  Serving as one of two team captains for the 2009-2010 campaign, the senior finished second on the team with 39 points on 11 goals and 28 assists.  For his efforts, he was named a second team all-ECAC Hockey selection and became only the seventh Raider to receive either first and second team accolades in back-to-back seasons.  He posted two eight-game scoring streaks on the season and was twice named ECAC Hockey’s Offensive Player of the Week.  His 0.80 assist per game average ranked tied for 15th nationally. He signed an amateur tryout agreement with the American Hockey League’s Lowell Devils on March 17.

McIntyre scored some big goals for the Raiders during his career – none more than two during his sophomore year. On March 15, 2008, he scored the game-winning goal at 1:58 of the third period to force game three in a quarterfinal series at seventh-ranked Clarkson.  The following evening, he lifted Colgate over the Golden Knights with a two-goal performance, including the game-winning goal at 7:26 of double overtime to send the Raiders to the semifinals of the ECAC Hockey play-offs in Albany.  

Smith, one of five Raiders to skate in all 36 games, finished his second year at Colgate with 16 goals and 25 assists for a team-best 41 points.  His 1.14 point per game average ranks tied for 35th nationally heading into the Frozen Four.  During the course of the season, the sophomore posted some big points for the Raiders either lifting them to victory or at least overtime.  He scored the game-winning shorthanded goal in the Raiders’ 3-2 victory against Frozen Four participant RIT at Blue Cross Arena on October 10.  Smith’s other game winners came at home versus Niagara (Oct. 31) and at Clarkson (2/16).  He posted an extra attacker goal in the final minute to send the Raiders into overtime versus Robert Morris on January 23, a game that ended in a 3-3 tie. However, while not being credited with the game winner, he posted two important power play goals in Colgate’s 3-2 victory over Rensselaer, a result that clinched fourth place in the ECAC Hockey standings and a first-round bye in the play-offs.  Smith finished with 13 multi-point and four multi-goal contests and had a season high four-point outing at Canisius.

For the second consecutive season, Ethan Cox (Richmond, B.C.) claimed the best defensive player award.  The senior, another 36-game participant, posted five goals and six assists in his final season.  His 150 career games played ranks right behind McIntyre on the all-time list for the Raiders.  He posted the game winning goal in Colgate’s 4-1 win over Robert Morris, January 22 and scored in back-to-back games as Colgate tallied an important three-point weekend at Dartmouth and Harvard in late February.  Cox, who served as one of two team captains in 2009-2010, finished a +6 on the season.

For the fourth time since the Dan Coley “Barrell” Award has been in existence since 1983, there are co-recipients – junior Wade Poplawski (Winnipeg, Man.) and freshman Jeremy Price (Milton, Ont.).

Poplawski, who served as one of two alternate captains, returned from a 2008-09 season in which he played 12 games before sustaining a season-ending injury, to skate in all 36 contests and doubled his career point total in the process.  The junior was the lone defenseman on the roster to see action in every game and posted 12 points on two goals and 10 assists.  His goal in the season opener at Niagara with 1:21 left in regulation forced overtime as Colgate and the Purple Eagles settled for a 4-4 draw.  On November 20, he dished off a career-high two assists versus Quinnipiac and then set a career-high three-point evening on a goal and two assists in a 6-6 overtime draw at Dartmouth on February 19.  He finished the season scoring a point in three of the last four games of the year.

Price participated in 35 of 36 games scoring six goals and 14 points.  The freshman netted four power play goals on the season, scoring twice in two games with the man advantage.  He tallied a pair of power play goals at Canisius on December 20 and then duplicated the feat March 13 in the second game of the play-off series versus St. Lawrence.  He collected his first collegiate point with a goal on October 30 in a 4-4 tie with Army at Starr Rink. Price’s six goals on the year were the fourth highest single season total by a freshman defenseman, while his 14 points ranks tied for fifth overall.

Francois Brisebois (Montreal, Que.) was the recipient of the Steve Riggs Memorial Award.  The honor goes to the player who displays gentlemanly play that doesn’t detract from a high standard of ability.  The junior finished his best overall season at Colgate ranking fourth on the team with 25 points on 15 goals and 10 assists.  He posted three multi-goal and six multi-point outings as well as scoring two game winners.  On November 21, he scored twice and dished off an assist in a 5-4 overtime victory over Princeton.  His second goal of the contest three minutes into overtime proved to be the game winner.   He was also credited with the game winner in a 5-3 win at Rensselaer on December 5. In addition, Brisebois netted a pair against then sixth-ranked ranked Yale on February 12 and two more in Colgate’s 5-2 upset over #15 Union on Senior Day at Starr Rink.

The 2010 Whit Williams Award was given to Sean Carty (Glen Ellyn, Ill.).  The honor is given to the player who over the course of a single-season or a career, showed the greatest improvement.  As a senior, Carty dressed in 22 of 36 games and was an integral part of the Raiders’ “Gold Line”.  He posted two goals and an assist for three points in his final season.  On January 29, he scored his first goal in two years in Colgate’s 6-1 victory over Clarkson.  Two weeks later, he tallied his first multi-point game at Colgate with a goal and an assist in a decisive 6-2 win over Brown.  His goal at 3:16 of the second proved to be the game-winner.

Jason Williams (Plattsburgh, N.Y.) was the recipient of the Coaches Award, which is the oldest running hockey award at Colgate.  The senior completed his career playing 153 games, which ranks third on the Raiders’ all-time list.  In 35 contests, he collected seven goals and eight assists for 15 points.  On February 13, he posted his first multi-goal game of his career with a pair of scores in Colgate’s 6-2 win over Brown.  Williams also had four-multi point games including tying a career high three-point outing in a 4-1 victory over Robert Morris on January 22.  He was credited with the game-winning goal at 10:40 of the third period to lead Colgate to a 4-2 victory at Harvard to help conclude Colgate’s important three-point weekend on the road.

The evening concluded with the naming of the team captains for the 2010-2011 campaign.  Junior Brian Day (Danvers, Mass.) will serve as the captain, while Poplawski, Brisebois, and redshirt junior Kevin McNamara (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) will handle the chores of alternate captains.
 
The Raiders, who finished the campaign 15-15-6 overall and 12-8-2 in league play, lose six seniors for the 2010-2011 season.