Seniors Lead Team Honors at Cornell Banquet

Photo by Patrick Shanahan

ITHACA, N.Y. -- For most of the 2009-10 Cornell men's hockey season, the senior class led the way, both in offensive production and in keeping the opposition off the board. The leadership exhibited by the class was recognized when the team's end-of-season awards were announced at the 49th annual banquet, held Friday evening at the Lake Watch Inn. Senior goaltender Ben Scrivens captured the biggest award of the night, collecting the Nicky Bawlf Award after being voted as the most valuable player of the 2009-10 team.

Scrivens was just one of three multiple winners on the night, as he also took home the Crimson Cup for his play in the season series against Harvard. Also taking home multiple awards were Colin Greening, who won the Bill Doran Sportsmanship Award and the Joe Delibero-Stan Tsapis Award, and Blake Gallagher, who collected the Mark Weiss Award and the Ironman Award.

Other winners on the night included Joe Scali, who won the Cornell Hockey Association Award, Justin Krueger, who received the Sam Woodside Award, and Nick D'Agostino, who received the Greg Ratushny Award as the top freshman. Additionally, Greening, Patrick Kennedy and Sean Collins were named the winners of the Wendell and Francelia Earle Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement.

Scrivens won the most valuable player award after leading the nation in save percentage and tying for the national lead in goals-against average. The senior adds that award to his other lengthy list of accomplishments on the year, including earning first-team All-America status and receiving the Ken Dryden Award as the top goaltender in ECAC Hockey. He finished his Cornell career with 19 career shutouts, the most in program history, after recording seven this season. Scrivens is the first goaltender to be named most valuable player since David McKee in 2005.

The Spruce Grove, Alberta, native claimed the Crimson Cup after his performance in the season series against rival Harvard. He became the first Cornell goaltender to ever post four victories over the Crimson in a single season, and blanked Harvard in Cambridge, Mass., for the first time since it was done by the legendary Ken Dryden in 1967. He then followed that up by helping Cornell sweep Harvard in the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals, including a 3-0 victory in the clinching game two to become the first Cornell goaltender to shut out the Crimson twice in the same season, and is the first goaltender to ever win the Crimson Cup.

Greening picked up a pair of awards, adding to his expanding personal trophy case. He won the Joe DeLibero-Stan Tsapis Award for skill, unselfishness and hard-nosed play for the third straight season, the first time that has happened in program history. He also received the Bill Doran Sportsmanship Award. Greening finished the season tied for second on the team in scoring with 15 goals and 20 assists in 34 games, playing in all 137 of Cornell's games over the last four seasons, one shy of tying Jeremy Downs for the most all-time in program history. The 2010 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award winner and the ECAC Hockey Student-Athlete of the Year, Greening also received the Wendell and Francelia Earle Award for the fourth straight season, posting the highest grade-point average among this year's seniors.

Joining Greening in receiving the Earle Award were another pair of repeat winners in Patrick Kennedy and Sean Collins. Kennedy is a three-time winner and Collins a repeat winner. The recipient of the award among this year's freshmen will be announced after the end of the spring semester.

The final double-winner of the night was Blake Gallagher, who took home the Mark Weiss Award and the Ironman Award. The Mark Weiss Award is presented for the player exhibiting the same determination and passion for the game that the late Mark Weiss displayed, while the Ironman Award is presented for the player showing determination to overcome injuries. Gallagher led the team in scoring as a senior, leading the way with a team-best 18 goals and 19 assists for 37 points, the highest total by a Cornell player since Matt Moulson scored 38 points in 2005-06. Gallagher is a repeat winner of the Ironman Award, famously playing through multiple injuries as a junior in 2008-09 during the Big Red's postseason run. Amazingly, he missed just four games over the course of his four-year career at Cornell despite enduring numerous injuries.

Scali was presented with the Cornell Hockey Association Award, given to the player displaying enthusiasm, dedication and the desire to give his team an extra boost of energy. He was one of the team's most durable yet most physical players, rarely missing a shift and seeing extensive time on the Big Red's penalty killing unit, which finished third in the nation at 87.9 percent.

The Sam Woodside Award for career improvement was presented to Justin Krueger, who adds the award to his collection alongside the ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Defenseman Award. Krueger posted a career high in points as a senior, scoring 12 on one goal and 11 assists while serving as the top shut-down defenseman in the league.

The final award winner of the night was D'Agostino, who received the Greg Ratushny Award for the most promising freshman. A defenseman, D'Agostino led all Cornell rookies in scoring with four goals and 14 assists for 18 points, one behind Brendon Nash for the team lead among all blueliners. He played in all but two of the Big Red's contests on the year and will be a key contributor on the blue line for the Big Red in seasons to come.