Six Dutchwomen Honored at Team Banquet
SCOTIA, N.Y. – The 2010-11 Union College women's ice hockey team was honored at the Glen Sanders Mansion in Scotia. Six awards were presented to six student-athletes.
Junior Kate Gallagher was presented the George Morrison Most Valuable Player award. Freshman Maddy Norton was named Rookie of the Year while fellow freshman Stefanie Thomson received the Most Improved Player Award. Senior Callee Heywood received the Unsung Hero award while fellow seniors Perri Maduri and Elsa Perushek received the Hana Yamashita Coaches Award and the Ashley Kilstein Award.
Gallagher started 24 of the 30 games she appeared in this past season. She recorded 817 saves with a .916 save % and a 2.90 GAA. Her saves rank second in the ECAC. Her 817 saves are the fourth most in a single season while her save % ranks fifth and her GAA is second. Currently, her career GAA of 2.82 ranks second all-time in program history along with her .918 save %. In addition, her 1166 saves is sixth on the all-time list.
Norton had one goal and two assists in her rookie year. Thomson had four goals this season which tied for the team lead with three other players..
Heywood, who had four goals and two assists this season, earned the Unsung Hero award for displaying exemplary sportsmanship with contributions that cannot be measured by statistics alone. She also earned this award following her sophomore season. Heywood played in 128 games for the Dutchwomen. During her career, she registered 11 goals, six assists for 17 points. She has twice been named to the All-ECAC Academic team. She was also a two-time nominee for the prestigious ECAC Student Athlete of the Year Award.
Maduri recorded six assists on the season. The Hana Yamashita award is voted by the coaching staff and given to the player that shows a supreme competitiveness who on a consistent basis gives 100% effort in both practice and games and is extraordinarily conditioned with an unmatched work ethic. Maduri played in 134 games which is the most of any current player. In her career she registered one goal and 12 assists for 13 points. During her junior year, she was named the team's most improved player. She was also named to the ECAC All-Academic Team that year. This past season, Perri served as the team's co-captain. She also has been an active member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
Perushek played in 108 games for Union registering 1 goal and 8 assists for 9 points. During her freshman campaign she was name team co-rookie of the year. Perushek was heavily involved in the community service program. She has participated in numerous community events and made many visits to elementary schools throughout the season. This is the second straight year she has been honored with the Ashley Kilstein award.
Below are quotes from head coach Claudia Asano on each award winner:
Maddy Norton: “Maddy came in as a rookie and stepped right into a major role in our defensive unit. She was asked to play all different game situations and was able to excel at all of them.”
Stefanie Thomson: “Stef came in this year and continued to improve from her first day on campus until the end of the season. Her hard work showed as she improved her skating, shooting, and game awareness.”
Callee Heywood: “Callee has always been a consistent player that I can rely on in any situation. She doesn't always end up with the stats that show up on the score sheet but she does a tremendous job doing the little things right. She is a true team player.”
Elsa Perushek: “Our team takes pride in helping out in the community as much as possible and Elsa has been integral in coordinating the events this year.”
Perri Maduri: “ Perri has worked hard for me for four years but this year she took it to another level as the team captain. She led by example with her work ethic and came to the rink prepared to play and practice everyday.”
Kate Gallagher: “Kate did an outstanding job this season and her play between the pipes brought our team to a whole new level. She had the ability to control the games and give our team a chance to compete when she was on the ice.”
