The 2022-23 college hockey season was a cool one for New England.
The Division 1 men's national champion was Quinnipiac, marking the first time the program won a title. Boston University, which won the Hockey East Tournament championship, was also in the Frozen Four. On the Division 1 women's side, Northeastern reached the Frozen Four.
There were surprise teams, too, such as Merrimack, which landed a spot in the men's NCAA Tournament.
Here are our 2023 New England college hockey awards.
Hockey East Player of the Year
Devon Levi, Northeastern
The backbone of the past two Northeastern clubs, Levi became the first two-time recipient of the Mike Richter Award, which is given to the top goaltender in the country. He had the numbers to back up the hardware, leading the NCAA with a .933 save percentage while making the fourth-most stops in the country (1,066). The Quebec native won 17 games this season and pitched a Hockey East-best six of his program-record 16 career shutouts. He also was the Beanpot Tournament MVP. After two seasons in the Huskies’ crease, Levi has moved to the pro ranks and played in key NHL games with late-season playoff implications for the Buffalo Sabres in April.
Hockey East Coach of the Year
Scott Borek, Merrimack
Borek’s (Swampscott, Mass.) fifth year at the helm at Merrimack was one of the finest seasons in program history. The Warriors won 23 games, finished second in Hockey East and returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011 after coming up an overtime goal shy of their first-ever league championship. Those milestones were all accomplished following assistant coach Josh Ciocco’s sudden passing in October. Borek’s lineup included All-American forward Alex Jefferies (Lunenburg, Mass.), Matt Copponi (Mansfield, Mass.,) who showed incredible year-over-year improvement, a slew of impact transfers and a rare split goaltending duo that successfully carried Merrimack to TD Garden.
Hockey East Rookie of the Year
Lane Hutson, Boston University
Hutson surpassed Boston College legend Brian Leetch as the highest-scoring freshman defenseman in Hockey East history, logging 48 points in 39 games as the Terriers won the league title and advanced to the Frozen Four. The Illinois native’s 15 goals were the most by any blueliner in the country, and his point total was tied for seventh-most among all players and tied with Michigan’s Luke Hughes for tops among defensemen. The dynamic Hutson was a plus-25 to lead BU and performed in the clutch, as evidenced by his five game-winners, including the deciding goal in the Hockey East title game against Merrimack.
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ECAC Player of the Year
Colin Graf, Quinnipiac
Graf (Lincoln, Mass.) was a productive player as a freshman at Union, but he broke out in a starring role after transferring to ECAC rival Quinnipiac, which outscored opponents by 2.39 goals per game on average during its national championship run. The former Boston Junior Bruin scored 21 goals and tied a single-season school record with his 59 points, reaching both marks with the game-tying goal in the eventual title-winning overtime victory over Minnesota. Graf, who already has elected to return for another season at Quinnipiac, was a first-team All-American, unanimous first-team All-ECAC honoree and Hobey Baker Award top-10 finalist in 2022-23.
ECAC Coach of the Year
Rand Pecknold, Quinnipiac
Pecknold (Bedford, N.H.) literally started Quinnipiac’s program from the ground up in 1994-95 and has not left the bench since, guiding the Bobcats to the ultimate high of a first-ever national championship in their third Frozen Four and ninth total NCAA tournament appearance. His 34-4-3 club, which beat Michigan and then Minnesota in overtime to claim glory in April, set a single-season program record for victories and finished with the most wins of any national championship-winning team since 2016. Pecknold and his staff coached an All-American at all three positions in forward Graf, defenseman Zach Metsa and goaltender Yaniv Perets.
Atlantic Player of the Year
Neil Shea, Sacred Heart
A Marshfield, Mass., native and senior assistant captain, Shea led the Pioneers with 30 points — all but four of which were accrued in league play — on the way to earning All-Atlantic Hockey first-team honors during his final collegiate campaign. He also led Sacred Heart with 133 shots on goal (3.59 per game) and netted a game-winning goal as a senior. Shea, who joined C.J. Marottolo’s club for 47 games in two seasons after beginning his career at Northeastern, also tied for the league’s scoring lead in 2021-22. Following this season, Shea signed a pro deal with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, who are affiliated with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Atlantic Coach of the Year
Bill Riga, Holy Cross
After American International’s streaks of four Atlantic Hockey regular-season and three tournament championships in a row came to an end, Riga (Westboro, Mass.) led the seventh-seeded Crusaders through an impressive second half and postseason run that ended in their first title game appearance since 2006. Led by All-AHA honorees Jack Ricketts (second team), Nick Hale (third team), Mack Oliphant (All-Rookie) and Liam McLinskey, who scored nine postseason goals, Riga’s club finished on a 14-9-2 run and went on to beat top seeds AIC and RIT in three-game playoff series before falling to Canisius. Pending transfers, eight of the top 10 point scorers are slated to return for Riga’s third season at the helm.
D1 Women’s Player of the Year
Alina Mueller, Northeastern
The first-ever five-time All-American, a three-time Hockey East Player of the Year and two-time New England MVP, Mueller became the all-time leading scorer at Northeastern and in Hockey East in the midst of a 60-point season during which she matched her career-high 27 goals. Mueller’s point total ranked fourth nationally this season, while the 254 in her career stand 11th in NCAA history. Mueller had a hand in 22 of 34 total game-winning goals for the Huskies, who were 30-0-0 when she recorded a point. She also became the first two-time Patty Kazmaier Award top-10 finalist in Northeastern’s program history.
D1 Women’s Coach of the Year
Dave Flint, Northeastern
The CCM/AHCA National Coach of the Year for the second time in his career at Northeastern, Flint (Merrimack, N.H.) guided the Huskies to a 34-3-1 record, including their sixth consecutive Hockey East championship, third straight Frozen Four appearance and a Beanpot title. The former collegiate goaltender led a seamless transition from Aerin Frankel to Gwyneth Philips between the pipes — as Northeastern allowed a minuscule 0.92 goals per game — and coached five of the 19 players who were honored as New England All-Stars, including Mueller. The season included Flint’s 400th career victory.
D3 Men’s Player of the Year
Myles Abbate, Plymouth State
The most decorated men’s hockey player in Plymouth State history, Abbate became the first PSU player to win the Joe Concannon Award as the best American-born player in Division 2 or 3. Playing with new linemates for the first time in years, the 5-foot-10 left wing led the Panthers with 15 goals, 24 assists, 39 points (which ranked seventh in the nation) and a plus-23 rating. Abbate led PSU to an unblemished season in the MASCAC and a fourth consecutive league championship. The team’s 23-4-1 campaign ended with a loss to the University of New England in the first round of the NCAA Division 3 tournament.
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D3 Men’s Coach of the Year
RJ Tolan, Endicott
Tolan guided Endicott to the best season in program history, one that finished with a 23-3-2 record and reached the NCAA tournament final four. The Gulls won the Commonwealth Coast Conference championship for the third time in six seasons and crafted a 21-game unbeaten streak between November and February. In the NCAA tournament, Endicott defeated Norwich in the quarterfinals before falling to Hobart in the semis, 3-1. The Gulls ranked second nationally in scoring defense (1.50 goals allowed per game) and fifth nationally in scoring offense (4.50 goals per game), and Tolan was named a finalist for the Edward Jeremiah Award, which is given annually to the top coach in Division 3.
