Earlier this week we had our final team meeting with the 2011 team and voted on our team awards. As always it was great to hear the guys speak so highly of their teammate’s that had been nominated for an award. Ever since my playing days I’ve always looked forward to the end of the year meeting as an opportunity to talk about all the great things that take place in our program. Without further adieu....

Lou Munro Co-MVP’s – Andrew Conner and Ryan Deane – AC had the knack for scoring the big goal for us this year and was good for 2-3 goals a game regardless of who we were playing. After being injured for virtually his entire freshman year and seeing limited playing time his sophomore year, it’s amazing to see how far he’s come over the last two years. Ryan also had a heck of a senior season by being a rock in goal while the rest of the team was finding their way early on. As we transformed into a transition team down the stretch it was Ryan leading the charge by making big saves and also making plays out of the cage to spark that part of our game.

Ric Rosbeck MIP – Billy Chapman – Chappy really didn’t get his chance until the Bowdoin game but once he did, he made the most of it. He had become so automatic on the wing picking up ground balls and sticking shots in transition that it was a shock when a goalie would make a save on him or he’d miss the cage (he ended up with the 2nd highest shooting percentage on the team! 5 out of 11). As I mentioned the other day, the combo of Billy and Darric White on the wing over the next few years is going to be fun to watch.

Baggattaway “Spirit and Leadership” - Alex Englert – Alex was also named one of our captains for next year and did a great job in the middle of the field for us this season. Al fully embraces the “loose but amped” approach that Matt Slautterback coined back in the early 90’s and brings that attitude with him every day. It’s unusual to see this award go to a junior but Alex was clearly this team’s choice this year.

Finally, I want to recognize David Hild for what he did for our program this year as a captain. While he was our leading scorer and the guy who carried us on offense early in the year, it was his leadership off the field that made the biggest impact on our team this season. He will certainly be missed.

That’s it for now, off to senior night at Mr. Up’s. It’s not the same without Peter but it will be a great opportunity for us to tell some stories about what he meant to all of us. Viva la Kohn!