Hamilton's Katsuras Garners Second-Straight Player of the Year Award

HADLEY, Mass. - Hamilton senior forward Gus Katsuras (Toronto, Ont.) was named today as the 2006 NESCAC Men’s Ice Hockey Player of the Year. Katsuras earned the honor for the second-straight season, helping the seventh-seeded Continentals reach the semifinal round this weekend in the 2006 NESCAC Men’s Ice Hockey Championship.

Katsuras also earned a spot on the NESCAC All-Conference First Team for the second year in a row, making it four straight years that he has earned All-Conference recognition. Katsuras received Second Team honors in both his rookie and sophomore seasons. In each of his four years for the Continentals, Katsuras has led his club in scoring, this season putting up 17 goals and 20 assists for 37 points through 25 games, just two points shy of his career-best 39 points last season. Katsuras ranks fourth all-time at Hamilton in goals scored, tallying 77 markers through 101 career appearances (77-66-143). Probably the biggest performance this season for Katsuras came over the past weekend in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC tournament, scoring three goals and adding an assist against Williams en route to a 9-5 win.

Joining Katsuras up front on the All-Conference First Team is Tufts senior Matt McCarthy (Medfield, Mass.). McCarthy is the first Jumbo ice hockey player to ever receive NESCAC All-Conference recognition. Through 23 games this season, McCarthy led Tufts with 18 goals and 17 assists for 35 points, the highest single-season point total in his four-year career. Currently sixth among all NESCAC skaters in points, McCarthy opened the season with a 15-game point-scoring streak, failing to find his name on the score sheet only three times this season.

Middlebury sophomore forward Mickey Gilchrist (Ottawa, Ont.) is the only player on the First Team that is not a senior. Second on the Panthers squad in scoring during his rookie year, Gilchrist currently leads the NESCAC in points with 20 goals and 21 assists for 41 points. He has also added in eight power-play goals and four game-winners in 25 contests this season.

Three defensemen earned All-NESCAC First Team honors this year. Trinity senior Brendan Timmins (Arlington, Mass.) received First Team recognition for the third consecutive year, while Bowdoin senior Jon Landry (Montreal, Que.) and Middlebury senior Jeff Smith (Nepean, Ont.) earned a spot for the first time in their careers. Timmins has seen action in 25 games so far this season for the Bantams, netting 8 goals - four of which came on the power-play - and 11 assists for 19 points. Landry leads all NESCAC blue liners in point production with 14 goals and 22 assists for 36 points, ranking fifth among all skaters.

Smith may not have the point totals of his counterparts, garnering only five goals and eight assists, however his skill, along with his lack of time spent in the box (12 PIM, 25 GP), has helped Middlebury post the lowest goals against in the league at 1.56 allowed. Smith potted the game-winner late in the third period on the final day of the regular season in a 3-1 empty-net victory over Amherst on February 18.

Bowdoin senior netminder George Papachristopoulos (Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que.) rounds out the seven-member First Team. In 21 appearances between the pipes this season for the Polar Bears, Papachristopoulos holds a 14-5-2 record along with a 2.45 goals against average and .913 save percentage. He has also backstopped Bowdoin to five shutouts this year for a career total of six, a single-season and career record at Bowdoin.

Wesleyan freshman defenseman Dallas Bossort (Bismark, N.D.) was chosen by the NESCAC coaches as the Rookie of the Year. Bossort played in all 24 games this season, accumulating nine goals and eight assists, with seven of his goals coming on the power-play.

Williams head coach Bill Kangas and Colby bench boss Jim Tortorella shared the league’s Coach of the Year honor. Kangas guided his club to a 13-3-3 conference record and the second-seed in the 2006 NESCAC Men’s Ice Hockey Championship, the highest seed ever for the Ephs. Tortorella and the Mules finished the regular season in fourth place with a 11-7-1 conference record, 15-9-1 overall this year.