2014-15 Highlights

BOSTON -- The Northeastern men's ice hockey celebrated the 2014-15 season on Thursday night at the team's annual banquet at Matthews Arena. The Huskies honored the members of their senior class, and also handed out several end of season awards.
 
Junior forward Kevin Roy headlined the event, taking home Most Valuable Player, Top Scorer and Huskies Radio Most Exciting Player. Roy, who was named the program's 18th All-American last week, led the team with 44 points (19 goals, 25 assists) this season, becoming the first player to eclipse the 40-point mark in back-to-back seasons since Jordon Shields in 1993-94.
 
During the course of the season, the junior picked up several accolades including a nomination for the Hobey Baker Award, Hockey East First-Team status, and three Warrior Player of the Week honors. He was also named the National Player of the Month in February after leading the country with 17 points during the month.
 
Freshmen Garret Cockerill and Nolan Stevens collected Co-Rookie of the Year accolades, which were presented by director of hockey operations Mike McLaughlin. Cockerill played all but two games on the Northeastern blue line in 2014-15, logging 14 points (three goals, 11 assists). The Brighton, Michigan native played in all game situations for Northeastern, and finished the year eighth in Hockey East in blocked shots among rookie skaters (48).
 
Stevens, meanwhile, appeared in all 36 games and tallied three goals and nine assists. The Huskies were 5-1-1 when he recorded a point and saw significant time on the Northeastern penalty-killing unit throughout his first season. The Sea Isle City, New Jersey native was named the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week on Nov. 17 after scoring the game-winning goal against New Hampshire to give NU its first victory of the season.
 
The Don H. McKenney Coach's Award, which was presented by Scott McKenney, the son of former head coach Don McKenney, and given to the team's most dedicated player, was awarded to Torin Snydeman. Snydeman, who sat out the 2012-13 season after transferring from Sacred Heart, made an immediate impact on the locker room upon his arrival to Huntington Avenue. As a hard-nosed, 200-foot player, Snydeman appeared in 71 games as a Husky, tallying 14 goals and 14 assists, including 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 2014-15.
 
Sophomore Zach Aston-Reese was named the NU Hockey Veterans' Unsung Hero. Aston-Reese missed four games early in the season due to injury, and returned to dress in 23 of the team's final 24 games of the year, recording 23 points on 13 goals and 10 assists, and was a constant physical presence on the ice. NU was 7-2-1 in 2014-15 when Aston-Reese scored a goal.
 
The Manager's Award for Most Improved Player went to a pair of Huskies for the first time since 1992, and was awarded to Mike McMurtry and Derick Roy. McMurtry, a native of Greely, Ontario, potted a career-high 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) this season, and saw significant time as part of NU's power play and penalty killing units. McMurtry dressed in all of Northeastern's games for the second straight season, and saw more than 15 minutes of ice time in 17 games this year.
 
Roy (Lac-Beauport, Quebec), meanwhile, gave the Huskies a strong one-two punch between the pipes in 2014-15. He stepped up for NU early in the year when senior Clay Witt went down with an injury, dressing in six straight games. Later in the season is where Roy hit his stride, however, going 5-0-1 to start the second half of the season, earning Stop It Goaltender of the Month accolades in January while backstopping the Huskies to one of their longest unbeaten streak of the season.
 
The Friends of NU Hockey Fernie Flaman Award was given to George Makris, Director Emeritus for Development. Makris, a football, baseball and ice hockey student-athlete at Northeastern in the 1940's, he was inducted into the Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1983. A creative fundraiser, he has been at the forefront of Northeastern Athletics for more than 50 years, and the Makris Varsity Club is named in his honor.
 
At the conclusion of the banquet, head coach Jim Madigan announced that Kevin Roy will serve as captain of the Huskies in 2015-16, while Matt Benning, Mike McMurtry, John Stevens and Mike Szmatula will be assistant captains.
 
The Huskies were 16-16-4 during the 2014-15 campaign, a year that saw Northeastern battle back from a difficult start to rebound with one of the longest unbeaten streaks in team history to earn the right to host a Hockey East playoff series.
 
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