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BOSTON – For the second time in league history, the Hockey East Player of the Year calls Northeastern home. Senior winger Zach Aston-Reese was named the conference's top player at the annual banquet on Thursday night at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, in addition to collecting Hockey East First Team All-Star honors. He was joined by teammates Dylan Sikura and Adam Gaudette, who earned Hockey East Second Team and Third Team All-Star accolades, respectively.
 
Aston-Reese is the first Northeastern student-athlete to be named the Hockey East Player of the Year since Brad Thiessen in 2009. The Staten Island, New York native was recently named top 10 finalist for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award, just the fourth in program history, given annually to the nation's top collegiate men's hockey player.
 
Aston-Reese (63 points), Sikura (57 points) and Gaudette (52 points) had a season for the ages in 2016-17, making Northeastern the only team in the nation to have three skaters with at least 45 points and gave the Huskies three players with 50-plus points for just the fourth time in team history (first since 1975-76). They are also the third highest scoring trio in single-season history at Northeastern (172 points), and gave NU three 20-goal scorers for the first time since 1985-86.
 
Aston-Reese recorded 63 points in 38 games in 2016-17, currently tied for the most in the nation and most for a Northeastern Husky since 1985-86, making him one of the most sought after NCAA free agents. He is also tied for or owns the nation's lead in total goals (31), goals per game (0.82), shorthanded goals (four) and hat tricks (three).
 
His performance this season ranks him tied for sixth in single-season scoring at Northeastern (63) and tied for seventh in single-season goals (31), and finished his collegiate career ranked 12th in both career points (148) and career goals (66), while ranked in a tie for 18th all-time at Northeastern in assists (82).
 
Over the last five seasons in college hockey, only 10 Division I players have reached 60 points in a single-season. Of those, only four have reached 60 points in as many or fewer games than Aston-Reese (35): Mike Vecchione (35 games in 2016-17), Kyle Conner (34 games in 2015-16), Jack Eichel (34 games in 2014-15) and Johnny Gaudreau (31 games in 2013-14). Two went on to win the Hobey Baker Award and a third reached the Hobey Hat Trick.
 
He's also just one of four players in the last five seasons to reach 50 points in less than 30 games (Vecchione in 2016-17, Kyle Connor in 2015-16 and Gaudreau in 2013-14). Aston-Reese is also one of six NCAA players in the last five years to score 30 goals in a season. In addition, Aston-Reese is the only Husky in the last 30 years to record three hat tricks in a season, and the only player in program history to score a hat trick in consecutive games.
 
In addition to contending for the Hobey Baker Award, Aston-Reese is a semifinalist for the Walter Brown Award, given annually to the top American born player in New England. He was also a two-time Hockey East Player of the Month (November and February), the National Player of the Month in February, and a three-time Hockey East Player of the Week this season. He signed a two-year, entry level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this week.
 
Junior Dylan Sikura had a similarly impressive 2016-17 campaign for Northeastern, finishing second on the team with 57 points (21 goals, 26 assists). He's currently fifth in the NCAA in scoring while his 32 points on the power play lead the nation, his 36 assists are second in the country and five game-winning goals are tied for seventh. The Aurora, Ontario native finished the year tied for 13th on Northeastern's single-season scoring list and sixth on the team's single-season assists list.
 
A Hobey Baker candidate earlier this year, Sikura became the first Husky since Cody Ferriero on Dec. 29, 2012 at Harvard to score three goals in a period on Jan. 27 at No. 7/7 UMass Lowell, and the first Husky to record a natural hat trick since Kevin Roy in 2015.
 
Sikura was also named the National Player of the Month and Hockey East Player of the Month for January and was a three-time Hockey East Player of the Week.
 
Gaudette (Braintree, Mass.) was one of the top players in the country from start to finish this season, recording 52 points in 37 games, concluding the year tied for 18th on the team's single-season scoring list. Along the way, Gaudette broke the school record for power play goals in a season with 16, previously held by Rod Isbister (14) in 1984-85. No player in the NCAA has had more than 16 power play goals in a season since 2008 (Matt Smith of RIT, 17).
 
He had a 12-game point streak (15 goals, six assists) and an eight-game goal scoring streak during the year, both of which were the longest of his young career. Gaudette's 82 points in 78 games are the second most in the nation among sophomores (Brock Boeser, North Dakota). Gaudette is also a Walter Brown Award semifinalist.