The 67th annual Denver men’s ice hockey banquet had a lot to celebrate.
It not only honored the six players who will not be returning to the program next season and some standout players who won annual individual awards, but it also celebrated the team that made DU’s program the winningest one in the history of NCAA hockey.
The event was lighthearted and had a special (virtual) guest appearance on the jumbotron of Cutter Gauthier saying, “Lots of tears will be shed on the other side” to highlight how emotional this event can be.
This event always starts with a unique question that is answered by each class of players. The freshmen’s question this year was, “What coach would you want to take a test for you?” The majority of the answers were for Director of Hockey Operations, Travis Culhane and only Freddie Halyk answered with “Head Coach David Carle.”
The Sophomore question was, “Favorite class so far at DU?” Rieger Lorenz answered “Any online class,” while Jared Wright mentioned his French class which he shares with seven other team members.
The Junior question was, “If you were a candy bar, which one would it be?” Shai Buium’s answer was “the Chunky Bar”. Matt Davis’s response of “a Tootsie Roll” was met with laughs throughout the crowd.
The Senior class’s question was, “Favorite late-night restaurant around Campus?” Connor Caponi answered, “McKade Webster’s house,” Jack Caruso answered, “Fat Shack, which might be why this suit and tie are feeling a little tight” and McKade Webster finished up with “Stadium Inn’s frozen pizza.”
The first award of the night was the Dr. Ken Bredesen Most Sportsmanlike Player. This award is given to the player who exemplifies the highest level of sportsmanship on and off the ice as voted by his teammates.
This year’s winner was Wright. This was his second year in a row receiving the award as he also received the award last year as a freshman.
The next award given out was the Dr. Art Mason Top Scholar-Athlete. This award is given to the player who excels on the ice and in the classroom with a high grade-point average.
This year’s winner was Kent Anderson. He carries a grade point average of 3.975 and also won the NCAA Elite 90 Award at the Frozen Four earlier this season.
As the name suggests, the Dr. Ralph Verploeg Most Inspirational Player Award goes to the player who inspires the team both on and off the ice as voted on by his teammates. This year’s award goes to none other than the team’s captain, Webster.
The following honor, the Barry Sharp Freshman of the Year Award, was given to the best freshman on the team as voted on by the team. This year’s recipient was Zeev Buium.
The Bob Martin Community Service Award was given to the player most active in giving back to the campus and the Denver community. This was awarded to freshman forward Peter LaJoy.
Another award that’s purpose is in the name is the Murray Armstrong Most Improved Player Award. This year’s winner was Lorenz.
The Dallas Gaume Offensive Player Award was selected by the team as the most outstanding offensive player. This year’s winner was Massimo Rizzo but was accepted by Jack Devine as he is still playing in the AHL playoffs with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. This is Rizzo’s second consecutive year winning this award.
The Keith Magnuson Best Defensive Player Award was awarded to junior defenseman Sean Behrens, who is now signed with the Colorado Avalanche.
The last player award of the night was The Bill Masterton MVP Award, which was another award voted on by the players, and was won by Davis.
The night finished with the Daniel Ritchie Spirit Award. This award is given to a loyal supporter of Denver Hockey who goes above and beyond in their support and service to the program. This honors an alum or friend of the program. This was awarded to Ron Grahame.
“We set out to make this program the Alabama of college hockey, and we ended up doing just that,” said Webster to end the night.
