The Pioneers finally put a close to the 2005-2006 hockey season honoring numerous players including current San Jose Shark Matt Carle as team MVP.
The 50th Annual Hockey Awards Evening was held Saturday at the Denver Marriott Tech Center.
Carle is currently playing for the Sharks in the second round of the NHL playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers and was not able to attend the event. Carle received the Bill Masterton Memorial Award (MVP) and Keith Magnuson Memorial Award (Best Defensive Player) after a junior season in which he scored 11 goals and 42 assists in just 39 games.
The Anchorage, Alaska native also received the Hobey Baker Award last month as the best hockey player in the NCAA. Carle became the first DU player to win the prestigious award and was also the first player to win the WCHA Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors in the same season. A week after the season concluded for the Pioneers, Carle decided that he would forgo his senior season and signed an entry-level contract with the Sharks.
Senior Gabe Gauthier walked away with the most awards, earning the Player’s Bench “Star of the Year” Award, the Dr. Ralph Verploeg Award as most inspirational award and the Bob Martin Award for community service. The “Star of the Year” award goes to the player that received the most stars of the game throughout the season.
Gauthier helped in the “Skate with the Pioneers” event to help benefit the Starlight Foundation, participated in the Qwest Food Drive and also visited local children’s hospitals and schools among other things on his way to earning the community service award.
Gauthier was a co-captain this season after helping the Pioneers to consecutive NCAA championship seasons in his previous two seasons. Gauthier scored 15 goals and 24 assists on the season
Another award on the evening went to Chris Butler, who earned the Barry Sharp Memorial Award as DU’s top freshman of the year. On the season, Butler registered 22 points on seven goals and 15 assists in 35 games and was named to the WCHA all-rookie team.
Sophomore Ryan Dingle received the Murray Armstrong Award as the Pioneers most improved player. Dingle tallied 43 points this season on 27 goals and 16 assists, which is 25 points better than his freshman season. The 27 goals by Dingle were the most goals in a season by a DU player since the 1989-1990 season when Eric Murano scored 33 goals.
Littleton, Colo., native J.D. Corbin was awarded the Dr. Ken Bredsen award for sportsmanship, Corbin committed only eight penalties for 16 minutes this season.
Junior back-up goaltender Danny King and Corbin co-received the Dr. Art Mason Award as DU’s top student-athletes. Corbin put together a 3.96 GPA in real estate and construction management this year and also was placed on the WCHA All-Academic team for the second consecutive season.
King also posted a 3.96 GPA in finance and marketing and was also tabbed for his second WCHA All-Academic honor.
The final award on the evening went to sophomore Paul Stastny who earned the leading scorer award after he won the WCHA scoring title with 44 points on 15 goals and 29 assists.
To end the night, dr. Nancy Sampson, NCAA faculty representative, recognized DU’s 12 All-WCHA Academic honorees, junior Zach Blom, junior Steven Cook, junior Glenn Fisher, junior Ryan Helgason, junior Jon James, sophomore Andrew Thomas, Carle, Corbin, King, McMorris, O’Leary and Stastny all earned a GPA of 3.0 or better this season.
With the book closed on season the Pioneers have already began training and preparing for the 2006-2007 season.
