Eagles Honored At HOCKEY EAST Banquet
March 15, 2001 | Men's Hockey
March 15, 2001
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass - Boston College senior captain Brian Gionta earned HOCKEY EAST Player of the Year honors, leading the way for four Eagles who earned major awards at the league's annual pre-tournament banquet, held at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, Mass. Freshman Chuck Kobasew was honored as the league's Rookie of the Year. Senior Bobby Allen captured Best Defensive Defenseman honors and classmate Mike Lephart was chosen as the Best Defensive Forward. The award winners were chosen by the league's nine head coaches.
In addition to the major awards, the Eagles placed four players on the league's all-star teams and three players on the league's all-rookie team. Gionta and Allen gained HOCKEY EAST All-Conference first team recognition, Kobasew and sophomore Krys Kolanos were All-Conference second team selections, and Kobasew, freshman Ben Eaves and freshman J.D. Forrest were All-Rookie Team selections.
Gionta, a native of Rochester, N.Y., won the HOCKEY EAST scoring title, notching 35 points on 25 goals and 10 assists in 24 league games. He currently leads the Eagles in scoring with 51 points (31 goals and 20 assists), while playing right wing in all 38 games this season. He leads the nation with 31 goals. Earlier this season, Gionta became Boston College's career leader in goals scored. He enters the league tournament with 121 goals in his four years. He currently ranks second on BC's career scoring list with 229 points, 10 points shy of David Emma's record mark of 239.
Gionta was also named to the HOCKEY EAST All-Conference First Team. In addition, he was awarded the league's I-TECH Three Stars Award for winning the inaugural contest based on game-night "player-of-the-game" voting by the media.
Kobasew, a native of Osoyoos, British Columbia, ranks third on the team in scoring with 20 goals and 21 assists for 41 points. He has played all 38 games at right wing. He ranks sixth in overall scoring in HOCKEY EAST and earlier this season had a 13-game scoring streak. He also earned places on the HOCKEY EAST All-Conference Second Team and the league's All-Rookie Team.
Allen, a senior from Hull, Mass., has been a four-year mainstay for the Eagles on the blueline. He has anchored the Eagles' defense that has held 25 opponents to two or fewer goals this season. In 162 career games, Allen has recorded 25 goals and 80 assists for 105 points. He also earned a spot on the HOCKEY EAST All-Conference First Team.
Lephart, a senior right wing from Niskayuna, N.Y., is a member of the league's top penalty kill unit. The team has only allowed 22 man-advantage goals this season and is ranked second in the nation in this category. He has scored 30 points on the season on 13 goals and 17 assists.
Krys Kolanos (Calgary, Alberta) joined Kobasew on the HOCKEY EAST All-Conference Second Team. He is HOCKEY EAST's third leading scorer, and second on the Eagles, with 23 goals and 21 assists for 44 points in 36 games. Seniors Scott Clemmensen (Urbandale, Iowa) and Rob Scuderi (Bethpage, N.Y.) gained HOCKEY EAST Honorable Mention accolades.
Kobasew was one of three Eagles selected to the All-Rookie Team. Ben Eaves (Faribault, Minn.) is the team's fourth-leading scorer with 34 points on 10 goals and 24 assists. He leads the team in assists. J.D. Forrest (Auburn, N.Y.) is the team's leading offensive defenseman with 20 points on six goals and 14 assists in 33 games.
Boston College is currently 28-8-2 overall and won the HOCKEY EAST regular-season crown with its 17-5-2 mark in league games. The second-ranked Eagles will next face UMass-Lowell in the semifinals of the HOCKEY EAST Tournament on Friday, Mar. 16, at 5 p.m. in the FleetCenter.
