WEST POINT, N.Y. - Senior
captain Eric Sefchik was named the Henry "Hal" Beukema Award winner as the team's
most valuable player and also earned the Haggerty Award as the Army hockey team
handed out its awards at the annual banquet, Monday night at the U.S. Military
Academy.
Sefchik earned MVP honors and was also recognized for his courage,
determination and perseverance throughout the season during the awards
presentation.
In addition to Sefchik,
Cheyne Rocha, Ken Rowe and Chief Warrant Officer 5 Dan Jollota also collected
awards during the ceremony.
Head coach Brian Riley, associate head coach Rob Haberbusch, assistant coach
Trevor Large, Director of Hockey Operations Tom Doran and head Officer
Representative Col. Ed Naessens distributed the awards.
Sefchik, Rowe, Owen Meyer and Joe Spracklen were also honored for their four-year contributions to Army hockey.
Sefchik is the first forward to win the Beukema Award since Dave Andros took home the honor in 2005. The center from Brooklyn, Ohio, led the team in scoring with 35 points while also distributing a team-best 24 assists. He scored 11 goals, four on the power play and two short-handed, and collected one game-winning goal.
A member of Army's top line
each of the past two seasons, Sefchik was among the team leaders in ice time
while contributing on both the power play and penalty kill units. He is the
first forward since Michael Picone in 2007 to win the Haggerty Award.
Beukema, a 1944 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, was a team captain his
senior season. Following graduation, he became a pilot in the Air Force and
served overseas as well as in the United States. He died in a crash near
Langley Air Force Base in Virginia after achieving the rank of major.
The Haggerty Award is named in honor of Paul Haggerty, a 1991 USMA graduate who
was a three-year letterwinner and an assistant coach under Rob Riley in 1996
who died suddenly during a workout. The award is presented annually to the Army
hockey player who displays courage, determination and perseverance throughout
his career.
Rocha, from Rye, N.H., is the second straight defensemen to win the Heinmiller Award, presented to the team's outstanding freshman. Rocha played in all 36 games this season with one goal and five assists in his initial season.
The award is named after John
Heinmiller, a former hockey player who worked his way from the junior varsity to
varsity. Following the completion of his freshman varsity season, he was
tragically killed in a train accident in April, 2001.
Rowe exhausted his eligibility in 2007-08 after transferring to West Point
following two years at Wisconsin and was presented with the Gunning Award.
Despite not being able to play in games or practice with the team, Rowe
continued to contribute, played a role in the team's video services and served
as a mentor. An Environmental Geography major, Rowe will join Meyer, Spracklen
and Sefchik at commencement exercises in May.
The Gunning Award is in
recognition of the cadet that displays the qualities of academic excellence,
selfless dedication to his teammates, playing through pain and adversity and
demonstrating a true love of hockey. The award is named in honor of Michal J.
Gunning, a cadet who died following a hit-and-run accident in Dallas. Gunning
('96 USMA) was a 2nd Lt. stationed at Fort Sill, Okla., at the time of his
death.
Jollota, the president of the Army Hockey Parents Association and an active
Officer Representative, was named the Derek Hines Award winner. Jollota, who
often took the team's longest road trips and helped with everything involved in
a trek, is the fifth Hines Award winner. Given in recognition of a person who
has displayed an extraordinary amount of support towards the Army hockey
program, the Hines Award goes to a person who has always cared more about
giving than receiving while displaying a great passion and love for Army
hockey.
The Hines award is named after Derek Hines, a scrappy and hard-nosed player who
earned four varsity letters before graduating in 2003. He was killed in action
Sept. 1, 2006.
Last week, Riley announced that rising seniors Cody Omilusik and Pat Copeland
will serve as captains for the 2010-11 season while Jay Clark and Marcel Alvarez will serve as alternates.
2010 Army Hockey Awards
Beukema Award: Eric Sefchik
Haggerty Award: Eric Sefchik
Heinmiller Award: Cheyne Rocha
Gunning Award: Ken Rowe
Hines Award: Chief Warrant Officer 5
Dan Jollota
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