Niagara senior forward Sean Bentivoglio received the 2006-07 College Hockey America Player of the Year award at the CHA Banquet held Thursday evening in Des Moines, Iowa.
Bentivoglio, a native of Thorold, Ont., played in all 36 regular-season contests for Niagara, currently ranks in the top 10 nationally in both assists per game (0.83) and shorthanded goals (three). He finished second in league scoring (25 points) behind teammate Ted Cook’s 26 points, while leading the conference in league assists (21).
Purple Eagle freshman Chris Moran (Buffalo, New York) was selected CHA Rookie of the Year, while NU head coach Dave Burkholder was named CHA Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.
All three awards were voted on by the head and assistant coaches of the CHA member institutions.
Moran averaged more than a point per game in league contests (21 points in 20 games). He was tied for fourth in league assists and power-play assists while ranking first in assists and points by a rookie. He enters the CHA tournament tied for seventh nationally in assists per game with 31 helpers in 36 contests.
Burkholder led Niagara to its second consecutive CHA regular-season title and third in the program’s history. The sixth-year head coach has led the Purple Eagles to five consecutive seasons of .500-plus in conference play, including a 22-11-7 combined CHA mark the last two years.
Alabama-Huntsville senior defenseman Shaun Arvai (West Lorne, Ontario) was voted CHA Student-Athlete of the Year by the athletic directors of the member schools. A unanimous First-Team All-CHA selection this season, Arvai was also named to the CHA All-Academic squad for the third consecutive year. A business administration major, he finished third in league scoring among blueliners.
Also recognized at the banquet were the Easton Three-Star Award winners from each of the member schools: Grant Selinger (Alabama-Huntsville), Rob Sirianni (Bemidji State), Ted Cook (Niagara), Doug Conley (Robert Morris) and Nate Higgins (Wayne State). Cook was named the CHA Easton Three-Star Player of the Year.
