NEHC Men's Major Award Winners & All Conference Honorees Announced
MARSHFIELD, Mass. – The New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) men's division announced the recipients of the league's major award winners, All-Conference and All-Rookie Teams as selected by the league's eleven head coaches.
Hobart College's Tanner Daniels (Edinboro, Pa) was named NEHC Player of the Year after leading the league in points with 13 goals and 15 assists in league play. His 13 goals ranked first in the league while his 15 assists ranked tied for third in NEHC action. Four of his 13 tallies were powerplay goals. Daniels also led the league with an impressive +26 plus/minus rating, helping steer the Statesmen to an 18-1-1 conference record. Overall, Daniels finished with 34 points on 15 goals and 19 assists, averaging 1.36 points per game.
Fellow Statesman, Damon Beaver (Whitby, Ontario), earned NEHC Goaltender of the Year honors after his standout performance between the pipes this season. In conference play, Beaver finished with a 9-1-0 record and led the league in save percentage (.948). Overall, the junior netminder led all Division III goaltenders with a .955 save percentage and finished second nationally in goals against average (1.08). Beaver finished the regular season with a 12-1-0 record and six shutouts, helping lead the Statesmen to the best scoring defense in the nation.
New England College's Anthony Beaulieu (Lawrence, Mass.) was tabbed NEHC Rookie of the Year after his stellar rookie campaign. In league play, Beaulieu led all goaltenders in minutes played (1,179) and saves (630). His .933 save percentage in NEHC action ranked third in the conference and his nine conference wins were tied for third. Nationally, Beaulieu ranks first in total saves among all freshman goaltenders (694) and fourth among first-year goaltenders in save percentage (.927).
For the fourth straight season, Hobart Statesmen Head Coach, Mark Taylor, was voted NEHC Coach of the Year by his peers. Taylor guided the program to an 18-1-1 conference record and the No. 1 seed heading into the NEHC postseason. Overall, the Statesmen are 23-1-1 and lead both the conference and the nation in winning percentage (.940), goals against average (1.00), and scoring margin (3.40). The Statesmen finished the regular season ranked first in the national polls and will look to claim their third straight national title.
Joining Daniels as a first team forward is teammate Luke Aquaro (Yardley, Pa.). Aquaro finished second in the conference in points (24), collecting ten goals and 14 assists in league play while also earning a +21 plus/minus rating, helping lead his team to an 18-1-1 conference record. Overall, Aquaro recorded 30 points on 14 goals and 16 assists.
Rounding out the first team forwards is Norwich University's Clark Kerner (Kansas City, Kan.). Kerner finished fifth in the conference in points on nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points in NEHC action. Two of his goals were game-winners while another was a game-tying goal. He finished with a +5 plus/minus rating, helping the Cadets clinch the No. 2 seed heading into playoffs with a 12-6-2 conference record.
Norwich teammate, Cooper Bertrand (Caledon, Ontario), earned first team blue line honors. Bertrand anchored a strong Cadet defense that finished second in the league in goals against average (2.48). Bertrand contributed offensively as well, racking up six goals and ten assists for 16 points in conference action. Bertrand was key to the third ranked Cadet powerplay unit (24.4%), netting three of Norwich's 11 powerplay tallies in league play.
Another Hobart Statesman, Austin Mourar (Spring City, Pa.), rounds out the first team selections. The graduate defenseman led a Hobart defensive unit that allowed just 25 goals this season, averaging a remarkable 1.00 goals against average which leads the nation. Mourar also collected 20 points overall on nine goals and 11 assists, helping the Statesmen earn the top scoring margin in Division III (3.40). His six power play goals overall ranked tied for first in the league in that category while his +29 plus/minus rating ranked tied for second.
Below is a complete list of the 2024-2025 All-Conference and All-Rookie Teams.
FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
Forward Tanner Daniels, Hobart College
Forward Luke Aquaro, Hobart College
Forward Clark Kerner, Norwich University
Defense Cooper Bertrand, Norwich University
Defense Austin Mourar, Hobart College
Goaltender Damon Beaver, Hobart College
SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
Forward Arvega Hovsepyan, Salve Regina University
Forward Evan Brown, Skidmore College
Forward Ryan Reifler, Elmira College
Defense Danny Magnuson, Skidmore College
Defense Cooper Swift, Hobart College
Goaltender Sami Molu, Norwich University
THIRD TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
Forward Tyler Ignazzitto, Albertus Magnus College
Forward Shane Shell, Hobart College
Forward Wyatt George, Babson College
Defense Bauer Morrissey, Hobart College
Defense Will Dow-Kenny, Skidmore College
Defense Conor Lally, Hobart College
Goaltender Mavrick Goyer, Hobart College
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Forward Arvega Hovsepyan, Salve Regina University
Forward Evan Brown, Skidmore College
Forward Egor Osipik, New England College
Defense Teddie Hember, Salve Regina University
Defense Cam Lowe, Elmira College
Goaltender Anthony Beaulieu, New England College