SYRACUSE, N.Y. - SUNYAC announces the 2023 men's ice hockey top awards which are nominated and voted on by the conference coaches. The honors include the Herb Hammond Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Goaltender of the Year and Rookie of the Year. The SUNYAC ice hockey final is set for Saturday, March 4 at 7 p.m. with No. 1 Oswego hosting No. 2 Plattsburgh.
Herb Hammond Player of the Year - Nikita Kozyrev, Buffalo State
Kozyrev scored 14 goals and had 19 assists to lead the conference in points this season with 33. He scored a season high 2 goals against Potsdam and Hobart College. The junior forward had 1 goal and 1 assist in the SUNYAC first round match up against Cortland where he helped give the Bengals a three point lead in the first two periods. The Bengals beat Cortland 3-2 and advanced to the semifinal game where they faced top-seeded Oswego, but lost 4-1. Kozyrev has been named to the All-SUNYAC first team and was also named Athlete of the Week December 5. The Bengals finished the regular season 14-13 overall.
Herb Hammond coached at Oswego (1969-80) and Plattsburgh (1981-83), compiling a 176-122-5 mark for the Lakers and a 52-17-4 record for the Cardinals. He was named the 1982 Division III Coach of the Year. From 1983-88, Hammond coached at Division I Brown University before leaving coaching to become a National Hockey League scout for 11 seasons. Hammond passed away on July 22, 2009.
Defensive Player of the Year - Alex Monteleone, Brockport
Monteleone had 9 blocks, 7 assists, 3 goals and totaled 10 points this season for the Golden Eagles. He had a season high 3 assists vs. Fredonia, February 10. Brockport finished the regular season 10-15 overall.
Goaltender of the Year - Matt Petizian, Geneseo
Petizian, a senior from Mississauga Ontario had a season high 53 saves in a 4-3 win against Oswego, February 3. Petizian only allowed 39 goals in 22 games this season averaging 1.89 goals against per game and he had a career high .933 save percentage. The team earned a No. 3 seed going into post season and advanced to the semifinals, but lost to No. 2 Plattsburgh. Petizian finished the season with a 14-6-1 overall record. He was named to the All-Conference first team and was also the SUNYAC Goaltender of the Week twice this season.
Rookie of the Year - Colby Seitz, Cortland
Seitz scored 8 goals and had 15 assists for a total of 23 points this season for the Red Dragons. The forward from Eden, NY played in all but one game and had a season high 2 goals in a win over Fredonia. The freshman scored 1 goal in the SUNYAC first round game against Buffalo State where they fell short 3-2. Cortland finished the 2022-23 season with a 16-9-1 overall record.
