PRINCETON, N.J. — The 2014-15 Ivy League men’s ice hockey postseason awards were handed out on Thursday with Harvard junior forward Jimmy Vesey named Player of the Year, Yale freshman forward Ryan Hitchcock selected as Rookie of the Year and Yale head coach Keith Allain voted Coach of the Year.
Vesey’s 44 points led Harvard to 15 wins and a ranking in the nation’s top-10 polls for the majority of the season. The North Reading, Mass., native tallied 12 points (5 goals and 7 assists) in Ivy play and accumulated a +16 overall, appearing in all of Harvard’s 29 games played.
Hitchcock (Manhassett, N.Y.) totaled 15 points in his first season in New Haven. The forward from Manhassett, N.Y. helped No. 12/12 Yale to its 17 wins and was tied for the team-lead in assists (12).
Selected unanimously as the League’s inaugural Coach of the Year, Allain led the Bulldogs to 17 wins and their fifth Ivy League title in the last seven years. He placed four Elis on the All-Ivy teams and earned his squad the No. 3 seed in the upcoming ECAC Hockey Tournament.
Yale had the most student-athletes on the first team with three recognitions. Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Lyon (Baudette, Minn.) was a unanimous first-team selection and was joined by classmate Mike Doherty (Reading, Mass.) and junior Rob O’Gara (Nesconset, N.Y.). Sophomore forward John Hayden (Greenwich, Conn.) was recognized on the second team.
Cornell earned three All-Ivy team selections as senior forward Cole Bardreau (Fairport, N.Y.) and senior defenseman Joakim Ryan (Rumson, N.J.) were first-team honorees. Ryan was a unanimous selection after he totaled 13 points, including 12 assists, in 21 games. Bardreau led the Big Red with 21 points. Sophomore goalkeeper Mitch Gillam (Peterborough, Ontario, Canada) earned a second-team honor.
Dartmouth senior forward Eric Neiley (Warminster, Pa.) was also a unanimous first-team selection. In 10 Ivy League contests, Neiley led the League in scoring with 14 points on six goals and eight assists. Overall, Neiley led the Big Green with 29 points, including five game-winning goals. Joining him on the All-Ivy list was senior defenseman Andy Simpson. The Chesterfield, Mo., native manned all of the Big Green’s 29 games at the blue line.
Brown placed a pair of forwards on the All-Ivy second team with junior Nick Lappin (Geneva, Ill.) and senior Matt Lorito (Oakville, Ontario, Canada) earning the nod. Lappin paced the Bears with 11 goals on the year, while Lorito capped off his stellar career in Providence with a team-leading 21 points.
In addition to Vesey, Harvard placed junior forward Kyle Criscuolo (Southampton, N.J.) and senior defenseman Patrick McNally (Glen Head, N.Y.) on the All-Ivy second team and three — junior defenseman Desmond Bergin (Natick, Mass.), senior defenseman Max Everson (Edina, Minn.) and senior goalie Steve Michalek (Glastonbury, Conn.) — as honorable mention.
Each of the six Ivy squads will be participating in the ECAC Hockey Tournament starting this weekend. Brown visits Harvard this weekend, while Princeton travels Dartmouth and Cornell hosts Union in the best-of-three first round. With the No. 3 seed in the tournament, Yale has a first-round bye.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jimmy Vesey, Harvard (Jr., F – North Reading, Mass.)
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
*Ryan Hitchcock, Yale (Fr., F – Manhassett, N.Y.)
COACH OF THE YEAR
*Keith Allain, Yale
FIRST TEAM ALL-IVY^
Cole Bardreau, Cornell (Sr., F – Fairport, N.Y.)
*Eric Neiley, Dartmouth (Sr., F – Warminster, Pa.)
*Jimmy Vesey, Harvard (Jr., F – North Reading, Mass.)
Mike Doherty, Yale (So., F – Reading, Mass.)
*Joakim Ryan, Cornell (Sr., D – Rumson, N.J.)
Rob O’Gara, Yale (Jr., D – Nesconset, N.Y.)
*Alex Lyon, Yale (So., G – Baudette, Minn.)
SECOND TEAM ALL-IVY
Nick Lappin, Brown (Jr., F – Geneva, Ill.)
Matt Lorito, Brown (Sr., F – Oakville, Ontario, Canada)
Kyle Criscuolo, Harvard (Jr., F – Southampton, N.J.)
John Hayden, Yale (So., F – Greenwich, Conn.)
Patrick McNally, Harvard (Sr., D – Glen Head, N.Y.)
Andy Simpson, Dartmouth (Sr., D – Chesterfield, Mo.)
Mitch Gillam, Cornell (So., G – Peterborough, Ontario, Canada)
HONORABLE MENTION ALL-IVY
Desmond Bergin, Harvard (Jr., D – Natick, Mass.)
Max Everson, Harvard (Sr., D – Edina, Minn.)
Steve Michalek, Harvard (Sr., G – Glastonbury, Conn.)
*Unanimous selection
^The first and second teams expanded beyond six due to ties in voting
