135 Student-Athletes Named to Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team

Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team Announced

(A pair of Yellow Jackets Earn Top-Scholar Honors)

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HAVERHILL, Mass. -- For a sixth straight year a new standard has been set in the classroom for the student-athletes of Atlantic Hockey as 135 have earned a spot on the All-Academic Team. The 135 student-athletes eclipses the mark of 129 that were honored after the 2007-08 season. In the sixth year of existence, 10 players earned their fourth appearance on the All-Academic squad. In addition, 28 are appearing for the third time, while 23 are being honored for the second time.

This season a pair of student-athletes from American International achieved perfection in the classroom. Junior Dean Yakura and sophomore Steve McLeod posted a perfect 4.0 in both the fall and spring semesters to garner the Top Scholar Athlete Award for the 2008-09 season. Yakura is a marketing major, while McLeod is majoring in Physical Therapy.

Both Yakura and McLeod earn spots on the Academic All-Star Squad at the forward position. The Academic All-Star Team contains the highest GPA’s at each position. There are three forwards, two defensemen and a goalie on the Academic All-Star Squad. Joining them along the frontline is junior Anton Kharin (3.92 GPA, Business) from RIT. On the blue line is another Yellow Jacket, as junior Frankie DeAngelis (3.92 GPA, Sports and Recreation Management) joins his teammates on the team. Junior Matt Fennell (3.981 GPA, Biology) from Mercyhurst is along side DeAngelis on the blue line. Sophomore Jay Clark (3.985 GPA, Undeclared) from Army in the squad’s net minder. Clark, Fennell and Yakura were honored last season on the Academic All-Star Team.

Of the 135 student-athletes that were recognized as member of the All-Academic Team this season, 73 were members of the 2007-08 squad, and 32 are freshman. RIT had a high of 22 members on the All-Academic Team with American International and Canisius following with 18 apiece. AIC had the most returning members on the All-Academic Team with 12, while RIT followed with 11 players that appeared on last year’s squad.

Of the 25 players that earned All-Conference and All-Rookie honors this past season, 16 of them were also named to the All- Academic Team. All six members of the Third Team All-Conference lead the way on the All-Academic Team, while four members of the First Team All-Conference were named to both. Three out of the six members of the Second Team All-Conference were named All-Academic, with three of the All-Rookie Squad garnering All-Academic honors.

To qualify for the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team an individual must post a 3.0 grade point average or higher in all of the academic periods during which his team was actively competing. Atlantic Hockey’s Top Scholar Athlete is an award given annually to the player or players who achieves the highest grade point average over the course of the academic semesters of competition.

The Atlantic Hockey Association was formed when nine institutions joined together in 2003, to found a new Division-I men’s ice hockey conference. The league currently consists of ten members: Air Force Academy, American International College, Army, Bentley College, Canisius College, the University of Connecticut, the College of the Holy Cross, Mercyhurst College, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Sacred Heart University. The addition of Niagara University and Robert Morris University for the 2010-11 season will bring the membership up to 12 teams.

2008-09 Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team

Air Force (10/3): Stephen Caple (Fr, G, Rice Lake, Wisc.); Matt Fairchild # (Jr, F, Ashburn, Va.); Greg Flynn # (Sr, D, Lino Lake, Minn.); Josh Frider (Sr, F, Moorhead, Minn.); Scott Mathis (Fr, D, Crystal Lake, Ill.); Mike Phillipich # (Sr, F, Lansing, Mich.); Andrew Volkening (Jr, G, Genoa, Ill.); Paul Weisgarber (Fr, F, Fargo, N.D.); Mark Williams (Fr, D, Potsdam, N.Y.); Kevin Wright (So, D, San Jose, Calif.)

American International (18/12): Nielsson Arcibal (Fr, F, Vista, Calif.); Tomas Benovic @ (So, D, Trencin, Slovakia); Chris Campanale # (Jr, F, Chester Springs, Pa.); Frankie DeAngelis # (Jr, D, Woodbridge, ONT); Rob Florentino (Fr, F, West Roxbury, Mass.); Josh Froese @ (Jr, F, Winkler, MAN); Andy Gevorkyan @ (Jr, G, Glendale, Calif.); Mike Little @ (So, D, Enfield, Conn.); Steve McLeod @ (So, F, Atikokan, ONT); Mike McMillan @ (Jr, F, Sault Ste Marie, ONT); Tom Mele (So, F, Bronx, N.Y.); Mike Penny (Fr, F, Calgary, ALB); Luciano Primiani (Fr, D, Montreal, QUE); Dan Ramirez @ (So, G, Rochester, N.Y.); David Turco @ (Sr, F, Sault Ste Marie, ONT); Greg Vatrano (So, F, East Longmeadow, Mass.); Matt Woodard $ (Sr, D, St. Louis Park, Minn.); Dean Yakura # (Jr, D, West Vancouver, BC).

Army (7/5): Jay Clark @ (So, G, Baudette, Minn.); Pat Copeland (So, D, Dexter, Ore.); Matt Hickey @ (Sr, F, Mendota Heights, Minn.); Josh Kassel $ (Sr, G, Greensburg, Pa.); Kyle Maggard (Fr, F, Cleveland, Ohio); Will Ryan $ (Sr, F, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.); Eric Sefchik # (Jr, G, Brooklyn, Ohio).

Bentley (16/7): Trent Bonnett (Fr, D, Butler, Pa.); Joe Calvi @ (So, G, New Lenox, Ill.); Anthony Canzoneri $ (Sr, F, Homer Glen, Ill.); Brandon Graffunder @ (So, D, Brooklyn Park, Minn.); Jeff Gumaer @ (Sr, F, Webster Grove, Mo.); Justin Kemmerer (Jr, D, Hershey, Pa.); Nick Moise (Sr, G, East Walpole, Mass.); Jamie Nudy (Fr, F, West Chester, Pa.); Anders Olson # (Jr, F, Edina, Minn.); Dain Prewitt $ (Sr, F, Westminster, Colo.); Tyler Quartuccio (Fr, D, Aurora, Colo.); Kyle Rank (Fr, G, Islip, N.Y.); Jeremy Robert @ (So, F, Maplewood, Minn.); Casey Russell (Sr, D, Orange, Conn.); Aaron Stonacek (Fr, F, Baschor, Kan.); Mike Switzer (Fr, D, Calgary, ALB)

Canisius (18/10): Taylor Anderson (So, G, Wetumpka, Ala.); Spencer Churchill $ (Sr, F, Brantford, ONT); David Cianfrini # (Jr, D, Dundas, ONT); Cory Conachey @ (So, F, Burlington, ONT); Derek Danowski (So, F, Warren, Mich.); Chris Forsman # (Jr, D, Powell River, BC); Carl Hudson (Jr, D, Smooth Rock Falls, ONT); Pat Kenney @ (So, F, Amherst, N.Y.); Ryan Klusendorf (Jr, F, Peoria, Ill.); Andrew Loewen # (Jr, G, Winnipeg, MAN); Peter MacDougall @ (Jr, G, Lunsden, SASK); Scott Moser (Fr, F, Tonawanda, N.Y.); John Patera # (Sr, D, Edina, Minn.); Phil Rauch @ (So, F, Temperance, Mich.); Eric Rex (So, F, Fairview, Pa.); Vincent Scarsella (So, F, Lackawanna, N.Y.); Jason Weeks (Jr, F, Seattle, Wash.); Matt Zuke @ (So, F, St. Louis Mo.).

Connecticut (4/3): B.J. Bayers @ (Sr, F, St. Louis, Mo.); Corey Jendras (Fr, F, Abingdon, Va.); Brendan Olinyk # (Jr, D, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisc.); Matt Turner @ (So, F, Colorado Springs, Colo.).

Holy Cross (17/10): Gianni Baldassari (Fr, F, Fort Wayne, Ind.); Matt Celin @ (So, D, Gibsonia, Pa.); Andrew Cox (Fr, F, Lombardy, ONT); Jordan Cyr (So, F, Winnipeg, MAN); Mike Daly (Fr, D, South Burlington, Vt.); Ian Dams # (Jr, G, Manotick, ONT); Marty Dams (Sr, D, Manotick, ONT); Matthew Davis (Fr, D, Lancaster, N.Y.); Jamie Jelinek @ (So, F, Great Falls, Va.); Charlie Lockwood @ (Sr, G, Breckenridge, Colo.); Peter Lorinser # (Jr, F, Marquette, Mich.); Shane McAdam $ (Sr, D, Hamitlon, ONT); Luke Miller (Fr, F, Andover, Mass.); Adam Roy @ (So, G, Feeding Hills, Mass.); Everett Sheen (So, F, Lethbridge, ALB); Dewey Thomson $ (Sr, F, Northbridge, Mass.); Mark Znutas @ (So, F, Emerson, N.J.).

Mercyhurst (11/8): Dan Bremner (So, F, Sarnia, ONT); Steve Cameron @ (So, F, Mission, BC); Cody Collins (Jr, F, Winfield, BC); Matthew Fennell # (Jr, D, Melford, SASK); Derek Fisher # (Jr, D, International Falls, Minn.); Neil Graham # (Jr, G, Calgary, ALB); Matthew Lundin @ (Sr, G, Apple Valley, Minn.); Kirk Medernach $ (Sr, D, Cudworth, SASK); Bobby Phillips $ (Sr, D, Carmel, Ind.); Scott Pitt (So, F, Ottawa, ONT); Chris Risi # (Jr, F, Thorold, ONT)

Rochester Institute of Technology (22/11): Brent Alexin # (Jr, F, West Seneca, N.Y.); Tyler Brenner (Fr, F, Linwood, ONT); Riley Clark (Fr, D, Saskatoon, SASK); Mark Cornacchia (Fr, F, Unionville, ONT); Matt Crowell # (Jr, F, Kelowna, BC); Jared DeMichiel (Jr, G, Avon, Conn.); Trevor Eckenswiller (Fr, D, Lions Head, ONT); Andrew Favot @ (So, F, King City, ONT); Chris Haltigin (Fr, D, Oakville, ONT); Mike Janda (So, F, Winfield, Ill.); Anton Kharin # (Jr, F, Twin Lake, Mich.); Scott Knowles (Fr, F, Riverside, ONT); Stevan Matic (Jr, F, Burnaby, BC); Al Mazur # (Jr, D, Burnaby, BC); Tyler Mazzei (So, F, Kelowna, BC); Sean Murphy @ (So, F, Rochester, Minn.); Jesse Newman # (Sr, F, Westbank, BC); Bobby Raymond # (Sr, D, Lucknow, ONT); Dan Ringwald # (Jr, D, Oakville, ONT); Jan Ropponen @ (So, G, Espoo, Finland); Brennan Sarazin # (Sr, F, Nepean, ONT); Dan Spivak (Fr, D, Thornhill, ONT).

Sacred Heart (13/4): Chris Bailer (Fr, D, Wetaskiwin, ALB); Anthony Barela (Sr, D. Beverly Hills, Calif.); David Berube @ (So, F, Quebec City, QUE); Stefan Drew $ (Sr, G, Oakbank, MAN); Matthew Gingera (Fr, F, Winnipieg, MAN); Eric Giosa (Sr, F, Northville, Mich.); Matthew Gordon (Jr, F, Lynnfield, Mass.); David Jarman (Jr, F, Toronto, ONT); Corey Laurysen # (Jr, D, Ottawa, ONT); Mike Rosata (Jr, F, Needham, Mass.); Olivier St. Onge @ (So, G, Wickham, QUE); Angelo Tsaganeas (Jr, G, Dumont, N.J.); Anthony Yelovich (Fr, F, Clifton, N.J.).

Top Scholar Athlete
Dean Yakura, American Int'l
Steve McLeod, American Int'l 

Academic All-Star Team
Jay Clark, G, Army
Frankie DeAngelis, D, American Int'l
Matt Fennell, D, Mercyhurst
Dean Yakura, F, American Int'l
Steve McLeod, F, American Int'l
Anton Kharin, F, RIT

@ -- Two-Time Honoree
# -- Three-Time Honoree
$ -- Four-Time Honoree