106 Student-Athletes Earn Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Recognition

June 13, 2005

ATLANTIC HOCKEY ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM ANNOUNCED
106 Student-Athletes Make the Grade in 2004-05
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Success on the ice was equally matched in the classroom for the members of Atlantic Hockey this past season. A total of 106 student-athletes made the second edition of the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic team for the 2004-05 academic year, an increase of over 20% from last season’s total of 87 student-athletes.

Sacred Heart rookie forward Nick Kary earned the Atlantic Hockey Top Scholar-Athlete award, posting a league-best grade point average (GPA) of 3.94. A native of Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Kary majors in Finance at Sacred Heart, and participated in 25 games overall during 2004-05 for the Pioneers, collecting four goals and seven assists for eleven points.

Kary was one of three Pioneer forwards selected to the Atlantic Hockey Academic All-Star team (best GPA by position), as junior teammates Erik Roos and Brad Holland earned recognition for their academic performance. Canisius’ Josh Zavits along with Mercyhurst’s Preston Briggs edged out the rest of the defensive corps as the top blueliners academically, while the Golden Griffins’ Max Buetow joined Jamie Holden of Quinnipiac as the top goaltenders academically. Holden and Zavits, both seniors, were repeat performers on the Academic All-Star team, having received recognition for the 2003-04 season. Collectively, the group of seven posted a GPA of 3.87.

Of the 106 student-athletes that were recognized as members of the All-Academic team this season, 60 were members of the 2003-04 squad, and 29 student-athletes were freshman. Sacred Heart had the most representation of student-athletes on the list with a total of 19 players, and each member of Atlantic Hockey either matched or surpassed last season’s numbers. Canisius had the highest number of returning student-athletes this season on the All-Academic team, as 13 out of 15 skaters received recognition last season.

Notable members of the 2004-05 All-Academic team include Pierre-Luc O’Brien (Sacred Heart) and Bryan Worosz (Canisius), both of whom earned Atlantic Hockey All-Conference First Team recognition in 2004-05. Four of the six members of the Atlantic Hockey All-Conference Second Team were members of the All-Academic team this season, along with two All-Rookie team selections.

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

The Atlantic Hockey Association arose when the nine current members joined together on June 30, 2003, to found a new Division-I men’s ice hockey conference. The league includes American International College, Army, Bentley College, Canisius College, the University of Connecticut, the College of the Holy Cross, Mercyhurst College, Quinnipiac University, and Sacred Heart University.

Team Name (Total/Returning)

American International (6/3)

Army (8/2)

Bentley (14/8)

Canisius (15/13)

Connecticut (4/2)

Holy Cross (11/4)

Mercyhurst (13/9)

Quinnipiac (16/9)

Sacred Heart (19/10)

Academic All-Star Team

Max Buetow, G, Canisius

Jamie Holden, G, Quinnipiac

Preston Briggs, D, Mercyhurst

Josh Zavits, D, Canisius

Brad Holland, F, Sacred Heart

Nick Kary, F, Sacred Heart

Erik Roos, F, Sacred Heart

* Two-Time Honoree