PC’s Nate Leaman Named Hockey East Coach of the Year, Jankowski and Walman Make 1st Team
PC news release…
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Hockey East Association announced its 2015-16 All-Star teams, as voted by the league’s 12 head coaches, Thursday night (March 17) at the annual Hockey East Awards Banquet at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Providence College senior forward Mark Jankowski (Dundas, Ontario) and sophomore defenseman Jake Walman (Toronto, Ontario) were named First Team Hockey East All-Stars, while Head Coach Nate Leaman was named the Bauer/Bob Kullen Award as Hockey East Coach of the Year. Junior goaltender Nick Ellis earned Honorable Mention All-Star recognition.
Jankowski leads the Friars with 40 points (15-25-40) and ranks fifth overall in the Hockey East with 26 points in 22 league games. He became the first Friar to reach the 40-point plateau since Jon DiSalvatore, Devin Rask, and Peter Fregoe all hit the mark in 2002-03. Jankowski also became the 51st member of the program to hit the 100-point milestone.
In 27 games this season, Walman has recorded 13 goals and 15 assists. The 28 points rank second in the Hockey East and fifth nationally among defensemen. The sophomore currently tops all NCAA defensemen in goals (13), points per game (1.04), power play goals (8), and game-winning goals (4).
Walman is just 1-of-4 NCAA defensemen to record a hat trick in 2015-16, as he notched three goals and an assist at Colgate on Oct. 30. His four goals and two assists during that weekend at Colgate netted the sophomore Hockey East Player of the Week, CHN Player of the Week, and NCAA First Star honors.
Providence boasts two First Team Hockey East All-Stars for the first time since 1991-92 (Rob Gaudreau and Mike Boback).
Ellis (Millersville, Md.) notched his second Defensive Player of the Week honor this season on Monday and is a two-time Hockey East Goaltender of the Month honoree after stellar performances during the months of December and February.
In Providence’s two-game sweep over Merrimack in the Hockey East Quarterfinals, Ellis stopped 45-of-46 shots on goal in posting a 0.50 GAA and .978 save percentage, including his fourth shutout of the season. During the Friars’ current 10-game winning streak, he has recorded NCAA leading numbers with a 1.06 GAA and .958 save percentage. Ellis has totaled four shutouts this season and 25 games of allowing two or fewer goals.
Head Coach Nate Leaman is the second Friar coach to earn Hockey East Coach of the Year honors, joining Paul Pooley (2000-01) as the other coach to win the award. Leaman (106-63-23) became the fastest Providence head coach to reach 100 wins and has posted 20-plus wins in three consecutive seasons at the helm.
Under Leaman’s guidance this season, Providence has amassed the second-most wins in program history (27) and recorded the best record at Schneider Arena in team history (15-1-2, .889).?
