Skidmore Hockey earns 7 ECAC East awards

After a record-setting season, the Skidmore College hockey team received a program-record seven ECAC East Awards when the All-Conference Teams were announced Friday, March 2.

Thoroughbred head Coach Neil Sinclair was named the ECAC East Men's Coach of the Year. Freshman goalie D. J. Delbuono (Westborough, Mass.) was the East Rookie of the Year and selected to both the All-ECAC East Second Team and the All-Rookie Team.

Senior forward Rob Hutchison (Waterville, N.Y.) and sophomore defenseman Phil McDavitt (Duxbury, Mass.) were All-ECAC East Honorable Mentions.

Freshman Matt Czerkowicz (Blackstone, Mass.) joined Delbuono on the All-Rookie team.

Sinclair, in his second season at Skidmore, guided the Thoroughbreds from a 6-18-1 record in 2005-06 to 16-8-2 overall mark this season. Skidmore was ranked nationally for three weeks during the season and hosted an ECAC East playoff game for the first time since moving to the conference during 1998-99.

Delbuono started 23 games, compiling a 13-7-2 record with a .922 save percentage and 2.54 goals against average. His achievements included a school-record three shutouts, being named the ECAC East Goalie of the Week three times, and selected as Rookie of the Week an additional two times.

Hutchison led the team in scoring with 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points. He played in a team-record 102 career games, scoring 44 goals with 53 assists for 97 points.

In his first season at Skidmore, McDavitt anchored the Thoroughbred defense. He had three goals and 10 assists for 13 points and helped the team lower its goals against from 4.93 in 2005-06 to 2.74 in 2006-07.

Czerkowicz was second on the team in scoring with 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points. He ranked fifth in the ECAC East and 17th nationally in freshman scoring.