ESCHL Announces End of Season Awards

ANNAPOLIS, MD (Wednesday, February 20, 2008) - Navy seniors Donnie Horner and Nick Schwob, along with junior Matt Swezey, were among Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL) players earning major post-season honors, league commissioner Brian Moran announced today.
 
Horner was a co-recipient of the Sportsmanship Award and was named 2nd Team All-League.  The State College, PA native has accumulated just four penalty minutes while playing in all of Navy's 33 games this season.  "DH" has also scored five goals and assisted on 12 others as a defenseman after playing last season primarily as a forward. Thus far in his Naval Academy career, the Political Science major and this year's team president has accumulated 15 goals and 27 assists for 42 points in 92 games.
 
Schwob and Swezey joined Horner as 2nd Team All-League honorees.
 
Early this season Schwob broke into the Navy Hockey program's prestigious 100 point club and currently has recorded 23 goals and 15 assists for 38 points in 31 games played.  In his USNA career, the Buffalo, NY native and assistant team captain has so far racked up 76 goals and 47 assists for 123 points in 105 games.
 
Swezey has exploded offensively in the second semester after being moved from defense to a forward line.  In 32 games played thus far, the Cohoes, New York native has scored 24 goals and assisted on 21 others for a team-leading 45 points.  In two previous seasons as a freshman and sophomore, Swezey had scored eight goals and was credited with 15 assists for 23 points in 57 games.
 
"I am extremely proud of Donnie, Nick, and Matt for their outstanding achievements," said first year head coach Mike Fox.  "I think it's a tribute to this year's team, and to the Naval Academy's hockey program in general, that three of our players were among those honored by the league.  When you consider that three of the teams in our league are among the top eight teams nationally, it makes what Donnie, Nick, and Matt accomplished this season even more impressive.
 
"All in all, I think we had a good first year in this new powerhouse league," coach Fox added.  "While we all certainly would have liked to come up with a few more notches in the win column, we gave eventual league champion Penn State all they could handle in the semi-finals of the playoffs, which we were proud to host in our new facility.  It was a great start, and I know the best is yet to come for this program."
 
Navy still has four games remaining on its 2007-08 schedule.  The Midshipmen face Seton Hall this Saturday in New Jersey, then return home to host the Military Club Hockey Tournament at the McMullen Hockey Arena the weekend of February 29-March 2. 
 
The ESCHL awards announced today are as follows:

The Sportsmanship Award

Defense            #3            Keith Jordan, Penn State University

Defense            #12          Donnie Horner, United States Naval Academy

Rookie-of-the-Year

Forward            #26          Tim O’Brien, Penn State University

Most Valuable Player

Forward            #25          Mike Gardner, University of Delaware

Tournament Most Valuable Player

Forward            #27          Mike McMullen, Penn State University

Coach-of-the-Year

Mike DeAngelis                  University of Delaware

2nd Team All-League

Goalie              #35           Andrew Lisi, University of Rhode Island

Defense            #4            Matt Swezey, United States Naval Academy

Defense            #12          Donnie Horner, United States Naval Academy

Forward             #26         Justin Sexton, University of Delaware

Forward            #23          Kari Marttineen, University of Delaware

Forward            #22          Nick Schwob, United States Naval Academy

1st Team All-League

Goalie              #33           Nicholas Signet, Penn State University

Defense            #3            Keith Jordan, Penn State University

Defense            #6            Joe Baumgartner, University of Delaware

Forward             #25         Mike Gardner, University of Delaware

Forward            #9            Lukas Delorenzo, Penn State University

Forward            #26          Tim O’Brien, Penn State University