Seven NESCAC Skaters Garner New England Hockey Writers Honors

Courtesy Northeastern Sports Information

BOSTON, Mass. – A total of seven skaters from the NESCAC have been honored by the New England Hockey Writers association on the inaugural Division II/III All-Star team. Trinity College senior goaltender Isabel Iwachiw was named New England’s Division II/III Women’s Player of the Year after stringing together an 18-5-2 mark.

Along with Iwachiw from the Bantams on the All-Star team were defender Laura Komarek and forward Kim Weiss. Amherst also had three players earn honors with blue liners Kirsten Dier and Randi Zukas in addition to forward Geneva Lloyd. Middlebury's Anna McNally rounded out the conference players on the team.

The first player from Trinity to ever win NESCAC Player of the Year, Iwachiw played in 25 games this season, compiling a personal record of 18-5-2 with a 1.22 goals against average and a save percentage of .957. Iwachiw also earned First Team All-America honors for the second time in her career (2008), and earlier this year received All-NESCAC First Team recognition for the second time. Her career statistics are an impressive 1.75 GAA in 81 games, with a .938 save percentage. Her career won-lost record is 48-25-8. She was named the Laura Hurd award winner in 2009-10, given to the top player in all of NCAA Division III women’s ice hockey as chosen by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA), and was also a First Team All-America honoree.

The only holdover from the 2009 First Team, Weiss finished third among her teammates in scoring with 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points, surpassing the 27 she posted during her first year. The junior forward found her name on the stat sheet in 19 of Trinity’s last 22 games, tying her personal best for points on Dec. 8 with two goals and an assist in a win over Wesleyan. Against conference foes, Weiss was fifth in scoring with an even nine goals and nine assists for 18 points.

The top blue-liner in the conference in both points (31) and power-play points (19), Komarek enjoyed a career year on the ice with a league-leading 26 assists along with five goals. Four of Komarek’s five tallies have come while the Bantams have been on the power play, as she was part of a extra attacker unit that ranked third in the conference with a 23.3 percent conversion rate. Twice this winter she netted four points - an individual high for her - with a one-goal, three-assist performance in a win over Colby on Jan. 23 as part of a nine-game scoring streak, followed by four assists in a victory against Nichols on Feb. 6. As impressive as her offense has been, Komarek also bolstered the conference’s best defense, as the Bantams surrendered  only 33 goals in 28 games, a 1.18 average.

An All-NESCAC First Team selection in 2010 and a two-time Second Team member in the previous two years, Zukas had her best year in terms of points production, registering six goals and 23 assists for 29 points through 27 appearances for the Jeffs. Dier capped her senior season with a spot on the All-Conference Second Team, tallying seven goals and 15 assists in 26 games. Dier is also one of thee individuals among the seven finalists for the 2010 Hockey Humanitarian Award, given annually to college hockey's finest citizen. Playing in 28 of the Jeffs’ 29 contests, Lloyd moved from defense to forward at the beginning of February and flourished in her new role, recording 15 of her team-leading 30 points in the final 11 games of the season. Her scoring totals were tops for league rookies and third among all skaters. All three players helped the Jeffs successfully defend their NCAA title on March 20 with a 7-2 win over Norwich in the title game.

McNally finished her season as the conference leader in scoring with 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points, matching the 37 she recorded in her first year with the Panthers. McNally played a part in all of Middlebury’s goals during a 5-0 victory at Colby on Nov. 29, scoring two and helping out on the other three. She was named NESCAC Rookie of the Year and earned First Team honors in 2008 before returning to the First Team this year.

This year’s banquet will be held on Tuesday, April 13 at the Prince Restaurant in Saugus, Mass. The banquet will start
at 6 p.m. All awards and All-Star teams will be presented at the gala. All coaches, student-athletes, family members
and friends are encouraged to attend Tuesday’s banquet. Contact Pete Souris at (781) 245-2122 for information on
attending this event. Cost is $35 per person.