BUTLER EARNS HOCKEY EAST SCORING CHAMPIONSHIP, THREE-STAR AWARD; ‘CATS COLLECT CHARLIE HOLT SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD

WAKEFIELD, Mass. – Senior forward Bobby Butler (Marlboro, Mass.) earned the Hockey East Humboldt Storage and Moving Co-Scoring Championship, as well as the Hockey East Three Stars Award for the 2009-10 season. In addition, the Wildcats were honored as the 2010 Charlie Holt Team Sportsmanship Award, given annually to the least penalized team in Hockey East. The first round of awards was announced Wednesday, March 17 by the league office. The Hockey East All-Star Team, Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year will be announced at the league’s awards banquet Thursday, March 18 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge.

Butler, a Hobey Baker Award hopeful, finished tied with Maine’s Gustav Nyquist for the league’s scoring title with 41 points. However, Butler ran away with the goal-scoring category with 21 goals, three more than BC’s Cam Atkinson, six more than the next closest player in Hockey East and nine goals ahead of Nyquist. Butler is the first player in Hockey East since Jason Krog (20g, 33a) to record 20 goals and 20 assists in league play in a single season. In addition Butler and Nyquist are the first players to post 40 points in league play since BC’s Ben Eaves (42) in 2002-03. Butler is also the first player to have 20 goals in league play since Colin Hemingway had 23 goals in 2001-02. For more information on Butler, check ButlerforHobey.com.

Hockey East proudly recognizes an entire team for its sportsmanlike play with the Charles E. Holt Sportsmanship Award, named after the former UNH coach. This award is given to the team which receives the lowest average penalty minutes per game over the course of regular season Hockey East play. The Team Sportsmanship Award was established by the league’s directors in 1992 and was renamed to honor Holt in 1998. The award is in the form of a shadow box with etched glass depicting the image of New Hampshire’s legendary coach. New Hampshire earns the award bearing the name of its former coach for the fifth time in program history and first time since the 1999-00 season. UNH’s 8.8 penalty minutes per game are the fewest ever for the winner of this award. The Wildcats are the least penalized team in all of Division I college hockey with just 9.6 pmpg.

In addition, UNH’s Paul Thompson (Derry, N.H.) was announced as the runner-up for the Gladiator Hockey Best Defensive Forward just behind UMass-Lowell’s Ben Holmstrom.

New Hampshire awaits the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday, March 21 (11:30 a.m.) on ESPN2 for the announcement of the tournament field to see if it has earned an at-large bid in the 16-team field.