Juniors David Leggio and Nick Dodge, two key members of the fifth-ranked Clarkson University Hockey team, were honored for their efforts during the 2006-07 league campaign when they received ECAC Hockey League all-star honors at the conference’s annual awards banquet, held Thursday night at the Crowne Plaza in Albany, NY.
The backbone of the Golden Knights’ stingy defensive effort throughout the season, Leggio became Clarkson’s first recipient of the Ken Dryden Award, presented since 1996 to the ECACHL’s Goaltender of the Year, and the Knights’ first goaltender to earn first-team league accolades since John Fletcher’90 gained the honor in 1988.
Dodge, the Knights’ captain, also was named to the ECACHL First-Team, becoming the first forward for the Green and Gold to earn the honor since current NHL standout Erik Cole gained recognition in 1999.
Ranked among the top goaltenders in the country, Leggio owned the best save percentage (.927) and second-best goals against average (2.25) in ECACHL play while back stopping Clarkson to 13-5-4, second-place finish in the conference. The 5-11, 182-pound Williamsville, NY native boasts a 22-6-5 record (fifth-best winning percentage in the nation at .742) for the Golden Knights.
“Our accomplishments so far this year can be attributed to a lot of guys, and David certainly is a key reason for our success,” stated Clarkson’s head coach George Roll. “He really has had an outstanding junior campaign. Every time we need a key save, David responds. He does a good job of controlling the tempo of the game. He plays the puck exceptionally well and controls his rebounds. Even when we are not playing well, David has kept us in the game until the team got it going. He has given us the opportunity to stay in games and win games. David has certainly provided a lift when we needed it.”
Leggio enters the ECACHL Championship Tournament with a .931 save percentage (fifth-best in the NCAA), a 2.15 goals against average (10th) playing in 34 games. He combined for 64 saves in the sweep of Harvard in the quarterfinal series this past weekend at Cheel Arena, allowing just one goal through 120 minutes of playoff action to earn ECACHL Goaltender of the Week honors for the third time this season. He recorded his second shutout of the season and third of his career with 27 stops in the 3-0 Game 1 victory over the Crimson, and followed the next night with 37 saves, including a penalty-shot stop, in the 2-1 Game 2 win over the defending ECACHL Tournament champions.
Leggio had two 40-save efforts during the regular season, making 40 stops in a 4-2 win at St. Lawrence (1/23) and a season-high 42 saves in a 4-1 victory at Quinnipiac (2/24). He was named to the Badger Showdown All-Tournament team (12/29-30) after making a combined 56 saves on 60 shots in wins over Wisconsin (6-2) and Lake Superior (3-2). Along with being named Goaltender of the Week three times during the season, Leggio was also named seven times to the league’s weekly Honor Roll (10/10, 11/6, 1/2, 1/15, 1/29, 2/12, 2/26).
The leading scorer on Clarkson’s balanced offense, Dodge is a complete all-around player, who excels in all aspects of the game. The 5-10, 184-pound center from Oakville, ONT scored 20 points (8-12) in 19 ECACHL games and has 37 points, including a team-high 17 goals, through 33 games overall.
“Nick has fought through a number of injuries this year, yet continues to lead our team to its best season during my tenure,” remarked Roll. “Nick’s importance is not measured by the number of points he gets. He does so many of the little things well, the intangibles that make for a successful team. Nick is a complete leader and a difference maker who is used in every critical situation. He excels at both ends of the ice, wins key draws and is great on specialty teams. He is the top penalty-killer on our team and the leader on one of the top power plays in the country. The more you watch Nick play, the more you appreciate the impact he has on the game.”
Dodge has a team-high nine power-play markers to go along with one shorthanded tally and two game-winners, and is one of the top faceoff men in the ECACHL, winning 56% of his draws. He posts a +13 rating and has eight multiple-point games, including a power-play goal and one assist in the Game 1 victory over Harvard last Friday. Dodge was selected CSTV/HCA National Player of the Month for December and was named MVP of Badger Showdown after recording five points (4-1) in tourney, including his first career hat trick in the 6-2 win over Wisconsin (12/29). One of nine Knights to have been drafted, selected in 2006 by Carolina in the 6th round (183), Dodge leads all current Knights in career points with 96 (39-57) through 108 games.
Six Clarkson players were represented on the 2007 ECACHL All-Academic team. Dodge earned the honor along with seniors Matt Curley (Madrid, NY), Kyle McNulty (Wakefield, RI) and Brodie Rutherglen (Trail, BC), junior Mike Arciero (Avon, CT), and sophomore John Marshall (Victor, NY).
2006-07
ECACHL Men's Award Winners
Player of the Year - Drew Bagnall, St. Lawrence
Ken Dryden Award (Goaltender of the Year) - David Leggio, Clarkson
Co-Rookies of the Year - Sean Backman, Yale and Brandon Wong, Quinnipiac
Best Defensive Forward - Kyle Rank, St. Lawrence
Best Defensive Defenseman - Drew Bagnall, St. Lawrence
Tim Taylor Coach of the Year - Joe Marsh, St. Lawrence*
Turfer Athletic Trophy - St. Lawrence
Student-Athlete of the Year Finalists
Olivier Bouchard, Union
Andrzej Sandrzyk, St. Lawrence
Dan Shribman, Dartmouth
Student-Athlete of the Year
Olivier Bouchard, Union
First-Team All-League
G - David Leggio, Clarkson
D - Reid Cashman, Quinnipiac
D - Drew Bagnall, St. Lawrence*
F - David Jones, Dartmouth*
F - Kyle Rank, St. Lawrence
F - Nick Dodge, Clarkson
Second-Team All-League
G - Mark Dekanich, Colgate
G - Alex Petizian, St. Lawrence
D - Sean Hurley, Brown
D - Dylan Reese, Harvard
F - Tyler Burton, Colgate
F - Jeff Prough, Brown
F - Jesse Winchester, Colgate
Third-Team All-League
D - Ben Lovejoy, Dartmouth
D - Jake Luthi, Rensselaer
F - Sean Backman, Yale
F - Byron Bitz, Cornell
F - Brandon Wong, Quinnipiac
All-Rookie Team
G - Alex Petizian, St. Lawrence*
D - Alex Biega, Harvard
D - Brendon Nash, Cornell
F - Sean Backman, Yale*
F - T.J. Galiardi, Dartmouth
F - Brandon Wong, Quinnipiac
*unanimous selection
