Wojtala, Klann garner major men’s ice hockey awards

salvetoday Posted On February 16, 2018
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The Commonwealth Coast Conference has named Blake Wojtala ’19 goaltender of the year and Zech Klann coach of the year for men’s ice hockey. Wojtala was also named to the all-conference team, where he was joined by fellow Seahawks Jack Billings ’20, Nick Cyr ’19, Danny Eruzione ’21 and Vincenzo Renda ’21.

Klann led Salve Regina to a remarkable regular season in his first year as head coach. His team posted a 14-2-2 CCC (19-4-2 overall) record and claimed the regular season conference championship. Salve Regina is currently ranked No. 5 nationally in Division III polling. In total, the Seahawks went 7-1 against ranked teams this season.

“I am honored to receive this award which acknowledges the hard work of the players and coaching staff,” Klann said. “I am very proud of the players. The recognition is well deserved and is great for our program.”

A first team all-conference selection, Wojtala was one of the best goaltenders in the nation during the regular season and currently boasts the fourth best save percentage in Division III at .938. He also has a league-best 17 wins and the league’s lowest goals-against average at 1.94. Wojtala has started all 23 games for the Seahawks.

A second team all-conference forward, Billings currently ranks fourth in the nation in points per game scoring. During the regular season, he totaled 17 goals and 24 assists. His 41 total points (1.64 points per game) set a new program record for points in a single season. Billings also netted the most game-winning goals (6) in the nation during the regular season.

A third team all-conference defenseman, Cyr was a team-best +24 this season while chipping in one goal and 13 assists. His plus/minus ranked fourth among all skaters in the conference and third among defensemen. His 13 assists also ranked fourth in the conference among defensemen.

A third team all-conference forward, Eruzione ranked sixth in the nation in points per game for freshmen. He was second on the Seahawks in scoring, netting nine goals and 19 assists for 28 total points.

A second team all-conference defenseman, Renda was the fourth leading scorer in the conference. He scored two goals and dished out 18 assists for 20 total points while boasting a +23, the fifth highest in the conference among all skaters.

The Seahawks open the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the conference Saturday, Feb. 17 when they host Western New England University at 4 p.m. at Portsmouth Abbey School.