March 8, 2007
Niagara Sweeps CHA Awards
CHN Staff Report
DES MOINES, Iowa — Niagara senior forward Sean Bentivoglio received the 2006-07 College Hockey America Player of the Year award at the CHA Banquet. Purple Eagles freshman Chris Moran was selected CHA Rookie of the Year, and NU head coach Dave Burkholder was named CHA Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.
All three awards were voted on by the head and assistant coaches of the CHA member institutions.
Alabama-Huntsville senior defenseman Shaun Arvai was voted CHA Student-Athlete of the Year by the athletic directors of the member schools. A unanimous First Team All-CHA selection this season, Arvai was also named to the CHA All-Academic squad for the third consecutive year. A business administration major, he finished third in league scoring among blueliners.
Bentivoglio, who played in all 36 regular-season games for Niagara, currently ranks in the top 10 nationally in both assists per game (0.83) and shorthanded goals (3). He finished second in league scoring (25 points) behind teammate Ted Cook's 26 points, while leading the conference in league assists (21).
Moran averaged more than a point per game in the league. He was tied-for-fourth in league assists and power-play assists while ranking first in assists and points by a rookie. He enters the CHA tournament ranked tied for seventh nationally in assists per game with 31 in 36 contests.
Burkholder led Niagara to its second consecutive CHA regular-season title and third in the program's history. The sixth-year head coach has led the Purple Eagles to five consecutive winning seasons in conference play.
