ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell men's hockey team held its annual postseason banquet last month at the Lake Watch Inn in Lansing, announcing its postseason award-winners for the 2018-19 season. Sophomore Morgan Barron took home the night's top honor by winning the Nicky Bawlf Award as the team's most valuable player.
 
Senior Mitch Vanderlaan, junior Connor Murphy and sophomore Kyle Betts won two awards each on the night, while Barron, senior Matt Nuttle, senior Alec McCrea, senior Brendan Smith, sophomore Tristan Mullin and freshman Michael Regush also received awards. Each award is voted upon by the players on the 2018-19 roster.
 
Barron had a breakthrough season for the Big Red, leading the team in points (34), goals (15) and power-play goals (seven). He became just the program's third forward to earn first-team honors on the All-ECAC Hockey team since 1987. Barron was also a first-team pick on the All-Ivy League team, and he was named one of three finalists for the ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Forward award. Barron's 34 points were the most for a Cornell men's hockey player since 2010.
 
For all of Cornell's winners of multiple awards – Vanderlaan, Murphy and Betts – one of those respective honors was the Wendall and Francelia Earle Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement. The annual award is presented to the member in each class who has achieved the highest cumulative grade point average, with this year's winner from the freshman class to be determined after the completion of the spring semester.
 
Vanderlaan's second honor was the Bill Doran Sportsmanship Award. A two-time captain, he was also nominated twice for the prestigious ECAC Hockey Student Athlete of the Year award, and he had just four minor penalties in 36 games this year.
 
Betts was presented the Joe DeLibero-Stan Tsapis Award for skilled efficiency, unselfish dedication and hard-nosed competitive desire. While he was tied for the team lead in postseason goals with three, Betts is regarded as one of the team's defensive centers. Frequently deployed in late-game situations when a lead in being protected, Betts won 53.9 percent of his faceoffs and was a key contributor on a penalty kill that ranked third-best in the country since Jan. 1 with a success rate of 90.3 percent. Betts was also presented an award to commemorate his scoring the team's lone shorthanded goal of the season.
 
The Cornell Hockey Association award, given annually to the player whose contributions to the team don't show up in the box score, but rather are in the form of energy, heart and hustle, went to Murphy. After playing in just 11 games during his first two seasons on East Hill, Murphy worked his way into 27 contests last year and scored a pair of goals to go with four assists. His effort level also helped him stay among the team leaders in drawn penalties throughout the season.

Nuttle was the recipient of the Sam Woodside Award for overall career improvement by a senior. An alternate captain in his final season at Cornell, Nuttle played just two games a freshman before working his way up the ranks to being one of the nation's plus-minus leaders in each of the last two years. Not only was he named the ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Defenseman, Nuttle also posted a career-high 19 points on four goals and 15 assists last season.
 
The Mark Weiss Memorial Award, which is awarded to a senior with a career-long dedication and passion for the sport of hockey, was presented to McCrea. A workhorse in the top four of the Big Red's vaunted blue line corps for all four seasons, McCrea's 137 collegiate games is the most for a Cornell men's hockey player since 2010. He posted a career rating of plus-41 while pitching in offensively with 49 career points. Already signed to a 2019-20 professional contract with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins, McCrea served as an alternate captain in his final season with Cornell.

Smith received the Ironman Award, which is presented to the player who, in spite of being bruised, broken, spliced, or other hurt, most demonstrates the will and determination to overcome injury and contribute to the team. The award was created in honor of Mike Schafer '86, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Men's Hockey. Smith was hindered by multiple injuries during his senior season, but still managed to play in 27 games.
 
The Crimson Cup award, which is given annually to the player who was the standout performer in the season series against rival Harvard, went to Mullin after his memorable night in December at Bright-Landry Hockey Center. With the Big Red playing without a handful of its key players due to injury, Mullin helped power Cornell to a pivotal 2-1 victory behind a pair of power-play goals in the second period. He drew the primary assist on Cam Donaldson's strike to tie the game, then he potted the winner on a goal-mouth scrum about six minutes later.
 
The Greg Ratushny Award for the most promising rookie went to Regush. He was tied for second on the team with 12 goals, and his 15 points was the most among the team's freshmen. Nine of Regush's goals came in ECAC Hockey play, which was tied for the league lead among first-years. Regush, who was twice named the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week, was the first Cornellian with six power-play goals in a season since current NHLer Riley Nash had seven during the 2007-08 season.
 
The Big Red will announce its captains for the 2019-20 season and the schedule at a later date.