LANSING, N.Y. — The Cornell men's hockey team announced the winners of its annual awards at the 62nd Cornell Hockey Awards Banquet, hosted by the Cornell Hockey Association, last Friday evening (May 9) at the LakeWatch Inn.

Senior forwards Jack O'Leary and Sullivan Mack were the only Big Red players to be honored multiple times, receiving a pair of awards. Fellow seniors Kyler Kovich, Kyle Penney, Jimmy Rayhill, and Tim Rego, along with juniors Nick DeSantis and Jack O'Brien, sophomores Hoyt Stanley and Ryan Walsh, and freshman Charlie Major also took home awards.

O'Leary was named the winner of the Joe DeLibero/Stan Tsapis Award, which is given to the player who displays skilled efficiency, unselfish dedication, and a hard-nosed competitive desire, as well as the Mark Weiss Memorial Award, presented to a senior who exemplifies the determination and passion that the late Mark Weiss had for life and the sport. Scoring a career-high eight goals and matching his single-season high with 18 points, O'Leary was a fan favorite throughout his tenure on East Hill among the Lynah Faithful, generating a raucous roar each time his skates touched the ice at Lynah Rink.
Walsh was named the recipient of the Nicky Bawlf Award, given to the program's most valuable player, as the sophomore forward registered a team-best 31 points (17 goals, 14 assists) in 36 games played for the Big Red this season. His 17 goals were the most by a Cornell player since Joe Devin (17) in 2010-11. It was the first time an underclassman was named the team MVP since Morgan Barron following his sophomore campaign in 2018-19.

Kovich received the Sam Woodside Award, which is given to the senior player who has most improved in overall playing ability and demonstrated team leadership through his play during his Cornell career. Having a breakout senior season, Kovich recorded a career-high 14 points, powered by five goals and nine assists — all of which were single-season highs.

DeSantis and Rego shared the Crimson Cup, awarded to the most outstanding player(s) in the season series against the Big Red's bitter Ivy League rival, Harvard, after tying for the team lead in points (three) during the regular-season series against the Crimson. This marks the first time since the introduction of the award in 1990 that it has been presented to multiple recipients.

Scoring the final two goals in the Big Red's 4-1 win over the Crimson at Lynah Rink on Jan. 24, DeSantis became the first Cornell player to score multiple goals in a regular-season game against Harvard since Anthony Angello had a hat trick in Cambridge, Mass., on Jan. 26, 2018, and the first Cornell player to net multiple goals against Harvard in a regular-season game at Lynah Rink since Joe Devin on Nov. 7, 2009.

Rego scored one goal and added two assists during the regular-season series against Harvard, which included his two-point effort (goal, assist) in the Big Red's 2-2 tie with the Crimson at the Bright-Landry Hockey Center on Nov. 16. It was the first multi-point game by a Cornell defenseman in a regular-season matchup against the Crimson since Sam Malinski on Nov. 5, 2021.

Rayhill was honored with the Cornell Hockey Association Award for the second consecutive season. This honor is bestowed upon a player who demonstrates enthusiasm, dedication, desire, and an unselfish willingness to provide the team with extra energy. He is the eighth player to earn the award multiple times and the first since Eric Freschi (2016 and 2017). Other multiple winners include Brian Cornell (1968 and 1969), John Olds (1980 and 1982), Chris Norton (1987 and 1988), Jamie Papp (1996 and 1997), Jeff Oates (1998 and 1999), and Tyler Mugford (2007 and 2009).

Penney received the Iron Man Award after participating in 25 games during the season, having missed nine games between Nov. 30 and Jan. 18. He scored seven points overall, which included six goals.

Major received the Greg Ratushny Award for being the program's most promising freshman player. In his first year on East Hill, Major accumulated 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) while appearing in 28 games. After returning to the lineup in mid-February following an eight-game absence due to injury, Major registered 12 of his 18 points on the season (four goals, eight assists), which included multi-point efforts against Brown (1-1—2 on Feb. 14), St. Lawrence (0-2—2 on Feb. 22), Colgate in the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals (0-2—2 on March 14), and against top-ranked Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament (1-1—2 on March 27).

Rounding out the accolades on the night, senior goaltender Ian Shane and junior goaltender Remington Keopple were recognized for the four shutouts they achieved during the season. Shane shut out Princeton (Nov. 23), St. Lawrence (Feb. 22), and Colgate (March 15), while Keopple's first career shutout occurred in the Big Red's regular-season finale against RPI (March 1). Junior forward Dalton Bancroft recorded the program's only hat trick of the season in the Big Red's 6-0 shutout of St. Lawrence on March 22, which marked Mike Schafer '86's final regular-season home game. Bancroft led Cornell in short-handed goals, scoring two of the Big Red's four goals while a man down. Penney and Kovich were the other two players who scored short-handed goals this year.