Geneseo Goaltender Devin McDonald Wins Sid Watson Award As 2019 AHCA Division III Men's Player of the Year
Devin McDonald, a senior goaltender from Geneseo and Calgary, AB, has been chosen by the nation's ice hockey coaches as the 2019 winner of the Sid Watson Award, symbolic of the best NCAA Division III men's ice hockey player. McDonald has compiled a record of 23-1-2 with a miniscule 1.12 goals against average and a .920 save percentage.
Behind McDonald's superb goaltending, coach Chris Schultz and the Knights captured the SUNYAC championship with a 4-3 win over Oswego on March 2 and opened NCAA play with an 8-2 win over Manhattanville this past Saturday. Next up is a 3:00 semifinal match-up with Norwich on Friday afternoon in Stevens Point, WI.
McDonald has been a factor from his freshman year when he played 25 games and earned Third Team All SUNY recognition, an honor he also received last year as a junior. Entering the NCAA Tournament, his career numbers in 97 games are a 2.05 GAA, a .921 save percentage and a win-loss record of 70-13-13. This year he was named a First Team CCM/AHCA All American.
"Devin has established himself over the course of four seasons as one of the best players in college hockey," said Geneseo head coach Chris Schultz. "He has a tremendous passion for the game and has earned himself the reputation of rising to the occasion in the big moments. With Devin in goal, it has solidified our defense first mind set, which has allowed us to get on the offense, have the ability to play creatively, and be confident that if something breaks down, and we need a save, that Devin will bail us out. Devin's worth to our program cannot go understated. Beyond his on ice importance, Devin has also become a pillar within our tight-knit community and has quickly become a fan favorite among that community, Jr. Ice Knight program, and within our on campus community itself."
The runner-up for this year's Sid Watson Award was Brady Fleurent, a senior forward from the University of New England and Biddeford, ME.
Sponsored by the American Hockey Coaches Association, the Sid Watson Award honors the memory of former Bowdoin College head coach and athletic director Sid Watson. A three-time AHCA Coach of the Year, Watson served Bowdoin for more than 30 years, winning 326 games in 24 seasons as head coach.
Winners of the Sid Watson Award AHCA Men's Ice Hockey Division III Player of the Year |
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1993 | Frank Cirone | Wisconsin-Stevens Point | Forward |
1994 | Ray Alcindor | Middlebury | Forward |
1995 | Charlie Gaffney | Bowdoin | Forward |
1996 | Ian Smith | Middlebury | Defense |
1997 | Steve Toll | RIT | Forward |
1998 | Mark Spence | Middlebury | Forward |
1999 | Rob Smillie | St. Norbert | Forward |
2000 | Steve Aronson | St. Thomas | Forward |
2001 | Keith Aucoin | Norwich | Forward |
2002 | Jerry Galway | RIT | Defense |
2003 | Maris Ziedins | St. Norbert | Forward |
2004 | Kevin Cooper | Middlebury | Forward |
2005 | Kurtis McLean | Norwich | Forward |
2006 | Adam Hanna | St. John's | Goalie |
2007 | Andrew Gallant | Manhattanville | Goalie |
2008 | Kyle Jones | St. Norbert | Goalie |
2009 | Jeff Landers | Amherst | Defense |
2010 | David Martinson | Gustavus Adolphus | Forward |
2011 | Chris Berenguer | Hamline | Defense |
2012 | Jonathan LaRose | Amherst | Goalie |
2013 | Paul Rodrigues | SUNY Oswego | Forward |
2014 | David Jacobson | St. Norbert | Goalie |
2015 | Drew Fielding | St. Thomas | Goalie |
2016 | Jamie Murray | Babson | Goalie |
2017 | Evan Buitenhuis | Hamilton | Goalie |
2018 | Colin Larkin | UMass Boston | Forward |
2019 | Devin McDonald | Geneseo | Goalie |