Awards Ceremony Highlights Fan Appreciation Night
April 19, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Utica Comets News Release
The Utica Comets announced their inaugural season awards in a ceremony prior to Friday's game. Awards were handed out for that honored both the Comets play on the ice as well as their involvement within the community. Legendary head coach Tom McVie as well as NHL veteran Eric Weinrich were in attendance to present the awards named in their honor.
The Tom McVie Award for coach's most valuable player was given to both Pascal Pelletier and Cal O'Reilly. Pelletier leads the team in goals (21), assists (40) and points (61). He ranks near the top of the league leaders in assists and points and is the Comets lone 20-goal scorer this season. O'Reilly joined the team in November and has posted 44 points (7g, 37a) in 51 games. He leads the Comets with 22 power-play assists.
Alex Biega was given the Eric Weinrich Awards as the Comets best defenseman. He leads assists (19) and points (22) while he appeared in all but three games this year. He logged top minutes while he played on both the power-play and penalty-killing units all season.
Brandon DeFazio took home three awards that pay tribute to his heart, character and involvement in the community. He was voted by the fans as the Bill Horton Award-winner for his heart, while he was also named the Dave Armstong Award-winner as the Comets "Class Guy." DeFazio was also presented with the Thomas M. Lindsey Foundation Award by members of the Utica Police Department.
Goaltender Joacim Eriksson also received three awards for his play on the ice. He claimed the Dunkin' Donuts Three Stars Award for being named one of the three stars of the game the most this season. The Mohawk Valley media voted him as their "Player of the Year" and he was named the recipient of the Ian Anderson Award as the team's most improved player. Eriksson has posted 23 of the team's 34 wins to date and has made over 1,300 saves this season, third-most in the AHL.
An award for excellence in media coverage was given to John Pitaressi of the Observer Post-Dispatch. He provided top-notch coverage to the Comets all season and has a history of covering sports in the Mohawk Valley that dates back more than 40 years.
The Comets finish the season with a game tonight against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at 7 p.m. Season tickets for the 2014-15 season are now on sale through the Comets office for as low $425. Visit www.uticacomets.com for more information or call 315-790-9070.
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