Kostuch Named Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week

Ice Hockey 3/19/2009 10:00:00 PM Canisius College Athletics

Kostuch Named Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Year

Canisius College freshman Dave Kostuch was honored with Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Year accolades at the league's banquet on Thursday. In addition, juniors Carl Hudson and Jason Weeks were both named to the All-Atlantic Hockey Third Team.

In his first season of collegiate play, Kostuch posted 32 points on a team-best 21 goals and 11 assists. The Richmond Hill, Ontario native currently ranks ninth nationally and first among all freshmen with 0.58 goals per game. He also tied for the team lead with eight power-play goals. Kostuch's 21 goals and eight power-play tallies are both one shy of the program's Division I record.

“This award is a great honor and means a lot to me,” Kostuch said. “Everything I did this summer and during the year ? working hard in practice, in games and in the weight room ? was not only to get better but also to try and win this award. Coming into the season, this was one of my goals and I am just very thrilled to get this award. I think my first season went well and there are things I would do differently but overall, I'm happy with what I was able to accomplish. For that, I have to give thanks to my teammates and my coaching staff who were there making this possible for me every day.”

Kostuch, who is the fourth Griff in four seasons to be named to the all-rookie team, started his rookie season strong from the beginning. The freshman was named the National Rookie of the Month by the Hockey Commissioners' Association in October. He also earned the league's rookie of the month honor once and rookie of the week honors twice during the season.

Hudson and Weeks are the first Griffs to earn all-conference honors since the 2004-05 season when goalie Bryan Worosz was named to the first team. The duo are also the first Canisius skaters to earn all-conference accolades since Derek Gilham and David Deeves were honored following the 1998-99 season.

Hudson totaled 23 points, 14 goals and nine assists during his junior campaign. His 14 goals are the most in Canisius' Division I history by a defender and he ranks second nationally among blueliners with 0.40 goals per game. Hudson also matched Kostuch for the team lead with eight power-play scores, the second-most in school history, and led the Griffs with five game-winning goals, the sixth-most in the country.

For his career, Hudson has accumulated 56 points, 30 goals, 26 assists and 20 power-play goals. His 56 points and 30 goals are the most in the program's Division I history by a defender, while his 20 extra-man scores rank second in the school's record book.

Weeks led the Griffs with 39 points on 14 goals and a team-best 25 assists this season. His 39 points are the second most since Canisius moved to Division I, while his 25 helpers are one shy of the school's standard. Weeks tallied seven power-play goals, two short-handed scores and two extra-attacker goals during his junior campaign. In Canisius' 5-1 victory over Sacred Heart on Jan. 31, Weeks registered the sixth hat trick in the Griffs' Division I history and became the first player to score an even-strength, power-play and short-handed goal in the same game.

During his career, Weeks has totaled 85 points, 41 goals and 44 assists. He ranks seventh in school history with his 85 career points, fourth with 41 career goals and eighth with his 44 career points. Weeks also owns the program's standard with six career short-handed goals and ranks fifth with 14 power-play goals.

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Players Mentioned

#2 Carl Hudson: D; 6' 1"; Junior

#8 Dave Kostuch: F; 5' 10"; Freshman

#16 Jason Weeks: F; 5' 8"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#2 Carl Hudson
: 6' 1"; Junior
: D

#8 Dave Kostuch
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: F

#16 Jason Weeks
: 5' 8"; Junior
: F

Players Mentioned

#2 Carl Hudson

#8 Dave Kostuch

#16 Jason Weeks

Players Mentioned

#2 Carl Hudson

#8 Dave Kostuch

#16 Jason Weeks