"I couldn't be happier about [being named Player of the Year]," Ouellette said. "I think the award is really a reflection of the team's success, and I feel very honored to be rewarded for all of our hard work."
Grant Lewis '07 and David Jones '08 were named to the first-team, while Nick Johnson '08 and Mike Devine '08 both received honorable mentions. For Lewis, it was the junior's second first-team selection in his career. He received the honor after his freshman campaign, as well.
In addition to Player of the Year honors, Ouellette, the Big Green's captain, was the only unanimous selection to the first-team. He led the Ivy League with 13 points in conference play, surpassing his performance last year when he received second-team honors. The senior racked up an impressive 31 points on 11 goals and 20 assists throughout the regular season, averaging more than one point per game.
Ouellette's two-to-one assist-to-goal ratio plainly illustrates the British Columbia-native's "team first" attitude and invaluable leadership.
"Mikey has been the back-bone of our team this whole year through all of the adversity that we have had to deal with," said Lewis, commending his teammate on his befitting honor.
"Before I came to Dartmouth and even last year, Mike didn't really receive all the credit and accolades that he deserved," added Jones. "He's been one of the best players to come through Dartmouth, and there is no guy more deserving of that award."
Of course, Jones is no slouch, either.
The second-year standout emerged as the driving force for Dartmouth's offense in the second-half of the season, tallying eight goals and 10 assists in the final 12 games of the year to finish 2005-06 with a team-leading total of 32 points. The sophomore was second in the Ivy League with 12 points.
"It's a great honor to receive the vote," said Jones. "The best part was being named to the first-team along with [Ouellette] who has been my linemate most of the season and really has had a huge part in my success and the team's this year."
Looking towards next week's playoff match-up, Jones will try to do everything possible to push his team into the semifinals.
"I just want to continue to play consistently and help my team in any way I can. I just don't want to have any regrets at the end of the season about where we could have been."
Lewis, whom Jones described as "the best defenseman in the entire league," was a clear favorite for the honor, collecting 10 assists and four goals on the year, all the while fortifying the Big Green defense.
"It was great to be named to the first-team," said Lewis. But the Pennsylvania-native was reluctant to take anything away from the performance of his team as a whole.
"The award could have gone to a number of people on our team, as everyone has worked hard all season long," continued Lewis. "Individual accolades have to come second to the team's achievements, and we all know that."
The biggest surprise of 2005-2006 may have been the play of first-year starting goalie Mike Devine '08. Devine took over for Sean Samuel '07 in the season's fourth game and never looked back. Dartmouth's net minder led the Ivy League in goals against average and winning percentage. For the year, Devine was 15-7-2, allowing 2.26 goals per game with a save percentage of .917.
"It's nice to get the honorable mention," said Devine. "I like the way things have gone for me as a starter. There are a few games I'd like to have back, but I'm happy with the consistency and my overall adjustment to being a starter for a Division-I team. I'm hoping that I keep improving as time goes on and that will help us succeed as a team."
Johnson, Dartmouth's other honorable mention, rose to prominence as the squad's rookie sensation last year with a team-leading 18 goals. Early this season, the sophomore struggled to find his niche, but eventually, early jitters subsided and Johnson resurfaced as an offensive force, finishing the regular season second in goals with 14. The third-round NHL draft pick in 2004 was third in the Ivy League in points.
"It felt good to be rewarded for this season," said Johnson. "Things started off poorly, but we kept our course and have turned it around."
The Big Green hopes that having the top-three scorers in the Ivy League will be enough to propel the team past either of its Ivy opponents next weekend and into the semifinals of the ECACHL tournament. Game One in the best-of-three series is set for a 7 p.m., start at Thompson next Friday night.
