UCHC regular season champion Utica University, the No. 1 team in the current USCHO.com national poll, who is set to host Nazareth College in the league championship game on March 4, garnered a pair of individual award winners and seven all-conference selections.
 
Stevenson sophomore forward Liam McCanney was named the 2022-23 UCHC Player of the Year. A native of Aldan, PA, McCanney is currently ninth nationally in points per game, averaging 1.48. He tallied 23 goals and added 17 assists for 40 points in 27 games. McCanney scored five power-play goals and added four game-winning tallies. He excelled in league play recording 18 goals and 14 assists in 20 UCHC contests. Overall, McCanney tallied at least a point in 22 games and 13 multiple-point outings. He ended the year on a 10-game point scoring streak (13-8-21). McCanney is Stevenson’s first UCHC Player of the Year.

Stevenson’s Ryan Kenny was named the UCHC Goaltender of the Year and garnered All-UCHC first team accolades for the second straight season. He enjoyed a tremendous senior season for the Mustangs, recording 13 wins, while recording a 2.23 goals against average and a .924 save percentage to go along with a pair of shutouts. Kenny, who also earned a silver medal for the United States at the World University Games in January, made at least 30 saves in nine contests this season. He is now 56-23-5 in his tremendous career between the pipes for Stevenson.

Chatham’s Caden Smith was named the conference’s Rookie of the Year. Smith enjoyed an excellent rookie season for the Cougars, as he currently leads all first-year players in Division III on a per game basis at 1.29 points per game. That figure also sits 25th nationally among all skaters. He has 31 points this season on 13 goals and 18 assists, recording at least one point in 19 of 24 games played. Smith tallied 25 points in 20 league games to lead all first-year skaters.

Utica’s Jayson Dobay was selected as the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2022-23 season. He becomes the third Pioneer to win UCHC Defensive Player of the Year alongside 2018 All-American Dalton Carter, Daniel Frtiz and 2022 All-American and current teammate Justin Allen. Dobay leads all Division III skaters with 32 assists and is second among all blueliners with 37 points. He is also plus-33 this season and is riding a 14-game point-scoring streak, with a remarkable 33 points (4-29-33) during that stretch.

Utica head coach Gary Heenan was named the Conference’s Coach of the Year by his peers for the second consecutive season and third time overall. Heenan has led the Pioneers to the No. 1 ranking in the USCHO.com Division III national poll for the past six weeks, a current record of 24-2-1 and a 20-0-0 record in conference play (58 of 60 possible points) for a team that won the UCHC regular season title for a sixth straight year. Utica, who is riding a 25-game unbeaten streak and 18-game winning streak, has advanced to the conference championship game for the fifth time in six seasons.
 
Utica defenseman Justin Allen was an All-UCHC first team pick for the third straight year. Fellow Utica standouts Dobay, Remy Parker and goaltender Bryan Landsberger joined Allen on the first team. Henry McKinney of UCHC Finalist Nazareth College also garnered All-UCHC first team accolades in addition to the Stevenson duo of McCanney and Kelly.

The full list of UCHC award winners is listed below.
 
2022-23 UCHC Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners
Player of the Year: Liam McCanney, Stevenson
Rookie of the Year: Caden Smith, Chatham
Goaltender of the Year: Ryan Kenny, Stevenson
Defensive Player of the Year: Jayson Dobay, Utica
Coach of the Year: Gary Heenan, Utica

First Team All-UCHC
Forward: Henry McKinney, Nazareth
Forward: Liam McCanney, Stevenson
Forward: Remy Parker, Utica
Defense: Justin Allen, Utica
Defense: Jayson Dobay, Utica
Goaltender: Ryan Kenny, Stevenson
Goaltender: Bryan Landsberger, Utica

Second Team All-UCHC
Forward: Austin Master, Stevenson
Forward: Mic Curran, Utica
Forward: Dante Zapata, Utica
Defense: Zack Conner, Chatham
Defense: Nick Prestia, Manhattanville
Defense: Kimball Johnson, Utica

All-Rookie Team
Forward: Drew Ianucci, Arcadia
Forward: Caden Smith, Chatham
Forward: Logan Tobias, Nazareth
Defense: Matthew Davies, Alvernia
Defense: Aidan McDowell, Stevenson
Goaltender: Sebastian Woods, Manhattanville
 
ABOUT THE UNITED COLLEGIATE HOCKEY CONFERENCE
The United Collegiate Hockey Conference is a collaborative effort between eleven institutions to provide a competitive environment and structure for NCAA Division III men's and women's ice hockey in the Eastern United States. Our membership encompasses a wide geographic area spanning from Central and Western New York to the greater Pittsburgh and Baltimore areas. In its fifth season, the UCHC will incorporate the efforts of ice hockey student-athletes from Arcadia University, Alvernia University, Chatham University, King's College, Lebanon Valley College, Manhattanville College, Nazareth College, Neumann University, Stevenson University, Utica College, and Wilkes University into their strong, but evolving membership that strives for on-ice excellence while also preparing student athletes for their off-ice futures. For more on the UCHC, visit the league's homepage at http://www.TheUCHC.com, or follow the league on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/UCHCHockey.