from USAFA
April 1, 2012
Weisgarber collects three awards; Kirby named MVP
At Air Force hockey banquet
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. Air Force senior Paul Weisgarber
earned three major awards and senior defenseman Tim Kirby was named
the most valuable player at the 2012 Air Force hockey banquet,
presented by the Falcon Blue Line Club, Sunday, April 1, at Embassy
Suites Hotel in Colorado Springs.
Weisgarber, a senior winger from Fargo, N.D., earned the Jim Bowman
Award as the team's top scholar-athlete, the Larry Cronk Award as the
most inspirational player and the Vic Heyliger Award for character,
dedication, leadership and work ethic. Weisgarber carries a 3.60
cumulative grade point average and has a 3.95 in his major of
management. A French minor and a team captain this season, he is also
a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS award. Weisgarber never missed
a game in his four years, setting a new school record with 155
consecutive games played. With two goals and two assists, he was
named to the AHA all-tournament team. His leadership as team captain
was critical to the team winning the regular season and tournament
titles. He finished the season with 24 points on six goals and 18
assists. The Heyliger and Cronk awards are voted on by the team while
the Bowman is chosen by the academic committee. The Heyliger is named
after the team's first coach while the Cronk and Bowman are named
after former coaches/athletic administrators who made major
contributions to the hockey program.
Weisgarber is the only player in school history to earn six major
awards in his career. He also won the Heyliger, Bowman and Cronk
awards as a junior. He is just the second player to ever win the
Heyliger Award in back-to-back seasons.
"For the most part, our competitive hockey days are over," Weisgarber
said following the loss to Boston College at the NCAA Tournament. "We
have obligations that are, in our opinion, a little bit more important
than hockey, and that is serving our country. We are proud to do that
and are ready to do that. We've had four years of top of the line
training with academics, the military and athletics, so we're ready to
take that next step and lead our country."
Kirby, a senior from Austin, Minn., earned the Chuck Delich Award as
the team MVP award. He is the first defenseman in the last 16 years,
and just the sixth in school history, to be named team MVP. The award,
voted on by the team, is named after the Falcons' all-time leading
scorer and the all-time leading goal scorer in NCAA history. Kirby
was named the AHA Player of the Year and a Hobey Baker finalist. He
was the top scoring defenseman in the league with 28 points. His 12
goals are the third most in the nation by a defenseman. Kirby, along
with Weisgarber, set a new school record by playing in 155 consecutive
games.
Freshman Scott Holm, from Plymouth, Minn., earned the most improved
player award as voted on by the team. Holm scored just three points in
his first 21 games. Then in his final 11 games, he had five goals and
two assists, including a four-game goal-scoring streak down the
stretch. He finished the season with six goals and four assists for 10
points.
Freshman Cole Gunner, from Richfield, Minn., earned the John Matchefts
Award as the team's top freshman. The award, voted on by the team, is
named in honor of the Falcons' second coach. Gunner was among the
nation's top freshman scorers all season. He finished the season with
28 points on eight goals and 20 assists, to rank fifth in the league
and 22nd in the nation. With two goals in the AHA Final Four, he was
named to the all-tournament team.
Sophomore forward Jason Fabian, from Roseau, Minn., earned the
defensive player of the year award. This award is presented to the
defensive player who the coaching staff feels was the team's most
diligent defensive performer. Defensive habits and skill with
plus-minus ratio are factors used to select the recipient. Fabian not
only embraced his role as a defensive forward, he excelled at it. He
blocked more shots than any other Falcon forward and was a +7 on the
season. He took more faceoffs than any other player and won a team
high 61 percent of them. He finished the season with nine goals and 14
points, including four points at the AHA Final Four to help lead the
Falcons to the tournament championship. He is the first forward to
ever win this award.
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Dave Toller
Assistant Athletic Director-Media Relations
U.S. Air Force Academy
Office: 719-333-3478
Cell: 719-200-2802
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