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The SUNYAC announces the 2025 men's ice hockey top awards which are nominated and voted on by the conference coaches.
The honors include the Herb Hammond Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Goaltender of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Coaching Staff of the Year.
The SUNYAC ice hockey final is set for Saturday, March 8 at 7 p.m. with No. 1 Oswego hosting No. 4 Plattsburgh.
Herb Hammond Co-Player of the Year - Nate Berke, Cortland
Berke led the league with 19 points and was second with 13 assists in 14 conference games. Overall Berke also led the conference with 39 points, was ranked second with 23 assists and 16 goals and tied fourth with 3 game-winning goals. The graduate student helped lead the Red Dragons to a 12-2 finish in the regular season to take the No. 1 spot going into postseason play. The team advanced to the semifinals, but lost to Plattsburgh in overtime, 4-3. Cortland finished the 2024-25 season with a 19-7 overall record.
Herb Hammond Co-Player of the Year and Goaltender of the Year - Ronan Mobley, Cortland
Junior goaltender, Mobley led the league with a 1.70 goals-against average and .923 win percentage (12 wins) in conference competition this season. He had a season high 36 saves against Fredonia on February 1. Overall, Mobley also led the SUNYAC with 17 wins maintaining an .810 win percentage. He totaled 527 saves in 1296:26 minutes played over 23 games.
Herb Hammond coached at Oswego (1969-80) and Plattsburgh (1981-83), compiling a 176-122-5 mark for the Lakers and a 52-17-4 record for the Cardinals. He was named the 1982 Division III Coach of the Year. From 1983-88, Hammond coached at Division I Brown University before leaving coaching to become a National Hockey League scout for 11 seasons. Hammond passed away on July 22, 2009.
Defensive Player of the Year - Travis Baker, Oswego
Baker helped lead the Lakers to a 9-4-1 regular season conference record to take the No. 2 seed going into SUNYAC postseason play. He had an on-ice rating of +6 in 14 conference games and +18 overall in 26 games. Baker totaled 10 points in conference competition and 25 overall. He had a season high of three goals against Canton on January 14 and a season high three assists on January 3. Oswego finished the 2025 season with a 15-8-3 overall record.
Rookie of the Year - Ryan Burke, Oswego
Burke led the SUNYAC with 14 assists and was second with 18 points in 14 conference games. Overall Burke totaled 36 points on 10 goals and 26 assists in 26 games. He was ranked fourth with an on-ice rating of +10 in conference play and ranked third with a +21 rating overall. The freshman had a season high of four assists against Canton on February 21.
Co-Coaching Staff of the Year - Buffalo State
Steve Murphy, the Bengals head coach since 2015, is assisted by Marcus Gloss and Dan Yustin. The staff coached their team to a 9-5 conference record to earn the No. 3 seed going into postseason play. The team advanced to the SUNYAC semifinals and finished the season 16-11 overall which is seven wins more than last season. Three Buffalo State athletes were recognized on either the 2025 All-Conference or All-Rookie teams.
Co-Coaching Staff of the Year - Cortland
Head coach Joe Cardarelli, in his 11th season, is assisted by Nick Harper, Conor Tierney and Paul Quinlan. The staff led the Red Dragons to a 12-2 regular season conference record to earn the top seed going into the SUNYAC tournament. The team advanced to the semifinals, but ended their season 19-7 overall. Four Cortland athletes were named to the 2025 All-Conference teams including the Co-Players of the Year, Nate Berke and Ronan Mobley. Two others were named to the SUNYAC All-Rookie team. This is second time that Cortland men's ice hockey has been recognized as the SUNYAC Coaching Staff of the Year (honored in 2012-22).
