Oswego State senior forward Paul Rodrigues (Etobicoke, Ontario) has been recognized by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) as the 2013 winner of the Sid Watson Memorial Award, which is symbolic of the nation's best Division III men's hockey player.
The award was announced at a banquet held Thursday evening, March 14, in conjunction with this weekend's NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Championships in Lake Placid.
Rodrigues, the 2013 SUNYAC Herb Hammond Most Valuable Player, led the conference with 25 points on five goals and 20 assists. Nationally, he is tied for the Division III lead in assists with 30 and ranks second in points (45) and points per game (1.61). Over the course of his four-year career, Rodrigues has tallied 132 points on 49 goals and 83 assists in 110 games.
"Paul's speed has allowed him to wreak havoc on the fore-check, make goalies think twice about playing the puck behind the net and torment the opposition's defenders from the first puck drop to the final horn," coach Ed Gosek said. "His unselfishness and skill set make him a top scoring option on one of the most lethal power-play units in Division III. He plays every shift with the intensity that it may be his last."
Rodrigues is the first player in SUNYAC history to receive the award since it started being awarded in 1993. Rodrigues is also believed to be the first Oswego State athlete in department history to be named National Player of the Year in any sport.
The award is named in honor of former Bowdoin College head coach Sid Watson, a three-time winner of the Edward Jeremiah Award as Division III Coach of the Year. Watson won 326 games at Bowdoin in a career that spanned from 1959 to 1983.
