In D-III where goaltending exceled this past season as well as in the NEHC conference where All-American caliber goaltenders are the competitive ante, Damon Beaver arrived as a first year at Hobart and all he did was backstop the Statesmen to their first ever national championship. Beaver played in 20 games and started 18 for Hobart while compiling a 1.04 goals-against average, a .955 save percentage, seven shutouts and finished 18-2-0 for Hobart. For his excellence and backstopping his team through the NEHC playoffs and the NCAA tournament, Beaver is this year’s USCHO Rookie of the Year.
“Nothing gets to him,” said Hobart head coach Mark Taylor. “Damon is just very focused on playing the puck and has great athleticism that enables him to move quickly and make big saves for us. He was the model of consistency all season and the guys love playing for him as you saw when the whole team jumped off the bench to celebrate the overtime win by going to our netminder first – and that included the guy who scored the overtime goal. It is about teamwork and team first and Damon embodies that when he practices and plays.”
Beaver is part of an expanded group of first year players being recognized this season just based on the extensive contributions these first-year players showed throughout their seasons. Here are this year’s All-USCHO Rookie Team players:
All-USCHO Rookie First Team
| Gage Dill | Curry | FR | F |
| Colby Seitz | Cortland | FR | F |
| Colton Friesen | Wisconsin – Superior | FR | F |
| Gramm McCormack | MSOE | FR | F |
| Mason Campbell | St. John’s | FR | D |
| Dakota Zarudny | Geneseo | FR | D |
| Trenton Heyde | Wisconsin – Stout | FR | D |
| Damon Beaver | Hobart | FR | G |
| Dylan Meilun | Wisconsin – Superior | FR | G |
All-USCHO Rookie Second Team
| Connor Wood | Skidmore | FR | F |
| Zach Dill | Salem State | FR | F |
| Ben Zimmerman | Hamilton | FR | F |
| Caden Smith | Chatham | FR | F |
| Jaden Condotta | Aurora | FR | D |
| Aidan McDowell | Stevenson | FR | D |
| Matt Connor | Curry | FR | D |
| Eli Shiller | Plattsburgh | FR | G |
| Kolby Thornton | Aurora | FR | G |
Sixteen different institutions across eight conferences are represented in this year’s fabulous first-year crop of players. Congratulations to all that were recognized and looking forward to bigger and better things in your second season next year.
