Vicki Bendus (Contributed/Mercyhurst College)
DETROIT, Mich. – Junior Vicki Bendus of the top-ranked Mercyhurst College women’s hockey team was named College Hockey America Player of the Year Thursday evening at the 2010 CHA Tournament Banquet, held at Ford Field in Detroit.
Bendus, who was also named a First Team All-CHA honoree, highlighted a list of six Lakers that earned postseason honors. Juniors Jesse Scanzano, Melissa Lacroix and Cassea Schols and sophomore Bailey Bram joined Bendus as first team all-CHA selections while freshman Samantha Watt landed a spot on the all-CHA rookie team.
Additionally, Bram was honored as Mercyhurst’s and the conference’s three-star award winner.
Bendus led the conference in scoring with 11 goals and 15 assists through 16 games. She registered two game-winning goals and a short-handed score to go along with two power-play markers and a plus-23 rating. For the season, she finished the team’s 32-game slate with a NCAA Division I-leading 60 points (26 goals, 34 assists).
Scanzano placed second behind Bendus with nine goals and a conference-best 16 assists for 25 points. She also led the CHA with three short-handed goals, which included the man-down marker that broke the NCAA record against Wayne State Feb. 20. With non-conference statistics, the Montreal, Quebec, native posted 19 goals and 37 assists for 56 points.
Bram, who tied Syracuse’s Isabel Menard for the third forward spot, ranked third in conference scoring with eight goals and 14 assists through 13 games played. She recorded a conference-high four game-winning goals, and recorded three power-play markers. Overall, she finished the regular season with 25 goals and 24 assists for 49 points.
Lacroix ranked seventh in overall scoring and first among blueliners with four goals and 10 assists. She averaged 0.88 goals per game through 16 contests and posted a +16 rating. For the season, she supplied Mercyhurst with five goals and 24 points.
Schols tallied two goals and eight assists for 10 points through 16 games. Along with her offensive statistics, the Edmonton, Alberta, product registered the highest plus-minus rating among defensemen and the second-best among all skaters at +21. In 32 games, Schols produced four goals and 20 assists for 24 points.
Watt highlighted the Lakers on the all-rookie team after scoring a goal and an assist through 14 games. Against CHA competition, she registered a +14 rating and helped hold opponents to just over a goal a game (1.22). Overall, she scored two goals and tallied 10 assists for 12 points.
Mercyhurst opens play at the CHA Tournament with a 4 p.m. contest against Robert Morris on Friday at City Sports Center Arena.
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