Freshman forward Stephen Miller of the Canisius College hockey team shared Atlantic Hockey Scholar Athlete of the Year honors announced by the league on Tuesday. Overall, Miller is one of a school-record 19 Griffs recognized on the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team.
Miller earned the league’s top academic honor after posting a perfect 4.0 grade point average. The forward appeared in 34 games during his rookie season, totaling 13 points, four goals and nine assists as the Griffs’ won their first conference championship during the 2012-13 campaign.
The Boxborough, Mass. native is the fourth Griff to collect Atlantic Hockey Top Scholar Athlete honors, joining Max Buetow (2005-06), Dave Cianfrini (2009-10) and Ryan Bohrer (2011-12).
Joining Miller on the league’s All-Academic Team include seniors Torrey Lindsay, Ben Parker and Preston Shupe, who all earned the accolade for the fourth time in their career.
Juniors Ryan Bohrer, Kyle Gibbons and Taylor Law collected all-academic team honors for the third time during their tenure with juniors Tony Capobianco and Patrick Sullivan and sophomores Cody Freeman, Matthew Grazen, Doug Jessey, Carl Larsson, Mitch McCrank and Tyler Wiseman earning the distinction for the second time.
Miller plus senior Chris Barrea, sophomore Braeden Rigney and freshmen Adam Harris and Chris Rumble were named to the all-academic team for the first time.
To qualify for the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team, an individual must post a 3.0 grade point average or higher in each academic semester during the 2012-13 year.
Canisius returns 22 letterwinners from its most successful season in school history next year. The Griffs won the program’s first Atlantic Hockey Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, while also finishing the season ranked 19th in the final USCHO.com national poll, the highest placement in the program’s history.