Aviators, Privateers highlight FHL awards

SYRACUSE, NY – Monday afternoon, the Federal Hockey League announced its first annual regular season awards. The awards, voted on by a panel of journalists who covered the league, honor the best of the best during the inaugural season of the newest single-A level circuit.
The awards will be presented to the winners during the FHL semifinal playoff series this week.
The FHL Founders Award is presented to a person or group of people who exemplify commitment and outstanding service to the FHL. For the inaugural season, the committee selected two winners.
Herm Sorcher, C.E.O. and Managing General Partner of Danbury Whalers LLC is the first of the two Founders Award honorees. Herm oversees every aspect of the day-to-day

operations of the Danbury Whalers franchise, including a hands-on approach to promotions and game day events. Whether it is personally meeting fans in the stands, tossing t-shirts into the crowd, introducing guests or delivering post-game meals to the visiting team, Herm Sorcher has been as much the “face” of the Whalers as the players and Coach Chris Firriolo were throughout the year.
The other recipient of the Founders Award is FHL Administrative Coordinator Phil DeFranco. Among his many duties, DeFranco was responsible for developing the master game schedule. He was called on several time to reconfigure the schedule when the Broome County Barons moved to Cape Cod as well as when the Rome Frenzy ended its season prematurely.
The FHL Commissioners Award honors the announcer, play-by-play person, media member or “Fun and Games Director” who best represented expertise and commitment to his or her field and true dedication to their team and the league.
Carmine Vetrano of the New York Aviators is the first winner of the Commissioners Award. Besides his day-to-day responsibilities with the Aviators, Vetrano developed and produced the “FHL Week In Review”pod cast, enlisting the assistance of each team’s broadcaster to create the most comprehensive weekly league recap show around. Without Carmine’s efforts, the FHL would not have gained the popularity that it enjoys with its fans.
The media committee didn’t have to look very far for its choice for Coach of the Year. New York Aviators Head Coach Rob Miller was a unanimous selection.
Miller, who played for the Brooklyn Aces of the EPHL in the same building that his Aviators now play, was able to combine excellent management skills with a keen sense of how to connect with his players.
After starting the season slowly and being four games under .500 at Christmas,Miller was able to regroup the troops and turn the team‘s fortunes around. The Aviators won 21 of their last 22 games to finish the season with 32 wins to become the first FHL regular season champions.
Miller also had the pleasure to coach the FHL’s Most Valuable Player and All-FHL goaltender in Kevin Druce. The Kingston, Ontario native returned to play after a year away and posted his best professional numbers.
Druce led the FHL with 24 wins, including 18 during the Aviators’ 21-game winning streak at the end of the season. He was alsotops with a league-best 2.51 goals against average and second with a .916 save percentage.
The Rookie of the Year award was a bit harder because of the numerous candidates available. In the end, the committee chose decided that the most outstanding first year player was Akwesasne Warriors’ forward Ahmed Mahfouz.
Mahfouz, a 22-year old from Ottawa, burst onto the professional scene by adding energy and scoring punch to the Warriors lineup. In 34 games, he tallied 21 goalsand 39 assists for 60 points which was seventh best in the FHL. He was tied for the second best scoring percentage at .202 and also posted a plus-21 rating, meaning that he was a great two-way player.
The All-FHL team represents the committee’s selections for the best players by position in the league. As it turned out, the choices had a decidedly Brooklyn and Alexandria Bay flavor. All were unanimous choices.
On the blue line, no one was better than Michael Byrd of the Thousand Islands Privateers. Byrd, who grew up in Kemptville, Ontario, was the complete package for the Privateers. He had 11 goals and 34assists for 45 points, leading all defensemen still in the league. He also posted a plus-31 rating, the best plus/minus rating of any player – forward or defenseman – in the FHL.
Byrd’s defensive partner on the All-FHL squad is Jarrett Rush of the New York Aviators. A native of Pennington, NJ, Rush was one of the leaders on the back line for the Aviators as well as being the most reliable. He played 47 games for New York,*leading the league in games played. He had only one goal and 16 assists but his plus-21 rating was second only to Byrd for defensemen. He was also considered the best penalty killer for both his team and the league.
Up front, the forward line represents fire power, skill and two-way play.
The choice for All-FHL center was another easy decision. Thousand Islands’ center Alex Goupil was head and shoulders above anyone at his position. Another player hailing from Ottawa,Goupil led the FHL in goals (42 in 44 games), power play goals (12), points (77), game-winning goals (9) as well as in scoring percentage (.207). He also had a plus/minus rating of plus-23, making him a valuable asset both on offense and defense.
Goupil’s running mate with the Privateers, Tyler Fernandez, also joined his linemate on the All-FHL team. Fernandez, who hails from Bloomfield, CT, had 23 goals and 44 assists for 67 points in43 games for Thousand Islands. He led the league in power play assists with 13 and posted a plus-22 rating, combining with Goupil to make the most feared duo in the FHL.
The right winger on the All-FHL team is just as accomplished as his co-honorees. Wampum, PA born Matt Puntureri turned pro in 2005 and played against Coach Miller in the EPHL.This season, he scored a career-high 27 goals and 40 assists for 67 points, tying Tyler Fernandez for third best in the FHL. His seven game-winning goals were among the best in the league as was his plus-29 rating, proving his worth at both ends of the ice.
Members of the media committee were chairman John Landers of the Fischler Report, Rich Gregory of the Danbury News Times, Robbie Schwach of the Rockaway Wave and Susan Erichsen, Wendy Hull and Don Money of Pro Hockey News.
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com