Four Owls Skate to All-Conference Honors

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State men's ice hockey was well-represented on the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference first and second teams. Senior Francois-Xavier Girard (St. Lazare, Quebec) and junior Josh Boulos (Burlington, Mass.) were named to the All-Conference first-team while seniors Daniel Backstrom (Helsinki, Finland) and Thierry Messervier (Montreal, Quebec) were named to the second-team.

At forward, Girard finished the season tied for fourth in the MASCAC with 26 points. Girard amounted 10 goals and 16 assists (fifth in the conference), with three of those assists coming in the incredible comeback against Salem State in the MASCAC quarterfinals.

The other Owl receiving first-team honors, Bolous, earned one of two defenseman positions by scoring the third most points among conference defenders with fifteen. Boulos scored four goals and earned 11 assists throughout the season on the top lines for the Owls.

On the all-conference second-team, Daniel Backstrom was the statistical leader for the Owls all year long. Leading the team with 28 points (second in the conference), Backstrom scored multiple points in eight games this season, including the heroic hat-trick in the MASCAC Quarterfinals against Salem State. The hat-trick was a part of 14 goals the senior forward scored, which was second in the MASCAC, along with his 14 assists.

The senior Messervier was named the all-conference second-team goaltender for the second straight season. In his second season with the Owls, Messervier was 10-10-4 and amounted more than 30 saves in 14 games. Messervier finished with a 2.79 goals-against-average and the third-best save percentage in the MASCAC at .922.

The Owls finished 12-10-5 overall and 9-7-2 in the conference reaching the MASCAC semi-finals for the second consecutive season.

--Written by Joe Braverman, Sports Information Intern