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Vince Rocco
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NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - Seniors Vince Rocco (Woodbridge, Ont.) and Juliano Pagliero (Dalroy, Alb.) both took home additional CHA postseason honors on Thursday, being named the CHA Student-Athlete of the Year and CHA Player of the Year, respectively.
Rocco is Niagara's first ever CHA Student-Athlete of the Year for his stellar career on and off the ice at Niagara. On the ice, the senior captain is a member of Niagara's 100-Point Club, while helping to lead his team to an NCAA Tournament appearence last year. In the classroom, the Ontario native has a grade-point average of over 4.0, while earning a plethora of awards, including the Everett W. Ockerman award, which goes to the top economics student at Niagara University.
"I'd like to thank my teachers, classmates, coaches and teammates that have given me the ability to succeed on and off the ice," Rocco said.
Pagliero is the third Purple Eagle in the last four years to be named the CHA Player of the Year. The sociology major has been solid in net for the Purple Eagles, including a 16-12-3 mark this year, with a 2.39 goals-against average. The Alberta native has three shutouts on the season, with two of those shutouts propelling him to Niagara's consecutive shutout streak record, at 169:03. The senior netminder has his named etched in quite a few places in the Niagara record books, including career saves, in which he is currently second to Jeff Van Nynatten.
"This is a huge honor," Pagliero said. "When a goalie wins an award like this, it says a lot about the 24 guys that are in front of him. I feel like I am accepting this trophy on behalf of Niagara University men's hockey."
Niagara starts its quest for another CHA Tournament title on Friday, March 13th, taking on Robert Morris at 3 p.m. eastern time.
