Celebration of Excellence #2 – Ray Murray Awards

The New Jersey Colonials announce 2019-20 Ray Murray Achievement Awards

The New Jersey Colonials are proud to announce the Boys Team Award Recipients for the 2019-20 season. Ray Murray Achievement Award (Boys) – Players demonstrating the values shown by former Colonial, Ray Murray: hard work, determination, team spirit, good sportsmanship, discipline, and leadership were selected by their coaches. Ray Murray, was a founding member of the New Jersey Colonials who served as a coach and Board Member. He was a prominent figure in New Jersey hockey, having started the Morris County Colonials. Ray embodied the true essence of sportsmanship and promoted strong personal values that serve as the foundation for this award.

18U Midget National AAA – Timmy O’Connell

“A strong system of values; hard work; determination; team spirit; good sportsmanship and self-discipline – These attributes fit Timmy O’ Connell to a tee. He has been a great teammate and always brings a positive attitude to the rink to help lead his teammates. He is a hard worker and someone a coach can count on.” – Coach Chase Watson

18U Midget AA – Michael DeRosa

18U Midget AA – Trip Stockton III

“The most loyal and most liked person on the team. Always there for his teammates and with a smile on his face. Dedicated and promising show of leadership in every way! Keep going Trip Stockton III….” – Coach Henrik Tallinder

16U Midget National AAA – Max Zarkhin

“Max has been a pleasure to coach. From the onset he demonstrated leadership by taking initiative and leading pre-game warm ups. He has a positive attitude and embraces team spirit, leading both vocally and by his actions. Max has demonstrated accountability, by owning his mistakes and being determined to improve. He consistently works hard and is committed to both his teammates and his own development. He has practiced self-discipline and good sportsmanship.” – Coach Dave Crandall

16U Midget American AAA – James Royse

“James is a good kid with a great head on his shoulders. He leads by example in practice and games with his determination, strong work ethic and positive mindset. Very disciplined on and off the ice with the right attitude in the locker room. All his teammates respected him and looked to him as the example for the standard of a true Colonial that personifies this award.” – Coach Mike Hutton

16U Midget AA – Erik VanDerMark

“Erik is a hard worker, fully committed member to the team. He leads through action and pushes himself and his teammates both on and off the ice. He stands up for his teammates and does not quit. Through his leadership and work ethic, he is an asset to any team he is a part of.” – Coach Woody Kapp

16U Midget AA – Grant Loges

14U Bantam Major 05 AAA – Roshean Nissangaratchie

14U Bantam Minor 06 AAA – Jack Gerne

“Jack exemplifies all the qualities I look for in a player. He is skilled, tough, unselfish, and a great teammate. He was our most reliable forward all season in terms of playing on both sides of the puck. He projects to be a great high school aged player.” – Coach Bruce Shatel

14U Bantam AA – Tommy LeTourneau

“Tommy is one of the hardest working and most versatile players on the team. He is very coachable and has the ability to seamlessly transition between roles as a forward and as a defenseman. His positive attitude and work ethic are contagious throughout the team. Tommy leads by example and has been one of the most reliable and key contributors to the team’s success.” – Coach Mike Braviak

14U Bantam Minor AA 06 – Kyle Piechnik

12U Pee Wee Major AAA 07 – Savelii Vorotnikov

12U Pee Wee Minor AAA 08 – Nick Colatrella

12U Pee Wee AA – Lucien Petros

“Lucien is the player that every coach wants on his team because of his hard work and coachability. Lucien pushes himself to improve everyday both on and off the ice and it was great to be able to watch his hard work payoff this season. He consistently motivates his teammates to give their best effort both in his words and his actions at practice and in games. A true student of the game and is always willing to ask the coaching staff a question or send us an email about something he wants to better understand. Lucien was the unanimous choice for the Ray Murray award on the PW AA team.” – Coach Mike Sullivan

12U Pee Wee A – Griffin Carroll

“Griffin works hard every game and practice while exemplifying positive sportsmanship on the bench and off the ice. Griffin has developed his game a lot this year and is one of the leaders of this team. ” – Coach Mark Glass

10U Squirt Minor 10 AAA – Patrick Hennessy

10U Squirt A Blue – Connor Fei

“Connor came to the rink with a smile on his face, ready to play, all season long. His willingness to listen to coaching feedback and immediately apply it on ice was second to none on this team. His hard work in both practices and games inspired others to work harder, making the team better just by being himself.” – Coach Jordan Cardillo

08U Mite Major – Brayden Riczko

“Brayden has extremely strong values of team first, hard work, determination, good sportsmanship and self discipline. He is one of the most polite athletes I have ever been around and has a way to make everyone around him better. His hockey sense is well above his years and Brayden is always doing the right thing when no one is looking! What I love the most about Brayden is that he is humble, kind, and never ever gives up!” – Coach Ryan Williams

08U Mite White – JR Prestifilippo

08U Mite Blue – Rocco Roscioli

“Rocco is a true leader, excellent player, always has a positive attitude and exhibits great sportsmanship. He is always smiling, happy and loves being with and supporting his teammates. As an elder statesmen on a very young team he was seen by coaches and players as someone who never stopped skating and never gave up. His scoring prowess, unselfish play and teamwork led the team to many victories. As the season went on his play only got stronger. He will be greatly missed by next years returning Mites as he moves to the next level. Congratulations Rocco! ” – Coaches Gary Ost & Jimmy Wilson