Congratulations to Penn State Altoona Head Coach Mike Bowman for being named the Sam Kelly Coach of the Year!  Mike was named to Head Coach for PSA during the 2003-04 season.  While the past several seasons have not been as successful as Mike would have liked, this year the PSA team has stepped out from the shadows and have made in impact not only in CHE but nationally as well.  This being the clubs best season to date, PSA sits with a 6-3-0-1 league record and won the CHE South Division Championship.  Added to that, PSA was ranked well enough to earn a spot in the ACHA D-III Atlantic Regional Tournament this past weekend.  Despite the high player turnover rate at PSA, Mike has been able to lead his team to their best on-ice season ever and has a great shot with the team’s first round bye in the playoffs of making it to the CHE Championship Series.  Mike Bowman is a tremendous asset to his program, this league and amateur hockey in general.  His dedication and contributions will never be forgotten!  We will present Mike Bowman with the “Sam Kelly Coach of the Year” award during the first intermission of game-1 of the semi-final round in the 37th Annual CHE Playoffs this Sunday afternoon.

Congratulations to Dave Layman of the University of Pitt-Johnstown who is named the Ed Bittner G.M. of the Year!  Dave Layman may be best noted for his success as starting goaltender for the UPJ “Ice Cats” first ever CHE Championship during the 2002-03 season.  After four standout seasons as a UPJ player, Dave was named to Assistant Coach during the 04-05 season where he served under former UPJ Head Coach Rick Boyd.  For the past two years Dave has served as the Head Coach and GM for UPJ along with serving as a member of the CHE Board of Directors.  Simply put, Dave has done just about everything there is to do in CHE.  From a player to a coach and administrator Dave is a consummate professional who makes sure his program is run like a well oiled machine.  As history shows with club hockey teams, it’s not easy to run business on and off the ice.  While Dave will admit to a strong support group of student leaders who assist in the process, Dave is the leader who makes the tough decisions no matter what they may be.  Just like many in CHE, Dave gives countless hours of dedication to his team, CHE and collegiate hockey.  He has helped make CHE one of the most respected D-III college hockey leagues in the nation.  We are fortunate to have an individual like Dave as part of the CHE family.  We will present Dave with the “Ed Bittner GM of the Year” award during the first intermission of game-2 of the quarter final round of the 37^th Annual CHE Playoffs this Friday night.