Six players from the Oswego State men’s hockey program were named to the All-Decade Team, announced by the SUNYAC on Friday, Feb. 5.

Bobby Gertsakis, Mitch Herlihey, Shawn Hulshof, Stephen Johnson, Max Novick and Paul Rodrigues garnered the honor for the Lakers. All players named to the All-Decade team were named to the All-SUNYAC teams more than once or won the SUNYAC player of the Year Award.

Oswego State head coach Ed Gosek said that all the players were well-deserving of the honors but emphasized the qualities and characteristics that the players had, outside of all the points they scored during their collegiate careers.

“It all goes back to recruiting. You don’t know [what you have] until they start to play and start to develop,” Gosek said. “It’s a great group of guys that were not only good players, but they had leadership abilities.”

The oldest player from the group, Rodrigues, played forward from 2009-2013. In his four seasons, Rodrigues recorded 133 points. He helped guide the Lakers to four Frozen Four appearances, including second-place finishes at the NCAA Div. III National Championships in 2012 and 2013. Rodrigues was named to the All-SUNYAC Second Team during his junior year, First Team honors his senior year and was named SUNYAC Player of the Year. In his final year as a Laker. The Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada, native was also named First Team All-American, as well as the AHCA Sid Watson Award Winner as the top men’s hockey player in Div. III. He also earned USCHO and D3hockey.com Div. III Player of the Year awards.

Gertsakis played from 2011-2015. He was named to the All-SUNYAC Second Team during the 2013-2014 season, then first team the following year. He recorded 68 points in 91 games played for Oswego State. In 2013, the defenseman was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team as well as the SUNYAC All-Tournament team. During his senior year, the Pickering, Ontario, Canada, native was named captain and an AHCA First Team All-American. 

Hailing from Stouffville, Ontario, Canada, Hulshof played for the Lakers from 2013-2017. He recorded 130 points in 106 games played. Hulshof was a three-time All-SUNYAC honoree, earning Second Team his junior year, and First Team his sophomore and senior years. He was also named SUNYAC Player of the Year during his sophomore campaign, when he was recognized with First Team All-American honors. Hulshof was also given the Donald Snygg Scholar-Athlete Award following his senior season.

Also from 2013-2017, Johnson, who played on the blueline for the Lakers, recorded 67 points in 109 games, including a 30-point season his senior year. The Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, native was named to the All-SUNYAC Third Team his junior year and earned First Team honors his senior year. He was also named the SUNYAC Defensive Player of the Year during his senior year. He is the most recent Laker to be named First Team All-American, as well. 

Herlihey, who wore the green and gold from 2014-2018, averaged a little more than a point per game, recording 103 points in 102 games played. Most of Herlihey’s accolades came his senior year, taking home First-Team SUNYAC honors while captaining the Lakers. The Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, native was named SUNYAC Player of the Year that season as well as garnering Second Team All-American honors.

Finally, Novick, who is the only current Laker and the only active player on the entire All-Decade Team, started his playing career during the 2017-2018 season. The offensive-minded defenseman has recorded 24 points in 77 games. In his first three seasons, he earned All-SUNYAC honors, being named third team his freshman year followed by first team honors his sophomore and junior seasons. The Thornhill, Ontario, Canada, native also became the third player in program history to earn two All-Americans, taking AHCA Division III All-American All-East Third Team honors in both his sophomore and junior campaigns. Before the season was canceled due to COVID-19, Novick was named one of the two assistant captains of the team for his senior year. 

While many looked to Novick for his offensive abilities, Gosek him as a reliable defender.

Despite the NCAA granting extra years of eligibility for student-athletes following this season, Gosek said he does not believe Novick will return since he is on track to graduate in May.

“You look for [Novick] to chip in offensively or be able to carry the puck out of our own zone. But he also defends well,” Gosek said. “Had he stayed healthy and performed well to his ability, I think he could have been our first three-time All-American.”

Even though he did not play for Oswego State, Devin McDonald, who is the team’s graduate assistant coach, was also named to the All-Decade Team. He played goalie for four years at SUNYAC rival SUNY Geneseo. In 98 games played, McDonald had a 2.06 goals against average and a .921 save percentage. He recorded 70 wins for the Knights and helped guide the team to three NCAA Tournament appearances in his four years. The Calgary, Alberta, Canada, native was named Third Team All-SUNYAC his freshman and junior years. During his senior year, he was named the AHCA Sid Watson Award Winner and the USCHO Player of the Year. 

McDonald’s former coach, Chris Schultz, was named SUNYAC Coach of the Decade, while his former teammate Conlan Keenan was named Athlete of the Decade.

“[Geneseo’s] got it going now. They’ve done a great job recruiting and finding good players. He’s certainly deserving of Coach of the Decade,” Gosek said. “There were definitely many more that deserved the accolades.”

Graphic provided by Oswego State Athletics