By By Jared Shafran, News Staff

With their historic season officially in the books, it’s time for the men’s hockey team to reap the rewards of a successful campaign. Multiple players have received awards but none have won anything on as big of a scale as former Husky and newly signed Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Brad Thiessen.
After signing, the Penguins opted to assign Thiessen to the American Hockey League (AHL). He joins former NU teammate Joe Vitale with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
‘I kind of put things on the backburner until after the season was over,’ Thiessen said. ‘There was some talk during the season, but I didn’t really want it to distract me and the team, what we were doing as a team. Once the last game was over I started thinking about my options and it went from there.’
Thiessen became just the second Husky player ever to be included in the Hobey Baker Hat Trick, after being named a finalist, which was announced last Thursday.
Joining Boston University stars Colin Wilson and Matt Gilroy, Thiessen will help make up a hat trick class that is all from the Hockey East conference. This is the first time in the nine years of the current award format that all three finalists are from the same conference.
On Thursday, Vitale officially signed with the’ Penguins, the team that drafted him in 2005.
‘ ‘Right after we lost my agent started negotiating,’ Vitale said. ‘A couple days later I was flying out to play for the AHL team in Wilkes-Barre.’
The senior forward served as captain for his final two seasons and finished his NU career with 34 goals and 60 assists in 143 games.
‘It’s something that you work hard for your whole life,’ Vitale said of signing his contract. ‘It was just a special moment for me and my family.’
Thiessen will travel to Washington D.C. Friday night to take part in the Hobey Baker award ceremony as part of the final weekend of the college hockey season in Washington D.C.
Thiessen was also named New England MVP and a New England All-Star Thursday. He was already named Hockey East Player of the Year, Hockey East ITECH Goaltending Champion, received the Three Stars Award and was the only unanimous Hockey East All-Star selection.
He finished his three year career at NU atop numerous categories, including goals-against-average (2.40), save percentage (.922) and shutouts (nine). He also ended his career second in saves (3,166) and third in both games played (111) and minutes (6,661.63).
‘Any kid [who] grows up playing hockey wants a chance to play in the NHL, and this is one of those steps along the way, the first professional contract, so that’s real exciting,’ Thiessen said.
However, Thiessen wasn’t the only one winning awards this past week. Head coach Greg Cronin has added some as well.
Cronin, who had already won the Hockey East Coach of the Year award, was also named New England’ Hockey Writers Coach of the year, and a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award as NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Coach of the Year.
‘We just trusted Greg,’ Vitale said.’ ‘We knew his background and knew his history. He turns programs around. Coming from the pros, it was a matter of time.’