The top-ranked Utica University men’s hockey team’s impressive regular-season has led to some honors for a few players.

Junior defenseman Jayson Dobay, graduate student defenseman Justin Allen and senior forward Remy Parker were named All-Americans by the American Hockey Coaches Association, the organization announced Thursday.

Dobay was on the First Team East while Allen and Parker were part of the Second Team East.

A total of 31 players were selected among three teams separated by East and West.

Last season, Utica had a program-record five players land on the ACHA team. Dobay was on the second team last year while Allen was on the first team.

Also Thursday, Mark Taylor of Hobart College earned the AHCA’s coach of the year honor. Utica coach Gary Heenan had been a finalist for the award after helping the Pioneers earn the No. 1 ranking in the US College Hockey Online poll for multiple weeks and finished 25-2-1 in the regular-season while claiming the United Collegiate Hockey Conference title. The Pioneers lost in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals against University of New England last weekend for the second time in as many seasons.

And, Adrian’s College Matus Spodniak claimed the AHCA’s Division III player of the year honor. Dobay was among the finalists for the award.

• Dobay ranked first in NCAA Division III with 32 assists, which tied a single-season program record. The junior finished the season tied for a team-leading 37 points. Dobay earned UCHC Defensive Player of the Year, received his second All-UCHC First Team nod and earned a spot on the UCHC All-Tournament team this season.

• Parker, a senior, set Utica’s single-season record for goals with 23. The All-UCHC First Team honoree ranked third in Division III in goals. He totaled eight goals on power-play opportunities which was tied for first in the UCHC. He had three game-winning goals.

• In 22 games this season after missing time with an injury, Allen led the team with 19 blocked shots. He also contributed with three game-winning goals and 15 assists this season. This season he received his third-straight All-UCHC First Team Defense, marking it as the fifth all-conference honor for his career. 

Going pro

Allen is among a handful of players from the Utica squad to take an opportunity at the pro level with the college season over.

On Thursday, Utica captain Dante Zapata became the fourth player to be announced as officially making the jump to the ECHL when the Tulsa Oilers announced he had joined the team.

The 24-year-old senior finished with 12 goals and 36 points — the second-highest total of his four seasons with Utica — in 29 games. He totaled 117 points (44 goals, 73 assists) in 96 games with the Pioneers. He was Utica captain in his junior and senior seasons.

Three others signed to play for teams in the Southern Professional Hockey League. The league is considered the fourth tier of professional hockey in the United States. The league has 10 teams.

It makes a total of seven players that have signed in either the ECHL or SPHL.

John Moncovich, a senior this past season with Utica, signed with the Fayetteville Marksmen.

He was a solid net-front presence for Utica in four seasons. He finished with 45 goals and 88 points in 88 career games.

Signing with the team is a return home in a way for Moncovich. He is from Wilmington, North Carolina, Wilmington is about 90 miles southeast of Fayetteville.

Meanwhile, Mic Curran and Lucas Herrmann joined the Pensacola Ice Flyers, the team announced earlier in the day.

Curran, a grad student with Utica, and Herrmann, a senior, are both forwards.

Curran tied for the team lead with 37 points while totaling 12 goals and 25 assists in 28 games this season. Curran, who transferred from Curry College, finished with 64 points in 57 career games with Utica.

Herrmann, a transfer from Division I University of New Hampshire, had 15 goals and 35 points in 29 games. His points were tied for fourth-most on the team in his lone season with Utica.