Buffalo State forward Nick Petriello (St. Catharines, ON/Holy Cross) was named the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Men’s Hockey Rookie of the Year after leading the Bengals to the conference playoffs for the third consecutive season.

The freshman forward finished the regular season tied for second in the league in rookie scoring with 18 points in just 15 conference games. The childhood education major led the Bengals in overall scoring and was tied for second in the entire conference with 30 points on 12 goals and 18 assists. Petriello scored four power-play goals and netted to game-winners.

Buffalo State finished the season with a 10-12-4 overall record and was eliminated from the postseason last night in the SUNYAC quarterfinals after a 4-2 loss at Fredonia.