Hamilton's Evan Buitenhuis wins 2017 Sid Watson Award

Teammates surround Evan Buitenhuis after the Continentals lost the 2017 NESCAC MIH Title in OT

The American Hockey Coaches Association announced at the DIII Men's Ice Hockey awards banquet on Thursday that Hamilton goalie Evan Buitenhuis had won the 2017 Sid Watson Award. The honor, named after fedora clad Bowdoin coaching legend Sid Watson, is awarded each year by the AHCA to the best player in DIII men's hockey.

Eight NESCAC players have taken home the honor since the AHCA started awarding it in 1993. The last to win from the 'CAC was also a goalie when Amherst's Jonathan La Rose took home the hardware in 2012. Middlebury skaters have won four times, Bowdoin once and Amherst has won twice (including La Rose).

No goalies won the award in its first 13 seasons of existence, but netminders have won eight of the last twelve seasons, including the last four seasons. The last skater to win was Paul Rodrigues in 2013. Rodrigues, a former SUNY Oswego Laker, has bounced between the ECHL and SPHL since leaving upstate New York in 2013. He currently has 32 points (12-20-32) in 56 games for the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL this season. Last season's winner, Babson goalie Jamie Murray, has a 3.56 Goals Against Average and .901 Save% in 35 games for the Allen Americans of the ECHL this season. The ECHL is the "AA" level of minor league hockey.

Buitenhuis, who won the NESCAC Player of the Year Award last month, was the only NESCAC player to make any of the AHCA's three eastern All-American teams, coming in on the First Team, obviously. The Burlington, Ontario native posted a 1.78 GAA and .941 Save Percentage, both in the top seven nationally even after a less than stellar game in the Norwich loss in the NCAA Quarterfinals to end the season. Heading into the NESCAC semifinals, "Boots" hadn't allowed more than three goals in a game all season. He has only let up more than four goals twice in his collegiate career, which has spanned 54 games a .943 save percentage.

As we've discussed here regularly, Boots is an absolute stud and the biggest reason the Continentals had their best season in school history. As the picture above shows, he has the confidence of his teammates, as they immediately and forcefully consoled him after a Ryan Cole shot nicked a Hamilton defender just enough to go past Buitenhuis in OT of the NESCAC championship game to lift Trinity to the title.

Hamilton coach Rob Haberbusch had glowing things to say about his junior netminder, which you can read in the AHCA official release here.

Congrats, Boots. Now we prepare for tomorrow's semifinal between Trinity and St. Norbert's in Utica.

Evan Buitenhuis of Hamilton played the literal best game in the net as I've ever seen in the Div. III hockey level. That's an elite talent.

— Brian Krosky (@krosky_OS) March 12, 2017

Congrats to Evan Buitenhuis of @ContinentalPuck for winning the Sid Watson Award (Division III Men's Player of the Year)!

— Alicia Daddario (@ADaddarioWKTV) March 23, 2017

For today, the Burlington, Ontario goaltender rules the D-III hockey world. Here's Burlington, Ontario band Walk off The Earth "Rule The World"