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WCHA Announces 2015-16 Postseason Awards
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Individual award winners, All-WCHA teams and All-Academic teams honored
EDINA, Minn. – March 10, 2016 – Led by seven and five selections, apiece, by MacNaughton Cup co-winners and nationally ranked Michigan Tech and Minnesota State, the league's top five regular season finishers account for a majority of the men's Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) 2015-16 all-league teams and individual award winners, as announced today by Commissioner Bill Robertson.
Michigan Tech senior co-captain Alex Petan, who led the league in scoring during conference play, was named WCHA Player of Year. Minnesota State junior Casey Nelson was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Year, while Ferris State freshman forward Corey Mackin – the coaches' preseason nod – fulfilled expectations by earning.
WCHA Player of the Year – Alex Petan, Sr., F, Michigan Tech (Delta, British Columbia)
Petan was a driving force behind Michigan Tech's run to a share of its first conference championship since 1976, pacing the WCHA in league play with 16 goals and 29 points (13 assists). The senior from Delta, British Columbia recorded a point in 19 of his 27 conference games, including seven multi-point efforts. The Huskies' co-captain was terrific during Tech's 10-1-3 WCHA binge after Dec. 11, tallying 15 points and netting four game-winning goals among his 10 overall markers. Petan enters the 2016 postseason with 30 points overall, including a league-high 17 goals.
WCHA Defensive Player of the Year – Casey Nelson, Jr., D, Minnesota State (Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin)
Nelson has been the backbone of a Minnesota State defense that has allowed the fewest shots on goal per game and ranked eighth nationally by yielding just 2.03 goals per game, while also contributing mightily on the offensive end. The junior from Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. led all WCHA defensemen (second among all players) with a +16 rating in his 27 league games, while also pacing blue-liners with 71 shots on goal and tying for fourth with 15 points (4g-11a). Nelson enters the 2016 playoffs tied for second among league d-men with 20 points overall (four goals), while his 16 assists are tied for seventh among all players and his +14 rating is tied for fourth.
WCHA Rookie of the Year – Corey Mackin, Fr., F, Ferris State (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Mackin lived up to his preseason prognostication as the league's top rookie, leading WCHA freshmen with 21 points (9g-12) in league play and 23 points (9g-14a) overall. The Philadelphia, Pa. native also paced league rookies with his nine goals, while finishing his first regular season with a +6 rating (+8 in WCHA games). Mackin found his name on the scoresheet in half (14) of his inaugural 28 league contests, while he factored in the game-winning goal (scoring or assisting) in six of Ferris State's 13 WCHA victories.
WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year – Jamie Phillips, Sr., G, Michigan Tech (Caledonia, Ontario)
Phillips, who backstopped Michigan Tech to a share of the league championship, was honored for his stellar work in the crease and in the classroom. The senior has a an overall 3.52 grade-point average, will graduate in May 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and has plans to attend medical school in his native Canada. A finalist for the 2015-16 Senior CLASS Award, Phillips has been involved with numerous community programs, including volunteer work with Houghton-area youth gymnastics and hockey teams. On the ice, the Winnipeg Jets' draftee ranks 11th nationally with a.712 winning percentage (21-7-5) and 13th with a 2.00 goals-against average. Phillips, among the nominees for the 2016 Mike Richter Award, also has a.921 save percentage in over 2,000 minutes in net.
WCHA Coach of the Year – Mel Pearson, Michigan Tech
Pearson and Michigan Tech are bringing the MacNaughton Cup back to its ancestral home in Copper County for the first time in 40 years, as the fifth-year bench boss guided the Huskies to a share of their first WCHA regular season championship since the 1975-76 season. He also became the first Tech coach to record consecutive 20-win seasons since the legendary John MacInnes. This is Pearson's second Coach of the Year accolade, as he also was recognized following his first season in 2011-12.
All-WCHA First Team
Petan headlines an all-senior 2015-16 All-WCHA First Team forward line, where he is joined by Minnesota State's Teddy Blueger (Riga, Lativa) and Alaska's Tyler Morley (Burnaby, British Columbia). Blueger, who finished second in the league scoring race, posted 28 points on seven goals (including a WCHA-best five game-winning strikes) and a conference-high 21 assists in WCHA play. The Pittsburgh Penguins' draftee enters the postseason as the WCHA's overall leading scorer with 10 goals and 23 assists for 33 points, while tying for second nationally with seven game-winners. Despite missing six games due to injury, Morley remained among the circuit's top scorers with 22 points in WCHA games (11g-11a) and 28 points overall (16g-12a), while his overall 0.59 goals-per-game average ranks 13th nationally.
Nelson and Bowling Green sophomore Mark Friedman (Toronto, Ontario) are the All First-Team defensemen. Friedman, a Philadelphia Flyers' draftee, was the top offensive blue-liner during WCHA play with four goals, 15 assists and 19 points in 28 league games. He also tied for seventh with 52 blocked shots while patrolling the blue line for the nation's 13th-ranked defense.
Bowling Green sophomore Chris Nell was selected as the first-team goaltender after finishing the regular season ranked eighth nationally with a 1.90 goals-against average, 10th with four shutouts and 13th with a WCHA-best.930 save percentage. The Green Bay, Wis. native posted a 15-6-5 mark with a 1.91 GAA,.927 save percentage (646 saves) and three blank sheets in 27 WCHA contests.
2015-16 All-WCHA First Team
Forward Alex Petan Sr., Michigan Tech
Forward Teddy Blueger Sr., Minnesota State
Forward Tyler Morley Sr., Alaska
Defense Casey Nelson Jr., Minnesota State
Defense Mark Friedman So., Bowling Green
Goalie Chris Nell So., Bowling Green
All-WCHA Second Team
The 2015-16 All-WCHA Second Team forwards are Ferris State's Gerald Mayhew and Northern Michigan linemates Darren Nowick and Dominik Shine. Mayhew, a junior from Wyandotte, Mich., led the Bulldogs and tied for third in the league with 25 points (9g-16a) in 28 league games, while his team-high 31 points (11g-20a) are second heading into the playoffs. Nowick, a senior from Long Beach, Calif. crested the 30-point plateau overall (13g-17a), while adding 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points in conference contests. Shine, a junior from Pickney, Mich., matched Mayhew with 25 WCHA points (12g-13a) in just 25 games, including four game-winning goals (29 points on 14 goals and 15 assists overall).
The second-team defensemen are Michigan Tech sophomore Matt Roy (Canton, Mich.) and Bowling Green junior Sean Walker (Keswick, Ontario). Roy, a 2015 draft pick of the Los Angeles Kings, led all WCHA players with a +19 overall rating (third in league play at +15). He also added 54 blocked shots in 28 league games, along with seven goals and nine assists for 16 points. Walker enters the postseason with a WCHA defensemen-high 21 overall points (4g-17a), while he was second with 18 points (3g-15a) in conference outings (along with a +11 rating).
Phillips was voted as the second-team goaltender.
2015-16 All-WCHA Second Team
Forward Gerald Mayhew Jr., Ferris State
Forward Darren Nowick Sr., Northern Michigan
Forward Dominik Shine Jr., Northern Michigan
Defense Matt Roy So., Michigan Tech
Defense Sean Walker Jr., Bowling Green
Goalie Jamie Phillips Sr., Michigan Tech
All-WCHA Third Team
The forwards on the 2015-16 All-WCHA Third Team include Bowling Green's Mark Cooper, a senior from Toronto, Ontario, who ranked sixth in league play with 23 points on 10 goals and 13 assists; and Minnesota State's Bryce Gervais, a senior from Battleford, Saskatchewan, who finished second with 13 goals in 28 conference contests (along with seven assists and a league-high three short-handed strikes). Michigan Tech teammates Malcolm Gould and Tyler Heinonen tied in the voting to give the third team a quartet of forwards. Gould, a senior from North Vancouver, British Columbia, led the WCHA with a +18 rating in league games, while adding 22 points (7g-15a). Heinonen, a junior from Delano, Minn., tied for third with 12 goals in WCHA