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Yesterday, we announced our choices for the WCHA All-Conference teams. Today, the WCHA announced their official All-Conference teams and individual league award winners.
Here are this year's honorees:
2014-15 ALL-WCHA TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
PLAYER (YEAR / HOMETOWN)
Tanner Kero (Sr. / Hancock, Mich.)
Matt Leitner (Sr. / Los Alamitos, Calif.)
Tyler Morley (Jr. / Burnaby, British Columbia)
Colton Parayko (Jr. / St. Albert, Alberta)
Zach Palmquist (Sr. / South St. Paul, Minn.)
Jamie Phillips (Jr. / Caledonia, Ontario)
SECOND TEAM
PLAYER (YEAR / HOMETOWN)
Bryce Gervais (Jr. / Battleford, Saskatchewan)
Alex Petan (Jr. / Delta, British Columbia)
Malcolm Gould (Jr. / North Vancouver, British Columbia) Forward
Matt Prapavessis (Sr. / Oakville, Ontario)
Casey Nelson (Soph. / Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) Defenseman Minnesota State University
Stephon Williams (Jr. / Fairbanks, Alaska)
THIRD TEAM
PLAYER (YEAR / HOMETOWN)
Blake Pietila (Sr. / Brighton, Mich.)
Marcus Basara (Soph. / Port Moody, British Columbia) Forward
Brendan Harms (Soph. / Steinbach, Manitoba) Forward
Blake Tatchell (Jr. / North Battleford, Saskatchewan) Forward
Shane Hanna (Soph. / Salmon Arm, British Columbia) Defenseman Michigan Technological University
Brock Maschmeyer (Soph. / Bruederheim, Alberta) Defenseman Northern Michigan University
CJ Motte (Sr. / St. Clair, Mich.)
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
PLAYER (YEAR / HOMETOWN)
Brandon Hawkins (Fr. / Macomb, Mich.)
C.J. Franklin (Fr. / Forest Lake, Minn.)
Max McHugh (Fr. / Seattle, Wash.)
Mark Friedman (Fr. / Toronto, Ontario)
Nolan Valleau (Fr. / Novi, Mich.)
Michael Bitzer (Fr. / Moorhead, Minn.)
And here are the individual award winners, with write-ups courtesy of the WCHA:
WCHA Player of the Year and Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year
Tanner Kero, Sr., F, Michigan Tech (Hancock, Mich.)
Kero has established himself as one of the premier players in college hockey during a dynamic senior campaign on the ice, while exemplifying the true nature of a student-athlete away from the rink. The senior from Hancock, Mich. captured the WCHA scoring crown with 13 goals, 21 assists and 34 points in 28 conference games. A Hobey Baker Award nominee and All-WCHA First Team selection, Kero enters the postseason tied for 10th in the country with 43 points overall (18 goals, 25 assists), while also ranking among NCAA leaders for plus/minus (tied for fifth at +22) and game-winning goals (tied for third with seven). In the classroom, Kero maintains a 3.72 GPA in mathematics with a concentration in actuarial sciences. He has been honored as a WCHA Scholar-Athlete and earned a spot on the All-Academic team in all three years in which he has been eligible. One of 10 finalists for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award, Kero also volunteers in the Koaches Kids reading program for elementary schools, local youth hockey programs and numerous local charity events in the Houghton, Mich. area.
WCHA Defensive Player of the Year
Colton Parayko, Jr., D, Alaska (St. Albert, Alberta)
Parayko earned his second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year honor after excelling on both ends of the ice. The junior from St. Albert, Alberta ranked third among WCHA defensemen with 20 points (4 goals, 16 assists) in 28 league contests, while tying for third among all league players with 13 power-play points. While finishing with 23 points overall, Parayko also helped anchor a Nanooks’ defense that ranked in the top 25 nationally – including yielding just 1.38 goals per game over a perfect 7-0-1 stretch to end the season. On Tuesday, March 10, the All-WCHA First Team defenseman signed a two-year entry level contract with St. Louis, after he was originally drafted by the Blues in the third round (86thoverall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
WCHA Rookie of the Year
Michael Bitzer, Fr., G, Bemijdi State (Moorhead, Minn.)
Bitzer has been not just one of the best goaltenders in the WCHA, but one of the top netminders in the country during his rookie collegiate campaign. The freshman from Moorhead, Minn. led the WCHA with a .936 save percentage in conference play, while ranking second with a 1.61 goals against average. He ranks sixth nationally (third among freshman) with an overall .932 save percentage, while pacing all NCAA rookies with a 1.76 GAA (fourth overall). Beginning Dec. 12, Bitzer – who also earned a spot on the WCHA All-Rookie team – leads the country with a .948 save percentage and 1.31 GAA, while going 12-4-3 over his final 16 starts.
WCHA Coach of the Year
Mike Hastings, Minnesota State
Hastings was honored by his peers after guiding the Mavericks to the first MacNaughton Cup in program history and a No. 2 national ranking entering the postseason. During Hastings’ third year at the helm, Minnesota State went 21-4-3 for 45 points in league play, posting a .804 winning percentage that is the third-best in WCHA history for a 28-game conference schedule. The Mavericks, who also ascended to the top of the opinion polls for the first time ever, enters the postseason tied for the nation’s best overall winning percentage at .757 (25-7-3).