NMU hockey players named to All-CCHA teams

Courtesy of the CCHA

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich.- Both Miami junior forward Reilly Smith and
Michigan State junior defenseman Torey Krug have been selected to the
All-Conference First Team for the second straight season as announced
today by the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Both Smith and Krug were unanimous selections to the First Team, receiving all first-place votes.

Smith led the league in goal-scoring with 18 goals in conference play and overall (26). Krug tied for the league lead in points with 29, making him the first defenseman to accomplish that feat since the 1986-87 season.
Ferris State senior defenseman Chad Billins earned nine first-place votes after finishing second in conference scoring among defensemen with 25 points and leading the Bulldogs to a CCHA regular-season title.

Northern Michigan forward Tyler Gron received seven first-place votes
after a stellar senior campaign that saw him finish third in overall
scoring with 36 points and fourth in league scoring with 27 points.

Billins’ teammate and fellow senior, goaltender Taylor Nelson, received
six first-place votes on his way to a First-Team selection. Nelson is the
second Bulldogs goalie in as many years to earn First-Team honors,
following Pat Nagle in 2011. Nelson posted a 2.08 goals-against average
and .927 save percentage for the CCHA regular-season champions. Notre Dame forward T.J. Tynan, who showed no signs of a sophomore slump following an outstanding rookie season that earned him Second-Team honors last year, rounds out the First Team after tying for the lead in points (29) in league action with Krug and leading the conference in overall scoring with 41 points.

Western Michigan junior defenseman Matt Tennyson and sophomore defenseman Dan DeKeyser combined for a +21 rating in league play and both were named to the Second Team. Northern Michigan senior forward Justin Florek was named to the Second Team after notching 27 conference points while providing a strong defensive presence.

Ferris State senior forward Jordie Johnston was second only to Billins in team scoring with 24 points in league play and was also selected for the Second Team. Alaska standout sophomore Cody Kunyk made the Second Team after leading the Nanooks with 25 points. Michigan senior goalie Shawn Hunwick was the final Second-Team selection after posting a 1.93 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage.

The teams were selected by a vote of the league’s head coaches and are based on performance in conference games. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.

Posted by Jerry Taylor