Michigan Tech hockey announces 2017-2018 team awards
HOUGHTON – The Michigan Tech hockey team recently passed out its annual awards at a team dinner. Forward Jake Lucchini received the Merv Youngs Award as the team most valuable player. Seven different Huskies were recognized on the night.
Lucchini, a junior from Trail, British Columbia, also received the Gary Crosby Memorial Award as the teams’ leading scorer. He played in all 44 games and led the Huskies in goals (16), assists (23), and total points (39), finishing seventh overall in the WCHA in points. Lucchini was named to the NCAA East Region All-Tournament Team, the WCHA Offensive Player of March, and a WCHA Offensive Player of the Week (Feb. 5). The award is named after Crosby who led Tech in scoring his sophomore season and was drafted and signed by the LA Kings after the season. Unfortunately, he was killed in a car accident soon after.
Senior Dylan Steman (Hanover, Minnesota) was presented the John MacInnes Slide Rule Award for Scholastic Achievement for the third season in a row and also the Rick Yeo Unsung Hero Award. Steman served as an alternate captain and played in a career-high 43 games, tallying 19 points on seven goals and 12 assists. He was named to the Ice Vegas Invitational All-Tournament Team that kick-started a five-game point streak where he had a pair of goals and six assists. Steman holds a 3.97 GPA in mechanical engineering and was named a WCHA Scholar-Athlete and to the WCHA All-Academic Team for the third season in a row.
Sophomore Mitch Reinke (Stillwater, Minnesota) received the Gitzen-Loutit Memorial Award as the outstanding defensive player. He was named to the All-WCHA Third Team after playing in 35 games. Reinke was sixth in the WCHA in assists (21) and seventh in points (24) amongst defensemen despite missing nine games. He finished third on the Huskies in assists and fifth in points. Reinke was named an alternate captain in only his second season and was named to the Great Lakes Invitational and Ice Vegas Invitational all-tournament teams, while also being named to the WCHA All-Academic Team. He signed a two-year NHL contract with the St. Louis Blues after the season.
Senior Brent Baltus (Nanaimo, British Columbia) collected the Harold Meese Sportsmanship Award. The team captain had a career-high 23 points with 11 goals and 12 assists. Baltus was named a WCHA Scholar-Athlete and to the WCHA All-Academic Team for the fourth season in a row. He scored game-winning goals versus Northern Michigan (Nov. 10), Lake Superior State (Dec. 15), and Bemidji State (Feb. 10).
Senior Devin Kero (Hancock, Michigan) took home the George McCarthy Performance Award for Scholastic and Athletic Achievement. He appeared in 16 games with 14 starts, leading the team with a .910 save percentage and a 2.50 goals against average. Kero twice stopped 30 shots and was named the Winter Carnival MVP and a WCHA Goaltender of the Week (Feb. 12). He was also named a WCHA Scholar-Athlete for the second time and to the WCHA All-Academic Team for the third season in a row. The award is named after the late George McCarthy, a former hockey player and member of Michigan Tech’s Sports Hall of Fame.
Seamus Donohue (North Oak, Minnesota) was presented with the Norbert Matovich Memorial Award as the team’s top freshman. He played in 40 games during his rookie campaign, scoring three goals and adding 13 assists. Donohue was named the WCHA Rookie of March after leading all WCHA rookies with a plus-6 rating and 12 blocked shots in the month while finishing second with four points. He scored the game-winning goal in Game 1 at Bemidji State in the WCHA Quarterfinal and had a pair of assists in the NCAA Regional game. Matovich was a freshman athlete from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, who in 1966 was killed in a car accident over Christmas break.
Freshman Cooper Watson (Appleton, Wisconsin) received the Elov Seger Memorial Award as the team’s most improved player. After playing in only one of the first 22 games, the defenseman played 21 of the final 22 contests, including all seven playoff games. This award is named after Elov Seger, who passed away in the mid-sixties as a result of a brain tumor. Throughout his career, he battled against great odds and was always successful.
Courtesy: Calvin Larson, Director of Athletic Communication