Spartans Win Battle For CCHA Postseason Hardware

Michigan State, the top team in the CCHA, claimed four of the six honors announced at the annual CCHA awards banquet Thursday.

Mike York was named Player of the Year and Best Defensive Forward, while Ron Mason was named Coach of the Year, and Mike Weaver was the league’s Best Defensive Defenseman.

Bowling Green’s Mike Jones was named the CCHA’s Best Offensive Defenseman, while Michigan’s Mike Comrie took home the Rookie of the Year award.

Miami’s Ernie Hartlieb is this year’s recipient of the Terry Flanagan award, named for the former Bowling Green coach and given to a player who has overcome personal difficulty to continue in school and with hockey. Hartlieb suffered a severe head injury and was comatose for 11 days in June of 1997, just months before the start of his freshman year.

The CCHA also presented awards to the All-Conference, All-Rookie, and All-Academic teams, named last week.

The All-Conference first team includes forwards Mike York (MSU), Hugo Boisvert (OSU), and Adam Edinger (BGDU); defensemen Mike Weaver (MSU) and Benoit Cotnoir (Notre Dame); and goaltender Jeff Maund (OSU). Cotnoir is the first player from Notre Dame to be named to the first team.

The All-Conference second team includes Ben Simon (Notre Dame), Dan Price (BGSU), and J.P. Vigier (NMU); defensemen Mike Jones (BGSU) and Andre Signoretti (OSU); and goaltender Joe Blackburn (MSU). Price also won the league’s scoring title.

Honorable Mention players include forwards Jason Deskins (Miami), Bryan Adams (MSU), and Brian Urick (Notre Dame); defensemen Mike Van Ryn (UM) and Jim Dube (FSU); and goaltender Vince Owen (FSU).

Named to the All-Rookie team were forwards Mike Comrie (UM), David Inman (Notre Dame), Adam Hall (MSU), and Chad Theuer (NMU); defensemen Jeff Jillson (UM) and Jason Crain (OSU); and goaltender Josh Blackburn (UM).

Given Honorable Mention were forward Greg Day (BGSU); defensemen Sean Connolly (NMU), Ryan Crane (WMU), Andrew Hutchinson (MSU), Grady Moore (BGSU), and Scott Titus (OSU); and goaltender Jeff Reynaert (WMU).

The CCHA All-Academic Team includes forwards Zach Ham (BGSU), Aniket Dhadphale (Notre Dame), Shawn Horcorrs (MSU), and Joel Irwin (FSU), and goaltenders Forrest Karr (Notre Dame) and Mike Savard (BGSU).

Those given Honorable Mention were goaltenders Matt Barnes (WMU), Greg Daddario (UM), and Joe Blackburn (MSU); forwards Andrew Bogle (MSU), Jim Lawrence (UAF), Jason Redenius (WMU), and J.P. Vigier (NMU); and defensemen Benoit Cotnoir (Notre Dame), Jim Dube (FSU), Jaisen Freeman (OSU), Andy Jurkowski (Notre Dame), Mike Jones (BGSU), Gary Ricciardi (FSU), and Darren Tiemstra (UAF).