Ferris State coach Bob Daniels has been named the winner of the 2012 Spencer Penrose Award as the top coach in Division I men’s hockey, the American Hockey Coaches Association announced Wednesday.
It is the second such honor for Daniels, who was named the nation’s top coach in 2003 when he led the Bulldogs to their first NCAA tournament appearance.
Ferris State is making its second appearance this season, and Daniels led it to the Frozen Four. The Bulldogs play Union on Thursday in Tampa, Fla.
Daniels’ Ferris State team was picked for ninth in the CCHA by the league’s coaches before the season, but it won the regular season title and carries a 25-11-5 record into the Frozen Four.
Ferris State assistant coach Drew Famulak also is being recognized by the AHCA this year as the recipient of the Terry Flanagan Award, which recognizes an assistant coach’s body of work.
The runners-up for the Spencer Penrose Award were Massachusetts-Lowell’s Norm Bazin and Union’s Rick Bennett.
