North Dakota sophomore forward Shane Pinto made conference history Wednesday, becoming the first player to win the NCHC’s Forward of the Year and Defensive Forward of the Year honors, claiming both for the 2020-21 campaign.
In addition, UND junior defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker, UND junior goaltender Adam Scheel and Western Michigan sophomore defenseman Ronnie Attard also earned individual honors Wednesday, with North Dakota players capturing four of the NCHC’s five positional playing awards this season.
Along with Pinto’s pair of forward honors, Bernard-Docker was deemed the NCHC’s Defensive Defenseman of the Year in 2020-21, Attard earned Offensive Defenseman of the Year, and Scheel took home Goaltender of the Year accolades from the NCHC.
Pinto, the reigning NCHC Rookie of the Year, compiled 15 goals and 28 points and also led the conference with 11 multi-point games, 1.22 points per game, seven power-play goals and 13 power-play points. Three of his goals were game-winners, as well, as he led UND to a second straight Penrose Cup.
Defensively, Pinto was the top faceoff man in the conference winning 308 draws with a .620 win percentage, both tops in the NCHC. His plus-15 plus/minus rating tied for second in the conference. The Ottawa Senators draft pick also blocked 13 shots and only took one penalty all season in 23 games.
Attard, a Philadelphia Flyers prospect, led all NCHC defensemen in scoring with 22 points and eight goals while playing in all 24 games. He also chipped in 14 assists, tied for second among NCHC blueliners. Attard quarterbacked the Broncos’ power play, recording nine points and three goals on the man advantage.
Bernard-Docker anchored a UND blue line that leads the NCHC and ranks fourth nationally allowing only 1.96 goals against per game. The Senators prospect is also a stalwart on the penalty kill, helping North Dakota rank ninth nationally at over 86 percent. Bernard-Docker finished with a plus-15 plus/minus, which tied for second in the NCHC, and blocked 31 shots, while playing in all 24 games. Offensively, he chipped in 15 points, including 13 assists.
Scheel led the conference with a 1.80 GAA in 20 starts and was second with a .929 save percentage. His 16 wins (16-3-1), .825 win percentage and four shutouts all led the conference as well. The Mike Richter Award finalist was the national goalie of the month for the final month of the regular season as he backstopped North Dakota to the NCHC regular-season title.
