Notre Dame goaltender David Brown leads the 2006-07 Division I men’s All-USCHO awards, announced Wednesday. The senior from Stoney Creek, Ont., was named the USCHO.com national Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year to head up this season’s list of honors.
In his senior season for the Fighting Irish, Brown led the nation in wins and goals-against average, while finishing third in save percentage, second in minutes played and tied for second in shutouts. Brown was 30-6-3 this season with a 1.58 GAA and .931 SV%. He was named the CCHA Player of the Year and is a Hobey “Hat Trick” finalist.
Brown’s mentor, Jeff Jackson, is USCHO.com’s national Coach of the Year. Jackson, winner of two NCAA championships during his tenure at Lake Superior State, returned to the college ranks to lead the Fighting Irish, and in just his second season took Notre Dame to its first-ever CCHA regular-season and tournament championships. The Irish went 32-7-3 overall just two years after compiling a five-win season, and reached the NCAA tournament for the second time in school history.
The national Rookie of the Year is Andreas Nodl of St. Cloud State. The native of Vienna, Austria, led the Huskies in scoring as the team made the NCAA tournament after a four-year absence. Nodl, the WCHA Rookie of the Year, compiled 18 goals and 28 assists for 46 points, the top point total among freshmen nationwide.
Air Force senior forward Andrew Ramsey is USCHO.com’s Most Improved Player for 2006-07. The Atlantic Hockey second-team pick from Noblesville, Ind., whose previous career high in points had been 25 as a sophomore, put up 25-23–48 for the AHA tournament champion Falcons.
In recognition of his work on the ice as well as off, Rensselaer senior forward Kirk MacDonald is USCHO’s Unsung Hero. MacDonald did not play last season as he fought testicular cancer, but coming back this year was the captain of the Rensselaer squad. A finalist for the Humanitarian Award, MacDonald’s leadership not only helped Rensselaer on the ice, but also the Rensselaer community as he spearheaded many events and led the charge for contributions in excess of $100,000 to the American Cancer Society.
Holy Cross senior forward James Sixsmith is this year’s honoree for the Sportsmanship Award. This season Sixsmith was called for only two minor penalties for four minutes while scoring 47 points. In his career he has only been sent to the penalty box a total of 12 times for 24 career minutes.
Also named were three All-USCHO teams, as well as the All-Rookie team. The First Team All-USCHO included all three Hobey “Hat Trick” finalists, with Brown in goal and North Dakota’s Ryan Duncan and Air Force’s Eric Ehn at forward spots. Also at forward was T.J. Hensick of Michigan, with Alex Goligoski of Minnesota and Michigan’s Jack Johnson on defense.
2006-07 All-USCHO Teams
First Team
F Ryan Duncan, North Dakota
F Eric Ehn, Air Force
F T.J. Hensick, Michigan
D Alex Goligoski, Minnesota
D Jack Johnson, Michigan
G David Brown, Notre Dame
Second Team
F Brian Boyle, Boston College
F David Jones, Dartmouth
F Jonathan Toews, North Dakota
D Drew Bagnall, St. Lawrence
D Reid Cashman, Quinnipiac
G John Curry, Boston University
Third Team
F Ted Cook, Niagara
F Nathan Davis, Miami
F Scott Parse, Nebraska-Omaha
D Noah Babin, Notre Dame
D Mike Vannelli, Minnesota
G Kevin Regan, New Hampshire
Honorable Mention
F Nate Gerbe, Boston College; F Michel Leveille, Maine; F Pierre-Luc O’Brien, Sacred Heart; F T.J. Oshie, North Dakota; F Kevin Porter, Michigan; F Mason Raymond, Minnesota-Duluth; D Chris Butler, Denver; D Taylor Chorney, North Dakota; D Matt Hunwick, Michigan; D Sean Hurley, Brown; G Brian Elliott, Wisconsin; G Bobby Goepfert, St. Cloud State; G David Leggio, Clarkson
All-Rookie
F Mark Letestu, Western Michigan
F Andreas Nodl, St. Cloud State
F Teddy Purcell, Maine
F Brandon Wong, Quinnipiac
D Erik Johnson, Minnesota
D Kyle Lawson, Notre Dame
G Alex Petizian, St. Lawrence
