As the regular season draws to a close, here are 15 seniors whose contributions made the CCHA a more interesting place during the last four years. Most of these are guys who won’t show up on any end-of-season league awards radar, but who will be missed nonetheless.
- Nanooks defenseman Bryant Molle (Penticton, B.C.) and forward Kevin Petovello (Sparwood, B.C.). Shared team honors for most improved players in 2008-09, each of these guys is an integral part of what makes Alaska tick.
- Falcons goaltender Nick Eno (Howell, Mich.) and forward David Solway (Green Bay, Wisc.). Two players on a team that never gave up, on a team that sometimes did.
- Bulldogs forward Mike Embach (Orland Park, Ill.). Quietly and steadily improved every year.
- Lakers forward Will Acton (Stouffville, Ont.). Workaday forward who emerged as one of the top LSSU players in his junior and senior years.
- RedHawks defenseman Vincent LoVerde (Chicago, Ill.). An excellent stay-at-home defenseman often overlooked on a team with an explosive offense.
- Wolverines forward Ben Winnett (New Westminster, B.C.). Another workhorse on a team with headline names.
- Spartans forward Dustin Gazley (Novi, Mich.). One of the most tenacious forwards to play the game, and sometimes the only guy on the ice for MSU who showed a spark in dark times.
- Wildcats forward Jared Brown (Gardner, Kan.) and defenseman Erik Spady (Deroche, B.C.). Brown played in over 120 games his first three seasons and defines the term “role-player.” Spady is the prototypical stay-at-home defenseman – who happened to score a goal in the NCAA tournament.
- Fighting Irish forward Ryan Guentzel (Woodbury, Minn.) A role-playing captain who leads by example on a team that is practically nothing but role-players.
- Buckeyes forwards Peter Boyd (Cambridge-Narrows, N.B.) and Sergio Somma (Pittsburgh, Pa.). Boyd’s another role-player and Somma’s the never-say-die player who has never received accolades – and never complained about it.
- Broncos goaltender Jerry Kuhn (Southgate, Mich.). Known this season because of Western’s incredible run, but worked hard in obscurity for a long, long time.
