The WCHA announced Tuesday its 2019-20 individual award winners, honoring the league’s Offensive Player, Defensive Player, Goaltender, Rookie, Student-Athlete and Coach of the Year.
The Offensive Player, Defensive Player, Goaltender and Rookie of the Year are candidates for the overall 2019-20 WCHA Player of the Year award, which will be announced on March 18.
2019-20 Offensive Player of the Year: Marc Michaelis, Sr., F, Minnesota State
Michaelis led the WCHA in overall scoring with 44 points on 20 goals and 24 assists, despite missing seven games due to injury in January and February. His point total also ranked third nationally at the time the season was canceled on March 12.
2019-20 Defensive Player of the Year: Alec Rauhauser, Sr., D, Bowling Green
Rauhauser capped his stellar Falcon career with his second WCHA Defensive Player of the Year honor in 2019-20. He finished the season tied for fourth in scoring in all games with 35 points on 11 goals and 24 assists in 38 games to lead all WCHA blueliners and finish fourth nationally among defensemen.
He won his – and Bowling Green’s first – WCHA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2017-18.
2019-20 Goaltender of the Year: Dryden McKay, So., G, Minnesota State
McKay was the WCHA Goaltending champion for the second year in a row with a WCHA-record 1.17 goals-against average in league play, breaking the previous record of 1.35 he set to win the award as freshman in 2018-19. His 1.31 GAA for all games is the second lowest in the 68-year history of the WCHA (1.27- Bob Peters, North Dakota, 1957-58).
He ended the season as the national leader in GAA (1.31), save percentage (.942) and shutouts (10) and ranked second in winning percentage at .861.
2019-20 WCHA Rookie of the Year: Lucas Sowder, Fr., F, Minnesota State
Sowder led all WCHA rookies in scoring this season with 41 points on six goals and 25 assists in 31 games to finish fifth nationally in freshman scoring.
2019-20 WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year: Edwin Hookenson, Sr., D, Minnesota State
An alternate captain in 2019-20 and a leader in the classroom and in the community, Hookenson, a double-major in accounting and finance, boasts a cumulative GPA of 3.968 and is a seven-time Minnesota State Dean’s List honoree.
2019-20 WCHA Coach of the Year: Tom Serratore, Bemidji State
Serratore led the Beavers to a runner-up finish in the WCHA regular season and a berth in the semifinals of the WCHA post-season before the 2019-20 season was shut down.
Bemidji State was No. 11 in the final polls released on March 9 and finished the season at 22-10-5 (20-5-3-2 WCHA) to reach the 20-win mark for the sixth time in the Division I history of the program and fall just one win shy of the program’s all-time Division I season wins high of 23, established in 2004-05 and equaled in 2009-10.
This is Serratore’s second career WCHA Coach of the Year honor. He was previously recognized following the 2016-17 season.
