The CCHA announced Tuesday that Minnesota State senior Brendan Furry is the conference’s 2022-23 student-athlete of the year, as voted on by the faculty athletics representatives from each member school.
Given annually, the award is presented to one CCHA student-athlete that performed consistently as a regular member of their CCHA team, displayed outstanding sportsmanship, made satisfactory progress towards a degree, displayed leadership and was active in community service off the ice, encompassing a positive culture of the institution and league.
A native of Toledo, Ohio, Furry is a sports management major with a marketing minor who boasted a 3.81 grade-point average. On the ice, he was named the CCHA preseason forward of the year. Collecting 28 points on nine goals and 19 assists, he appeared in all 39 games for the Mavericks this season, helping the team to its record-breaking sixth straight regular-season title.
Throughout his three-year career at MSU, Furry appeared in 111 games and finished with 27 goals and 58 assists for 85 career points. The Mavericks complied an 85-24-2 record during his tenure, which included three MacNaughton Cup championships, two Mason Cup championships, three NCAA tournament bids, two Frozen Fours and one trip to the national championship game.
Furry signed a professional contract with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the conclusion of the 2022-23 NCAA hockey season.
Outside of hockey, Furry has been heavily involved with the JZ Cancer Fund, a local fund established through the Mankato Area Foundation, which is committed to raising community cancer awareness and support. Over the past year, he also participated in mullet growing contest, which was a fundraiser for the JZ Cancer Fund during Hockey Day Minnesota.
Additionally, this past November, Furry participated in the Mustache Bash. Between these two endeavors combined, he has helped raise roughly $22,000 to benefit the JZ Cancer Fund. In August, he helped pack care packages for the JZ Cancer Fund which are distributed to local individuals who are battling cancer. He and his teammates packed over 150 boxes along with local youth hockey players.
Furry has also donated his time with the Anthony Ford Pond Hockey Tournament, an annual event to raise funds to battle childhood leukemia. He has also donated his time over his career with the Mavericks to set up Kiwanis Holiday Lights – an annual light holiday lights show of over 1.8 million holiday lights to benefit over 50 area nonprofits.
Last year, Northern Michigan senior Ben Newhouse was the first to earn CCHA student-athlete of the year honors in the conference’s return to action.
