UND Hockey Players, Brad Berry up for NCHC Awards

University of North Dakota men’s hockey coach Brad Berry and four of his players have been named finalists for individual National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) awards, the conference office announced on Thursday.

Berry, in his first year as North Dakota head coach, was named one of three finalists of the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year award, along with Denver’s Jim Montgomery and St. Cloud State’s Bob Motzko. He guided UND to a 28-5-3 regular season record, including a 19-4-1 NCHC mark that landed the program its second consecutive Penrose Cup as conference champions. Berry’s 28 regular-season wins were the most ever by a first-year head coach at UND.

Senior Drake Caggiula, was named a finalist for NCHC Player of the Year, as well as NCHC Forward of the Year. The Whtby, Ontario, product earned his second straight All-NCHC selection after racking up 10 goals and 22 points in 20 conference games. Four of his 10 goals were game-winners – tied for second-most in the conference – and he boasted a plus-21 rating.

Caggiula’s linemate, freshman Brock Boeser, was named a finalist for both NCHC Rookie of the Year and the new NCHC Three Stars Award. The Burnsville, Minn., native led the NCHC in both points (35) and goals (20) during conference play and set new league records in both categories. He was a four-time NCHC Rookie of the Week and one-time offensive player of the week.

Junior Troy Stecher was named a finalist for both defenseman of the year and offensive defenseman of the year. Stecher was UND’s top-scoring defenseman during conference play, collecting five goals and 11 assists in 23 league games to rank third among NCHC defensemen. The Richmond, British Columbia, native also paced all NCHC defensemen with 70 shots on goal.

Sophomore goaltender Cam Johnson was named a finalist for the league’s goalie of the year award. Johnson, from Troy, Mich., has enjoyed a breakout season as a sophomore, going 13-3-0 in 19 conference games with a 1.80 goals against average and NCHC-leading .935 save percentage. He also logged four shutouts during league play and was a five-time NCHC Goaltender of the Week honoree.

Individual award winners will be announced at the NCHC Awards Celebration in Minneapolis, Minn., the following Thursday, March 17.

Courtesy UND Athletics