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Tech hockey announces 2016-17 team awards

HOUGHTON — The Michigan Tech hockey team recently passed out its annual awards at a team dinner. Defensemen Shane Hanna and Matt Roy received the Merv Youngs Awards as the team most valuable players.

Hanna, a senior who played every game of his career, was second on the team with 27 points on eight goals and 19 assists. He was named to the All-WCHA Second Team, earning all-conference honors for the fourth year in a row. Hanna scored the game-winning goal in the second overtime of the WCHA Championship to send the Huskies to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons.

Roy, a junior who recently signed an NHL contract with the LA Kings, was the team leader in assists with 21. He also received the Gitzen-Loutit Memorial Award as the outstanding defensive player. Roy was named to the All-WCHA First Team after being on both the coaches’ and the media’s Preseason All-WCHA Teams. He set career-highs this season in points (26) and assists (21) and had the assist on the game-winning goal six times.

Sophomore forward Jake Jackson received the Elov Seger Memorial Award as the most improved player. After putting up one point in an injury-shortened 11 games as a freshman, Jackson broke out with 11 goals and six assists in 2016-17. He had nine points in the last 10 games. The award is named after Elov Seger, who passed away in the mid-60s as a result of a brain tumor. Throughout Seger’s career he battled against great odds and was always successful.

Junior forward Joel L’Esperance received the Gary Crosby Memorial Award as the team’s leading scorer. He had 27 points on 11 goals and 16 assists, finishing tied for 13th overall in the WCHA. L’Esperance had 12 points in the last 11 games and went on a seven-game point streak from November 4-25 (five goals, three assists). Crosby led Tech in scoring his sophomore season and was drafted and signed by the LA Kings after the season. Unfortunately he was killed in a car accident soon after.

Senior forward Reid Sturos received the Harold Meese Sportsmanship Award. Sturos had a breakout offensive season as a senior with 25 points on 11 goals and 14 assists. Sturos was the 2017 Winter Carnival MVP after a pair of goals to lead the Huskies to the MacInnes Cup for the fifth year in a row. He was named an assistant captain midway through the season and ranked second on the team with a +18 rating. Sturos was twice named WCHA Offensive Player of the Week this season and was named to the WCHA All-Academic Team for the third year in a row. He recently signed an amateur tryout agreement with the Texas Stars in the AHL.

Senior defenseman Cliff Watson took home the George McCarthy Performance Award for Scholastic and Athletic Achievement. The two-time team captain appeared in 162 games in his four-year career. He was named a WCHA Scholar-Athlete this season and appeared on the WCHA All-Academic Team three times. The award is named after the late George McCarthy, a former hockey player and member of Tech’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Freshmen Angus Redmond and Mitch Reinke received the Norbert Matovich Memorial Award as outstanding freshmen. Redmond played in 38 games for the Huskies, starting the final 37. He ranked third in the country, and second in the WCHA, with a 1.85 goals against average. Redmond signed an NHL contract with the Anaheim Ducks late last week after being an All-WCHA Rookie Team selection and Hobey Baker candidate. Reinke played in 41 games on the blue line, tallying 20 points with six goals and 14 assists. He was 11th nationally and third in the WCHA amongst rookie defensemen in scoring. He also assisted on four game-winning goals and had a five-game point streak with four goals and three assists from January 20-February 3. Matovich was a freshman athlete from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, who in 1966 was killed in a car accident over Christmas break.

Seniors Michael Neville and Chris Leibinger shared the Rick Yeo Unsung Hero Award. Both played 45 games during their senior season and put up career-high offensive numbers. Neville had 23 points with seven goals and 16 assists. He had two game-winning goals and a WCHA-best +22 rating. Leibinger had nine goals and six assists this year, transitioning to a forward for 34-of-45 games as a senior after playing defense for his first three seasons. He was named a WCHA Scholar-Athlete in 2016-17, was a three-time WCHA All-Academic Team member, and signed with the Quad City Mallards last week.

Junior forward Dylan Steman was presented the John MacInnes Slide Rule Award after posting the best GPA on the team with a 4.0 in mechanical engineering. It was the second year in a row he received the award. Steman appeared in 12 games in an injury-shortened season, scoring two goals and adding a pair of assists. He was named a WCHA Scholar-Athlete and is a two-time member of the WCHA All-Academic Team. The award is named after legendary Tech hockey coach John MacInnes.

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