Previous NCHC All-Conference Teams

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After unveiling its All-Rookie Team on Tuesday, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) announced its All-Conference Teams on Wednesday, with five different teams represented on the 2021-22 All-NCHC First Team.

Western Michigan leads the way with two players on the All-Conference First Team in grad student forward Ethen Frank and junior defenseman Ronnie Attard, who is the lone repeat selection to the First Team. Denver junior Bobby Brink and North Dakota sophomore Riese Gaber landed the other First-Team forward spots, while St. Cloud State senior defenseman Nick Perbix, who earned Second-Team honors last year, and Minnesota Duluth junior goaltender Ryan Fanti round out the All-NCHC First Team.

Among the two All-Conference Teams, WMU, Denver and North Dakota each saw three players garner All-NCHC accolades (DU and UND have two each on the Second Team), while St. Cloud State has two and Fanti is the lone Bulldog representative. Earning Second-Team All-NCHC honors are Denver sophomore Carter Savoie, Western Michigan senior Drew Worrad and SCSU grad student Kevin Fitzgerald at forward, with sophomores Jake Sanderson of UND and Mike Benning of Denver manning the Second-Team blue line. North Dakota senior Zach Driscoll is the Second-Team goaltender.

Brink was the lone unanimous All-Conference selection, earning all 15 possible first-team votes for 45 points. Attard was the next highest vote-getter with 14 first-team votes and 42 points, while his teammate, Frank, wasn’t far behind with 38 points and 12 first-team votes. Gaber (25 points), Perbix (24) and Fanti (23) all received six first-team votes.

Driscoll narrowly missed out on First-Team honors, also receiving six first-team votes but only collecting 22 points. Savoie received 20 points and four first-team votes, while Sanderson garnered five first-team votes and 19 points. Worrad (4 first-team votes) and Fitzgerald (3) each had 17 points and Benning had 16 points (3 first-team votes).

Brink (Minnetonka, Minn.) led the NCHC in scoring in both conference games and overall, with his 35 points (9g/26a) in 24 NCHC games 10 more than any other player, while his 26 assists in conference play also led the league. The Philadelphia Flyers draft pick also leads the NCAA with 53 points overall (14g/39a) and 39 assists, and was the National February Player of the Month.

Frank (Papillion, Neb.) finished tops in conference play with 16 goals, including four game-winners, in 23 games, and also leads the NCAA with 25 goals in all games this year. A two-time NCHC Forward of the Week and November Player of the Month, Frank totaled 23 points in NCHC action, tying for seventh, and has 35 points in 32 games overall.

Gaber (Gilbert Plains, Manitoba) tied with Frank for seventh in conference scoring with 23 points (9g/14a) but in only 19 games, as his 1.21 points per game in league play ranked third. The undrafted free agent was fifth in goals per game in conference play at 0.47. Overall, Gaber has 35 points (14g/21a) in 30 games this season and was a two-time NCHC Forward of the Week after earning All-Rookie Team honors last year.

On the blue line, Attard (White Lake, Mich.) was second among defensemen with 21 points (8g/13a) in 24 NCHC games, behind only Perbix (Elk River, Minn.), who was first with 22 points (4g/18a) in only 18 conference contests. Perbix’s 1.22 points per game in NCHC play led all defensemen as well, while Attard’s 0.88 ppg were fourth. Attard’s eight goals in NCHC play tied for first among blue liners, while his 32 points (12g/20a) overall are tops among all NCHC defenseman and second nationally. The Flyers draft pick also had two hat tricks this season, including one in NCHC play, and is +15 on the season. Overall, Perbix has 28 points (4g/24a) in 28 games, missing time while playing for Team USA at the Olympics, and is +5. Both were two-time NCHC Defenseman of the Week, with Perbix, a Tampa Bay Lightning prospect, Co-National Player of the Month for January.

In goal for the All-NCHC First Team, Fanti (Thunder Bay, Ont.) posted a 9-9-4 record in conference play, making 23 starts, while leading the conference with a 2.13 goals-against average and ranking second with a .918 save percentage. The two-time NCHC Goalie of the Week and National Goaltender of the Month for November recorded three shutouts in conference play, all in a row, and has four shutouts overall this season. Fanti is a Mike Richter Award semifinalist and leads the NCHC with both a .921 save percentage and a 1.97 GAA in all games (31 starts).

Representing the All-NCHC Second Team, Savoie (St. Albert, Alta.) was third in conference scoring with 25 points (13g/12a) in 24 games and third with 13 goals. The four-time NCHC Forward of the Week this season is tied for second overall in NCHC scoring with 40 points, while his 20 goals are also second. The Edmonton Oilers prospect has two hat tricks this season after being an All-Rookie Team member last year.

Worrad (Birr, Ont.) finished second with 21 assists in conference play and tied for second with 25 points in 24 NCHC games, while his 1.04 ppg tied for fourth. Overall, Worrad is tied with Savoie for second in NCHC scoring with 40 points (7g/33a) in 33 games and trails only Brink with 33 assists.

The final Second-Team forward, Fitzgerald (Hinsdale, Ill.), tied for second in conference scoring with 25 points (12g/13a) in 24 games. His 12 goals were fourth in league play, while his 16 goals overall rank fifth in the conference.

On the Second-Team blue line, Sanderson (Whitefish, Mont.) only appeared in 10 NCHC games due to injuries and time away representing Team USA at the World Junior Championship and Winter Olympics, but still racked up 12 points (4g/8a). The Senators draft pick was a two-time Defenseman of the Week this year and compiled 24 points (7g/17a) in 21 games overall.

Benning (St. Albert, Alta.) tied for second among defenseman scoring with 21 points (8g/13a) in 24 NCHC games, while his eight goals tied for first. The Florida Panthers prospect was a three-time Defenseman of the Week this season and is fourth among NCHC blue liners in overall scoring with 29 points (13g/16a) in 34 games, with his 13 goals are first among NCHC defensemen and third nationally.

Rounding out the Second Team is Driscoll (Apple Valley, Minn.), who went 15-4-1 in conference play and led the NCHC with a .919 save percentage, while ranking third with a 2.17 GAA. Overall, Driscoll had two shutouts, including one in conference play, while going 20-9-1 in 30 games with a 2.43 GAA and a .905 save percentage. He was a four-time Goaltender of the Week during the season, including winning three straight in February.

Along with the two All-Conference Teams, six other players earned Honorable Mention All-NCHC, which is made up of the next highest point totals in voting at each position (plus ties) after the First and Second Teams. Receiving Honorable Mention All-NCHC at forward are Denver senior captain Cole Guttman (10 points/1 first-place vote), Minnesota Duluth senior captain Noah Cates (9/2) and North Dakota senior Connor Ford (4/1). On the Honorable Mention blue line are Omaha junior Brandon Scanlin (10/1) and Western Michigan senior Michael Joyaux (6/1), while Denver junior goaltender Magnus Chrona (10/2) rounds out the squad.

Voting was conducted by the eight head coaches at each institution and eight media members, one covering each member school. Coaches and media voted for six forwards, four defensemen and two goaltenders, awarding first-team votes for six players (three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender) and second-team votes for the other six selections. Three points were awarded for a first-team vote while one point was awarded for a second-team vote, with the most points at each position earning the honors. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players, making 15 first-place votes the maximum a player can receive.

The NCHC will announce its individual award finalists on Thursday. Individual award winners will be announced at the NCHC Awards Celebration in Saint Paul, Minn. on Thursday, March 17 on the eve of the 2022 NCHC Frozen Faceoff.

First-Team All-NCHC
F: Bobby Brink, Jr., Denver – 45 points (15 first-team votes) – unanimous
F: Ethen Frank, Gr., Western Michigan – 38 (12)
F: Riese Gaber, So., North Dakota – 25 (6)
D: *Ronnie Attard, Jr., Western Michigan – 42 (14)
D: ^Nick Perbix, Sr., St. Cloud State – 24 (6)
G: Ryan Fanti, Jr., Minnesota Duluth – 23 (6)

Second-Team All-NCHC
F: Carter Savoie, So., Denver – 20 (4)
F: Drew Worrad, Sr., Western Michigan – 17 (4)
F: Kevin Fitzgerald, Gr., St. Cloud State – 17 (3)
D: Jake Sanderson, So., North Dakota – 19 (5)
D: Mike Benning, So., Denver – 16 (3)
G: Zach Driscoll, Sr., North Dakota – 22 (6)

Honorable Mention All-NCHC
F: Cole Guttman, Sr., Denver – 10 (1)
F: +Noah Cates, Sr., Minnesota Duluth – 9 (2)
F: Connor Ford, Sr., North Dakota – 4 (1)
D: Brandon Scanlin, Jr., Omaha – 10 (1)
D: Michael Joyaux, Sr., Western Michigan – 6 (1)
G: Magnus Chrona, Jr., Denver – 10 (2)

* 2020-21 First-Team All-NCHC
^ 2020-21 Second-Team All-NCHC
+ 2020-21 Second-Team All-NCHC and 2019-20 First-Team All-NCHC 

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