Gopher Hockey Team Hands Out Awards
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The season has been over since early March, but the University of Minnesota men's hockey team handed out awards Tuesday night at the team's banquet at TCF Bank Stadium.
The Gophers tied for the WCHA regular season title before losing to Colorado College in the WCHA Final Five at Xcel Energy Center. Minnesota earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament, where the Gophers lost to Yale in the Regional Semifinals.
Several players, including Nate Schmidt, Nick Bjugstad and Zach Budish, left the university after the season to pursue NHL contracts.
Schmidt earned team MVP honors for the season after finishing third among defensemen with 32 points. He was also an all-WCHA first team selection. Budish earned the team's Leadership and Sportmanship Award after recording a career-high 36 points and scoring 14 goals after being named a captain.
Kyle Rau earned the Most Determined Player Award after recording 40 points (15 goals, 24 assists) last season. Rau had seven game-winning goals on the season. Nate Condon also earned the Outstanding Student-Athlete Award with 31 points, including 12 goals, on the season.
