While the Michigan hockey team awaits its destiny in the looming NCAA Tournament, five players already have reason to celebrate after earning all-conference awards Tuesday afternoon.
Junior forward Cooper Marody netted All-Big Ten first-team honors and clinched the Big Ten scoring title. Freshman defenseman Quinn Hughes was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and was also a second-team conference selection.
Senior forward Tony Calderone also earned second-team distinction and sophomore goaltender Hayden Lavigne was an honorable mention. Senior defenseman Sam Piazza was voted Michigan’s Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree for the second straight season.
Marody notched 27 points in 24 conference games, becoming just the third Wolverine ever to be the Big Ten scoring champion. In his first full season donning the maize and blue, the Brighton, Mich. native boasted 46 points — 14 goals and 32 assists, which rank third in the country and first in the Big Ten.
Hughes entered the season as a blue-chip prospect for the upcoming 2018 NHL Entry Draft and didn’t disappoint. Described by Michigan coach Mel Pearson to be “worth the price of admission,” he tallied 24 assists, first among Big Ten freshman, third nationally and the most by a rookie defenseman in program history. The youngest player in college hockey, Hughes’ 28 points tied for 12th in the NCAA, and rank third among Big Ten freshman and third most for a freshman in Michigan annals.
On a team with 16 underclassmen — the third youngest in college hockey — Calderone’s veteran presence shined when the lights were brightest and Michigan needed a leader. In his senior campaign, the captain posted career-highs with 40 points, 17 assists and 23 goals — most in the Big Ten and eighth nationally.
When asked about the line of Calderone, Marody and senior forward Dexter Dancs after Saturday night’s 3-2 overtime loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal, Pearson was quick to praise its leadership.
“They gave us what they have all year … on and off the ice when we need a goal,” he said. “That’s what you expect from seniors and juniors. It’s been fun for me to be around these guys, I hope I get another couple of weeks.”
While Hughes protected the blueline, Pearson constantly underscored the importance of the goaltender being the best defenseman on the ice. After splitting starts with classmate Jack LaFontaine, Lavigne assumed the starting job halfway through the season. He recorded a career-high 16 wins in 30 starts, averaging 2.79 goals allowed per game and posting a .910 save percentage.
Helping Lavigne in the defensive zone was the always-dependable Piazza. During his final season in Ann Arbor, he set career bests in games played (35), assists (13), points (15) and shots (64). The blueliner was nominated as a finalist for the Senior CLASS award, recognizing student athletes who shine on and beyond the ice.
The prestige of awards notwithstanding, after a dismal 15-win campaign in 2016-17, the Wolverines are less than a week away from returning to the NCAA Tournament and having a chance at a national championship. And that’s in part to those awarded Tuesday.
“Coming in at the start of the season, nobody really believed in us,” Marody said. “Nobody saw us having any success this year, and we proved people wrong. We did that by out-working opponents and coming together as a team. Battling to the end is something we take a lot of pride in, and we know we’re going to have to do that to have success in the Tournament.”