March 15, 2007
Historic Honor for ND's Brown
CHN Staff Report
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. — Senior goaltender David Brown became the first player in Notre Dame history to be named the CCHA Player of the Year, it was announced today.
Brown leads the nation in goals-against-average, 1.68 average in 33 games; and he is tied for fourth nationally in save percentage at .927.
Western Michigan forward Mark Letestu was selected the CCHA Rookie of the Year after finishing second in the nation in the regular season in points-per-game for rookies (1.24 over 34 games). He also ranked first in the CCHA in shorthanded goals with five, fourth in the league with 21 goals and seventh in scoring at 42 points.
Jeff Jackson was recognized as CCHA Coach of the Year after leading the Irish to a 19-point improvement in the standings over last season and their first regular-season CCHA Championship. This is the second CCHA Coach of the Year Award for Jackson, who also won in 1990-91 with Lake Superior State.
Ohio State junior forward Tom Fritsche was presented with the Terry Flanagan Memorial Award in recognition of his perseverance, dedication and courage in his battle with severe ulcerative colitis, a chronic intestinal disorder that caused him to lose 40 pounds and miss the first half of the 2006-07 season.
The seventh-annual Mike and Marian Illitch Humanitarian award was presented to Michigan senior defenseman Tim Cook. Cook is involved in several Ann Arbor-area programs including the Big Brother program and From the Heart Council for Mott Children's Hospital visits.
Michigan teammates won both defenseman awards. Senior Matt Hunwick earned Best Defensive Defenseman Award, and sophomore Jack Johnson received the Best Offensive Defenseman Award. Hunwick finished tied for fourth in the CCHA in plus/minus with a plus-18. Johnson finished the regular season tied for first in the nation in points-per-game for a defenseman, averaging one per game.
Miami junior forward Nathan Davis was selected as the Best Defensive Forward after he helped the RedHawks finish third in the CCHA in team defense and he finished the regular season with a plus-17 rating.
Nebraska-Omaha senior defenseman Michael Eickman received the CCHA Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award for the second straight year. Eickman currently has a grade-point-average of 3.937 and has been on the Dean's List every semester he has been enrolled at UNO. He will graduate in May with a degree in Psychology and has been accepted into and will enroll in the School of Dentistry at the University of Nebraska in August of 2007.
