The CCHA honored its league award winners at the 2002 CCHA Awards presentation Thursday night in Detroit’s historic Fox Theatre.
For the second straight year, Michigan State goaltender Ryan Miller was named the league’s Player of the Year. Alaska-Fairbanks head coach Guy Gadowsky is the 2001-02 Coach of the Year, and Western Michigan’s Pat Dwyer was named Rookie of the Year.
The evening also included a moving tribute to MSU head coach Ron Mason, who is stepping down at the end of the season to become Michigan State’s athletic director.
In a video clip, Red Berenson, head coach of MSU archrival Michigan, joked that Mason has been promising to take him fishing for a number years. “Now that he’s retiring, maybe he’ll actually do it,” said Berenson.
Mason — college hockey’s all-time winningest coach — was honored with a lifetime achievement award, presented by Detroit Red Wings head coach Scotty Bowman — hockey’s all-time winningest coach.
On receiving the award, Mason talked about the connection between professional and college hockey in Michigan, and said, “I think hockey in particular, is a really solid small family.”
Other highlights included the presentation of Best Defensive Forward to UAF’s Bobby Andrews, who said, “I’d really like to thank my old man for preaching that [defensive side of hockey].”
Michigan goaltender Kevin O’Malley received the Mike and Marian Ilitch Humanitarian Award for his extensive volunteer work. O’Malley’s acceptance speech was the best of the evening by a player. “I did some research,” said O’Malley, “and the last Wolverine to win this award was Blake Sloan. Two years later, he won the Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars, so I’m really looking forward to 2004.”
Ohio State’s Scott Titus was given the Terry Flanagan Memorial Award, named after the former Bowling Green assistant coach who died of cancer in 1991. After the 1999-2000 season, Titus had surgery on his upper right arm to remove a staph infection that spread through four inches of bone. Doctors originally diagnosed Titus with bone cancer. The Buckeye defenseman missed the 2000-01 season because of the extent of surgery.
Not surprisingly, Ryan Miller was named the league’s Best Goaltender. Best Offensive Defenseman honors went to Miller’s teammate, John-Michael Liles. Ferris State’s Rob Collins was singled out as the league’s leading scorer — the first Bulldog to achieve that honor. Michigan’s Mike Komisarek is the 2001-02 Best Defensive Defenseman.
The league also honored All-Conference Teams, named earlier in the week.
2001-02 All-Conference Team
First Team
Rob Collins, senior forward, FSU
Jeff Hoggan, senior forward, UNO
Chris Kunitz, junior forward, FSU
Mike Komisarek, sophomore defenseman, UM
John-Michael Liles, junior defenseman, MSU
Ryan Miller, junior goaltender, MSU
Second Team
Bobby Andrews, senior forward, UAF
Mike Cammalleri, junior forward, UM
John Shouneyia, junior forward, UM
Andrew Hutchinson, senior defenseman, MSU
Greg Zanon, junior defenseman, UNO
Dan Ellis, sophomore goaltender, UNO
2001-02 Bauer All-Rookie Team
Pat Dwyer, forward, WMU
Eric Nystrom, forward, UM
Jim Slater, forward, MSU
Aaron Voros, forward, UAF
Eric Werner, defenseman, UM
Matt York, defenseman, FSU
Mike Brown, goaltender, FSU
2001-02 All-Academic Team
Bobby Andrews, senior forward, UAF
David Cousineau, junior defenseman, WMU
Brad Fast, junior defenseman, MSU
Adam Hall, senior forward, MSU
David Inman, senior forward, ND
Miguel Lafleche, junior forward, OSU
Peter Michelutti, junior forward, NMU
Daniel Samuelsson, senior defenseman, UNO
Jared Sylvestre, freshman forward, UAF
2001-02 Perani Cup Winners
Lance Mayes, junior goaltender, UAF
Tyler Masters, junior goaltender, BGSU
Chris Kunitz, junior forward, FSU
Matt Violin, freshman goaltender, LSSU
David Burleigh, junior goaltender, Miami
Josh Blackburn, senior goaltender, UM
Ryan Miller, junior goaltender, MSU
Dan Ellis, sophomore goaltender, UNO
Chad Theuer, senior forward, NMU
David Inman, senior forward, ND
R.J. Umberger, sophomore forward, OSU
Jeff Reynaert, senior goaltender, WMU
