COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — After another banner regular season, four Fighting Hawks have been named to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference’s all-league teams on Wednesday afternoon, as announced by league officials. Forward Riese Gaber (1st), defenseman Jake Sanderson (2nd), goaltender Zach Driscoll (2nd) and forward Connor Ford (HM) represent North Dakota after a third straight regular season crown.
Gaber was dynamic during conference play this season to earn a first-team selection for the first time in his career. After being selected to the all-rookie team a year ago, the sophomore finished with nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points in just 19 appearances. The Gilbert Plains, Man., native was tied for sixth in the league with four power play goals while his eight helpers on the man advantage are knotted for fourth. He tallied points in 13 of the 19 league games that he appeared in, including seven multi-point outings. He was named NCHC Forward of the Week on back-to-back occasions after tallying nine points over those four games against St. Cloud State and Omaha.
Despite playing only 10 league games, Sanderson was dynamic along the blue line to be named to the second team for the first time in his career. Another sophomore, he tallied 12 points on four goals and eight assists while finishing with a plus-4 rating. The two-time NCHC Defenseman of the Week showed his top-end ability in a weekend sweep at Miami on Nov. 12-13, scoring six points (3g, 3a) in the pair of wins. Prior to heading to the Winter Olympics, the Whitefish, Mont., native scored the tying goal against St. Cloud State on Jan. 29 in what ended up being his final regular season appearance.
Arguably, no goalie was better during NCHC action than Driscoll. The fifth-year player ranked in the top-2 for wins (15), save percentage (.919) and goals against average (2.17), with the save percentage leading the league. He saved his best play for late in the season, earning NCHC Goaltender of the Month honors in February after going 7-1-0 with a .941 save percentage, 1.74 goals against average and one shutout. The Apple Valley, Minn., native is riding a seven-game winning streak, the longest of his career, entering the postseason and was most recently named a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, which is presented annually to the top senior in collegiate hockey.
Ford joined the Fighting Hawks from Bowling Green and proved to be one of the top two-way centers in the nation to earn a selection to the honorable mention team. He appeared in 23 of the team’s 24 conference games, finishing second on the team with 20 points during those contests. The gradutate student led the team and finished tied for fourth in the NCHC with 17 assists, closing the regular season with five helpers over the final four games. A master in the dot, Ford led the league with 359 wins during league action and paced the nation with 538 overall victories and a 62.6 winning percentage.
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, Denver – 45 (15) – unanimous
F: Ethen Frank, Western Michigan – 38 (12)
F: Riese Gaber, North Dakota – 25 (6)
D: Ronnie Attard, Western Michigan – 42 (14)
D: Nick Perbix, St. Cloud State – 24 (6)
G: Ryan Fanti, Minnesota Duluth – 23 (6)
Second-Team All-NCHC
F: Carter Savoie, Denver – 20 (4)
F: Drew Worrad, Western Michigan – 17 (4)
F: Kevin Fitzgerald, St. Cloud State – 17 (3)
D: Jake Sanderson, North Dakota – 19 (5)
D: Mike Benning, Denver – 16 (3)
G: Zach Driscoll, North Dakota – 22 (6)
Honorable Mention All-NCHC
F: Cole Guttman, Denver – 10 (1)
F: Noah Cates, Minnesota Duluth – 9 (2)
F: Connor Ford, North Dakota – 4 (1)
D: Brandon Scanlin, Omaha – 10 (1)
D: Michael Joyaux, Western Michigan – 6 (1)
G: Magnus Chrona, Denver – 10 (2)
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