Yellowjacket goaltender Chad Beiswenger (Sr. Moorhead, Minnesota) was named NCHA Player of the Year by a voting of the league's coaches, it was announced today.  Beiswenger is the third Yellowjacket ever to receive the honor, joining Glen Lang (1992) and Mike Wiggins (2005).

"I can't say enough how happy I am for Chad.  He has been so strong and so steady in goal for us the last three years," said Yellowjacket Head Coach Dan Stauber.  "All you ask of your goaltender is to put you in a position to win and he does that for us every night.  The staff and his teammates are really happy for him to receive this honor."

Beiswenger is the only goaltender to play for the 'Jackets this season, fashioning a 20-2-3 record with a 2.05 goals against average, a .920 save percentage and three shutouts.  In NCHA play, he went 11-1-2 with a 2.05 goals against average, a .922 save percentage and a pair of shutouts.

"To be honest, he probably had a better year last season then this year, but he's probably been more important to our team this year if that makes any sense," Stauber said.  "His goals against is higher and he doesn't have the shutouts he did last year, but he's played like an All-American game in and game out.  He's the biggest reason that we have that number one seed heading into the playoffs."

Beiswenger will leave UW-Superior after this season, having left an indelible mark on the school record book, forever being mentioned in the same sentence as the likes of Dave Graichen and Nate Ziemski when you talk about the best goaltender in school history.

"I never had the chance to watch Dave play, but I was lucky to have Nate as my goaltender for three years, and Chad is right there.  If he would have had four full years here, that record book could possibly be all his.

"Again, like I said earlier, I couldn't be happier for Chad.  It's a tremendous honor for him and he really deserves it."

All-NCHA Team Announced

The NCHA also announced their all-conference team today, and three Yellowjackets made the team.  In addition to Beiswenger, defenseman Ryan Kuntz (Sr. Regina, Saskatchewan) and forward Braden Desmet (Jr. Strathmore, Alberta) also made the team.  This comes a year after the 'Jackets didn't have anyone named to the squad.

"The three players that made the team all deserved it.  That doesn't take anything away from our guys that didn't make the team, but the three that did get chosen were definitely deserving," Stauber said.  "There are a lot of good players in this league this year and it says something to be chosen for this team."

Desmet led the 'Jackets in scoring for much of the season.  He has played in all 25 games, scoring 12 goals and 28 points.  In conference play, Desmet had seven goals and 16 points in 14 games.

Kuntz set career highs in all offensive categories the year, scoring four goals and adding ten assists in 24 games.  Kuntz has been a jack-of-all-trades this year, seeing time at all three forward positions as well as on defense.

"Braden has been one of our best players offensively and his numbers show that.  He has the ability to be the most dynamic player in the NCHA," Stauber said.  "Kuntz getting selected shows that they don't always look at points.  He's valuable to us in so many ways besides the score sheet.  I'm glad that others recognize that."

Also named to the team were A.J. Gale and Nick Tabisz of St. Norbert, Sean Garrity and Greg Petersen of Eau Claire, Derek Hansberry of River Falls, Derek Hanson and Jack Wolgemuth of Stout and A.J. Tucker and Steve Bounds of St. Scholastica.

Chris Wilson (Jr. Prince Albert, Saskatchewan), Talon Berlando (So. Drumheller, Alberta), Logan Isley (So. Bonnyville, Alberta) and Art Clark (Jr. Bloomington, Minnesota) all received honorable mention.

St. Scholastica Head Coach Mark Wick was named NCHA Coach of the Year.