Nardella, Morris among five Irish honored by Big Ten

Senior defenseman Bobby Nardella and junior goaltender Cale Morris lead five players from the No. 16 Notre Dame hockey team in receiving All-Big Ten Conference recognition Tuesday.

Nardella was named a first-team selection, while Morris was named to the second team. Senior left wing Dylan Malmquist received honorable mention. Junior center/right wing Cal Burke received All-Big Ten sportsmanship recognition, while Graham was named to the all-freshman team.

Nardella, who became the 54th player in program history to score 100 points, leads Notre Dame in scoring this season with 31 points on seven goals and a team-high 24 assists.

Morris, who last season won All-America honors and captured the Mike Richter Goaltender of the Year Award, has a 17-12-3 record this season with a 2.19 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage. He has four shutouts, including back-to-back 1-0 and 2-0 efforts against Michigan State to begin the postseason.

Malmquist is second to Nardella in scoring with a career-high 30 points on 10 goals and 20 assists.

Burke, third in scoring with 27 points on 11 goals and 16 assists, has just three penalties for six minutes this season. He is a Hockey Humanitarian nominee and serves on the school’s Student Athletic Advisory Council.

Graham is the team leader in goals with 12, with 11 coming since mid-January. His eighth power-play goal of the season came Saturday in overtime as Notre Dame beat Minnesota, 2-1, to gain a spot for the second straight season in the Big Ten Tournament championship game. The Irish (22-13-3) will play host to Penn State (22-14-2) Saturday night at 8 in the Compton Family Ice Arena, the winner receiving the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

ALL-BIG TEN

First team

Forwards: Taro Hirose, Michigan State; Rem Pitlick, Minnesota; Mason Jobst, Ohio State; Evan Barratt, Penn State.

Defensemen: Quinn Hughes, Michigan; Bobby Nardella, Notre Dame.

Goalie: Tommy Nappier, Ohio State.

Second team

Forwards: Patrick Khodorenko, Michigan State; Tyler Sheehy, Minnesota.

Defensemen: Sasha Larocque, Ohio State; Wyatt Kalynuk, Wisconsin.

Goalie: Cale Morris, Notre Dame.

Honorable mention:

Will Lockwood, F, Michigan; Mitchell Lewandowski, F, Michigan State; Dylan Malmquist, F, Notre Dame; Tanner Laczynski, F, Ohio State; Brandon Biro, F, Penn State; Zach Osburn, D, Michigan State; Cole Hults, D, Penn State; K’Andre Miller, D, Wisconsin; Mat Robson, G, Minnesota.

ALL-FRESHMEN TEAM

Sammy Walker, F, Minnesota; Michael Graham, F, Notre Dame; Gustaf Westlund, F, Ohio State; Dennis Cesana, D, Michigan State; K’Andre Miller, D, Wisconsin; Drew DeRidder, G, Michigan State.

BIG TEN SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD: Jack Becker, F, Michigan; Brennan Sanford, F, Michigan State; Brent Gates Jr., F, Minnesota; Cal Burke, F, Notre Dame; Brendon Kearney, F, Ohio State; Chase Berger, F, Penn State; Peter Tischke, D, Wisconsin.

Player of the Year: Taro Hirose, F, Michigan State.

Defensive Player of the Year: Sasha Larocque, D, Ohio State.

Goaltender of the Year: Tommy Nappier, G, Ohio State.

Freshman of the Year: Sammy Walker, F, Minnesota.

Coach of the Year: Steve Rohlik, Ohio State.