Steeves and Stastney receive Big Ten hockey honors

SOUTH BEND – Notre Dame junior defenseman Spencer Stastney and junior right wing Alex Steeves were named to the All-Big Ten second team prior to the conference’s championship game between Wisconsin and Minnesota Tuesday night at the Compton Family Ice Arena.

Steeves, a native of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, led the Irish in scoring with 32 points on a career-best 15 goals and 17 assists. His 32 points were the sixth best among players in Division I and his goal total was fifth nationally

This season for the 14-13-2 Irish, Steeves had six multi-point games, including a four-point effort (1-3-4) in a 6-1 victory at Ohio State Feb. 5. He was twice named the Big Ten Second Star of the Week (Feb. 9 and 23). In 104 career games, Steeves has scored 33 goals and 69 points and has twice been an Academic All-Big Ten selection.

Stastney, a native of Mequon, Wisconsin, has played in 104 career games since joining the Irish. He played in all 29 Irish games this season, scoring a career-high five goals to go along with seven assists for 12 points. The five goals tied fellow junior Nick Leivermann and Michigan’s Nick Blankenburg for goals by a defensemen in the league. He has career totals of nine goals and 36 points, and like Steeves, Stastney is an Academic All-Big Ten selection.

Senior defenseman Matt Hellickson was one of seven players named as Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honorees.

The nation’s leading scorer, Wisconsin sophomore right wing Cole Caufield, was named the league’s player of the year. He went into the championship game with 27 goals and 48 points – both national bests.

Caufield and the Badgers of coach Tony Granato, the league’s coach of the year, will go up against Minnesota goalie Jack LaFontaine, who was named the league’s goaltender of the year with his five shutouts, 1.65 goals-against average and .937 saves percentage.

Two Michigan players also received honors – sophomore defenseman Cam York was named the defensive player of the year and center Thomas Bordeleau was named the freshman of the year.

Here are the other league honors:

First team All-Big Ten: Forwards Cole Caufield (Wisconsin), Sampo Ranta (Minnesota) and Dylan Holloway (Wisconsin); defensemen Cam York (Michigan) and Jackson LaCombe (Minnesota); goaltender Jack LaFontaine (Minnesota).

Second team All-Big Ten: Forwards Thomas Bordeleau (Michigan), Alex Steeves (Notre Dame) and Linus Weissbach (Wisconsin; defensemen Owen Power (Michigan) and Spencer Stastney (Notre Dame); goaltender Strauss Mann (Michigan).

Honorable mention: Forwards Matty Beniers and Kent Johnson (Michigan), Ben Myers, Scott Reedy and Sammy Walker (Minnesota), Alex Limoges (Penn State) and Ty Pelton-Byce (Wisconsin); defensemen Nick Blankenberg (Michigan), Dennis Cesana (Michigan State), Brock Faber and Ryan Johnson (Minnesota) and Ty Emberson (Wisconsin); goaltender Drew DeRidder (Michigan State).

All-Freshmen Team: Forwards Matty Beniers, Thomas Bordeleau and Kent Johnson (Michigan; defensemen Owen Power (Michigan) and Brock Faber (Minnesota); goaltender Cameron Rowe (Wisconsin).

Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honorees: Jack Becker (Michigan), Tommy Miller (Michigan State), Cullen Munson (Minnesota), Matt Hellickson (Notre Dame), Austin Pooley (Ohio State), Oskar Autio (Penn State) and Brock Caufield (Wisconsin).