Gophers score a hat trick in Big Ten hockey awards, winning three of five individual honors

The Gophers won the Big Ten hockey regular-season title by a record 19 points, and on Tuesday the conference's announcement of individual awards reflected that dominance.

Minnesota won three of the Big Ten's five individual honors with sophomore forward Matthew Knies named Player of the Year, junior defenseman Brock Faber named Defensive Player of the Year and Bob Motzko named Coach of the Year.

In addition, freshman forward Logan Cooley joined Knies and Faber in the All-Big Ten first team. A trio of Gophers made the second team: freshman forward Jimmy Snuggerud, senior defenseman Jackson LaCombe and senior goalie Justen Close. Senior defenseman Ryan Johnson earned honorable mention and was the Gophers' sportsmanship award winner, while defenseman Luke Mittelstadt joined Cooley and Snuggerud on the all-freshman team. Cooley and Snuggerud shared the Big Ten scoring lead with 36 points in conference play.

"I've always said: I do a really good job of coaching when I've got really good players,'' Motzko, the first three-time honoree as Big Ten Coach of the Year, said on BTN.

Knies, who has 21 goals, 19 assists and a nation's-best seven game-winning goals, is the second consecutive Gopher to win conference Player of the Year after Ben Meyers won it last year. Faber joins former Gopher Mike Reilly as the only back-to-back winners of Defensive Player of the Year.

Notre Dame's Ryan Bischel, a Medina native, won Goalie of the Year honors, while Michigan's Adam Fantilli was named Freshman of the Year. Those two also earned first-team honors, as did Michigan defenseman Luke Hughes.

Voting was conducted by conference coaches and a media panel.

Big Ten honors

Player of the Year; Matthew Knies, So., F, Gophers

Defensive Player of the Year: Brock Faber, Jr., D, Gophers

Goaltender of the Year: Ryan Bischel, Sr., G, Notre Dame

Freshman of the Year: Adam Fantilli, Fr., F, Michigan

Coach of the Year: Bob Motzko, Gophers

All-Big Ten First Team

Adam Fantilli, Fr., F, Michigan

Logan Cooley, Fr., F, Gophers

Matthew Knies, So., F, Gophers

Luke Hughes, So., D, Michigan

Brock Faber, Jr., D, Gophers

Ryan Bischel, Sr., G, Notre Dame

All-Big Ten Second Team

Mackie Samoskevich, So., F, Michigan

Jimmy Snuggerud, Fr., F, Gophers

Jake Wise, 5th, F, Ohio State

Jackson LaCombe, Sr., D, Gophers

Mason Lohrei, So., D, Ohio State

Justen Close, Sr., G, Gophers

Honorable mention

Gavin Brindley, Fr., F, Mich.; T.J. Hughes, Fr., F, Mich.; Jagger Joshua, Sr., F, Mich. State; Stephen Halliday, Fr., F, OSU; Connor MacEachern, Sr., F, PSU; Kevin Wall, Sr., F PSU; Ryan Johnson, Sr., D, Gophers; Nick Leivermann, Gr., D, ND; Corson Ceulemans, So., D, Wis.; Dylan St. Cyr, Gr., G, MSU; Jakub Dobes, So., G, OSU.

All-Freshman Team

Adam Fantilli, F, Mich.; Logan Cooley, F, Gophers; Jimmy Snuggerud, F, Gophers; Seamus Casey, D, Mich.; Luke Mittelstadt, D, Gophers; (no goaltender).

Sportsmanship awards

Jay Keranen, Sr., D, Mich.; Dylan St. Cyr, Gr., G, MSU; Ryan Johnson, Sr., D, Gophers; Landon Slaggert, Jr., F, ND; Jake Wise, Sr., F, OSU; Paul DeNaples, Sr., D, PSU; Brock Caufield, Gr., F, Wis.