Gophers captain Kyle Rau was named a Senior CLASS Award Second Team All-American on Thursday. The award stands for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, and focuses on the "total" student-athlete that uses their platform in athletics to make a positive difference as leaders in their community.
Colgate senior defenseman Spiro Goulakos was selected the 2014-2015 Senior CLASS Award winner. North Dakota defenseman and Chanhassen, Minn., native Nick Mattson also earned Second Team honors.
Rau passed on signing a pro contract after a standout junior season and returned for a final year of college hockey, leading the Gophers to a fourth consecutive conference regular-season championship and a conference tournament championship.
He signed an entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers on March 29, two days after the Gophers' season ended in the first round of the NCAA tournament, and scored a goal in his first professional hockey game with the Panthers' AHL affiliate the San Antonio Rampage.
The two-time captain, two-time All-Big Ten selection, and All-America honoree capped his college career ranked 18th on the Gophers' career points list and fourth among players in the Don Lucia era with 164 points (67 goals, 97 assists) in 160 games. He recorded 40 points or more in each of his four seasons.
Rau was a three-time academic all-conference recipient, honored as Gopher Hockey's John Mayasich Outstanding Student Athlete Award, and recognized as the Henry L. Williams Legacy Award's top male student-athlete at the University of Minnesota.