North Dakota senior forward Danny Kristo, of Eden Prairie, has been named the 2012-13 College Hockey News' Player of the Year.
Kristo, obviously, also was named to the All-CHN first team, while Corban Knight, his center, was named to the All-CHN second team.
He had career highs this season in points (52), goals (26) and plus/minus (+17), while tying his career high in assists (26).
He is tied for second in the nation in both points and goals going into the Frozen Four and is tied for third with six game-winning goals.
He is the first player at UND to record 20-plus assists in each of his four seasons since Jeff Panzer did it from 1997-98 to 2000-01. Kristo reached the scoresheet in 31 game this season, tied for second-most in the nation, and led the team in plus/minus.
Many will also remember Kristo for the frostbite incident as a sophomore. He suffered severe frostbite on one foot and one hand on Jan. 30 when he ventured outside on a cold night, and somehow lost his tennis shoe. Doctors at first feared they might have to amputate his toes. He wound up at Regions Hospital in St. Paul and even came back to play at the end of that seaosn.
He's made quite a comeback from that stumble.
Kristo and Knight are both among the 10 Hobey Baker Award finalists.The Hobey Hat Trick -- the three final names -- will be announced today. One or both could make it, or they could take votes away from one another. It's hard to guess how it will turn out.
Knight had personal highs in points (49) and assists (33), while matching his career high with 16 goals.
He is from High River, Alberta, native, and led the nation with 623 faceoff wins, 120 more than any other player and the second-most in UND single-season history.
Knight put together a 19-game point streak that was UND's longest in 25 years, and his 32 games with at least one point were more than any other player in the country.
During their four years at UND, Kristo and Knight helped lead UND to four NCAA postseason appearances, three Broadmoor Trophies as WCHA playoff champion, the 2010-11 MacNaughton Cup as WCHA regular season champion and one NCAA Frozen Four appearance.
