The regular-season champion Gophers nearly swept Big Ten hockey's top individual honors on Monday afternoon.
Gophers sophomore goaltender Adam Wilcox was named the conference's inaugural Player of the Year and Goaltender of the Year. Defenseman Mike Reilly was the Defensive Player of the Year. Don Lucia claimed Coach of the Year.
Five other Gophers were recognized on the All-Big Ten Team. Forward Kyle Rau earned Second Team, while forwards Hudson Fasching and Sam Warning, and defensemen Ben Marshall and Brady Skjei were Honorable Mentions. Fasching was also named to the All-Freshman Team.
Senior co-captain Nate Condon was one of six Sportsmanship Award honorees.
Wilcox defied tradition by claiming the top-player award. He leads the Big Ten and ranks third nationally with 23 wins (23-4-6), a .934 save percentage, and 1.91 goals-against average. He gave up just 30 goals in 18 conference games. His save percentage is a single-season record for the Gophers.
Reilly not only helped lead the Big Ten's top defense, but played a big role in the Gophers' offense. He led all conference defensemen with 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) and ranked among the nation's top 10 scoring defensemen.
Lucia guided the Gophers to a program-best three consecutive regular-season championships as they transition into the new hockey conference. The Gophers finished with a 25-5-6 record and 14-3-3-0 Big Ten record to claim the regular-season trophy.
It's Lucia's fourth Coach of the Year honor (Western Collegiate Hockey Association Coach of the Year 1994, 1996, 2006) in his 15th season leading the Gophers.
