UND dominates all-NCHC teams

UND won the National Collegiate Hockey Conference's highest team honor, the Penrose Cup, last month as regular-season champions.

On Monday, the individual awards followed.

UND dominated the league's all-conference teams, earning four of six spots on the first team.

Forwards Shane Pinto, forward Jordan Kawaguchi, defenseman Matt Kiersted and goaltender Adam Scheel all earned first-team all-NCHC honors. Pinto was the lone unanimous first-team pick.

Four players on the first team marks the highest number UND has had since the league formed in 2013-14. It is not the first time a team had four all-conference picks, though. Minnesota Duluth did in 2020 and St. Cloud State did in 2019.

Kawaguchi is UND's first two-time first-team all-NCHC pick.

Other UND players to be named first-team all-NCHC are Tucker Poolman (2017), Drake Caggiula (2016), Brock Boeser (2016), Mark MacMillan (2015), Zane McIntyre (2015) and Dillon Simpson (2014).

Defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker was on the second team. Previous second-team picks from UND are Kiersted (2020), Christian Wolanin (2018), Troy Stecher (2016), Cam Johnson (2016), Caggiula (2015), Jordan Schmaltz (2014, 2015) and Michael Parks (2014).

Forward Riese Gaber and defenseman Jake Sanderson were on the all-rookie team, marking the first time the Fighting Hawks have had two picks in the same year. UND's previous all-rookie picks are Pinto (2020), Scheel (2019), Grant Mismash (2018), Tyson Jost (2017), Boeser (2016), Nick Schmaltz (2015), Paul LaDue (2014).

UND senior forward Collin Adams was an honorable mention, two votes shy of reaching a spot on the second team.

Pinto and Kawaguchi finished 1-2 in the NCHC in scoring this season. Pinto, a sophomore, had 28 points, while Kawaguchi, a senior, tallied 27.

Voting for the all-conference teams was done by the league's head coaches and eight media members, one covering each team. The head coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.

The NCHC will announce its Sportsmanship Award and Three Stars Award winners on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the five individual positional playing awards will be announced, while Thursday’s awards announcement will include the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year, NCHC Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and the NCHC Senior Scholar-Athlete Award.

F - Shane Pinto, UND (unanimous)

F - Jordan Kawaguchi, UND

F - Nick Swaney, Minnesota Duluth

D - Matt Kiersted, UND

D - Ronnie Attard, Western Michigan

G - Adam Scheel, UND

F - Veeti Miettinen, St. Cloud State

F - Chayse Primeau, Omaha

F - Noah Cates, Minnesota Duluth

D - Nick Perbix, St. Cloud State

D - Jacob Bernard-Docker, UND

G - Ludvig Persson, Miami

F - Collin Adams, UND

F - Cole Koepke, Minnesota Duluth

F - Grant Cruikshank, Colorado College

F - Ethen Frank, Western Michigan

D - Brandon Scanlin, Omaha

D - Wyatt Kaiser, Minnesota Duluth

G - Isaiah Saville, Omaha

F - Veeti Miettinen, St. Cloud State (unanimous)

F - Carter Savoie, Denver (unanimous)

F - Riese Gaber, UND

D - Jake Sanderson, UND

D - Wyatt Kaiser, Minnesota Duluth

G - Ludvig Persson, Miami (unanimous)