DULUTH, Minn. -- The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) has announced the conference All-Academic teams. Trine University women's hockey led the way with 15 student-athletes on the squad, the men's hockey team finished second among NCHA members with 15 students of their own.
In all, 214 student-athletes were honored across the NCHA, with both sides setting new all-time highs for an individual men's or women's team, breaking the former marks on the men's side with the 22 (the record was 17) and for the women with the 15 (was 12) that were just reset last winter.
Eight Thunder skaters earned the award for the maximum third time in their careers (players need to be sophomores to be considered). On the women's side seniors Kailey Cameron (Nowthen, Minn.), Jade Pandres (Eagle River, Alaska) and Kirsten Vandenheuvel (Denfield, Ont.) each made their third appearance. Seniors Aaron Brickman (St. Louis, Mo.), Max DiCicco (Howell, Mich.), Ben Lau (Prospect, Ky.), Blake Robertson (South Lyon, Mich.) and Corey Robertson (South Lyon, Mich.) represented the men's team for the third time.
Five women's hockey skaters made their second appearance on the team including senior Autumn Burgo (Caledonia, Mich.) and juniors Kat Burke (Leesburg, Va.), Devin Dzumaryk (Milford, Mich.), Natasha Strbiak (Renton, Wash.) and Brandi Wilson (Fenton, Mich.). The final six members making their first appearance were senior Emily Moore (London, Ont.), junior Emily Nettesheim (Hartland, Wis.) and sophomores Grace Canty (West Bloomfield, Mich.), Gabrielle Hicks (Layton, Utah), Sara Marino (Arlington Heights, Ill.) and Makena Thompson (Anchorage, Alaska).
Two men's hockey student-athletes make their second appearance on the team including juniors Brandon Krumpschmid (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and Hunter Payment (Monroe, Mich.). The final eight representatives make their first appearance on the team including senior Chris Garrity (Stafford, Va.), juniors Jared Domin (Novi, Mich.) and Garrett Hallford (McKinney, Texas), and sophomores Brad Jenion (Macclesfield, Great Britain), Justin Meers (St. Charles, Mo.), Brendan Prappas (West Bloomfield, Mich.), Brett Tierney (West Chicago, Ill.) and Zach VanCompernolle (Traverse City, Mich.).
