Five RedHawks Named to CCHA All-Conference Team
3/13/2008 12:00:00 AM | Hockey
March 13, 2008
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. - The CCHA announced Wednesday that five RedHawks had been named to the 2007-08 All-Conference team. Senior captain Ryan Jones and junior defenseman Alec Martinez were honored as members of the CCHA All-Conference first team, and Mitch Ganzak and Jeff Zatkoff were also named as members of the second team. Junior forward Justin Mercier earned honorable mention, and Carter Camper and Jarod Palmer also earned votes for the team.
Miami and Michigan each had a pair of players named to the All-Conference First Team with the RedHawks also placing two players and the Wolverines one on the Second Team. Michigan State is represented by a player on both squads while Bowling Green and Nebraska-Omaha each has a player on the Second Team. With three seniors and three juniors on each squad, this is the first time there are no underclassmen on either team since 1993. The teams were selected by a vote of the league's head coaches and are based on performance in conference games. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.
Michigan linemates Kevin Porter and Chad Kolarik, who finished 1-2 in league scoring, along with Miami forward Ryan Jones, who finished third, make up the front line. Porter, who was a unanimous pick, led the nation in regular-season scoring with 27-27-54. Porter was a Second Team selection last season while Jones has earned Second Team accololades in each of the past two seasons. Alaska's Tyler Eckford and Alec Martinez of Miami make up the defense pairing. Eckford led CCHA defensemen in assists and points with 5-18-23 while Martinez finished with 17 points and a +15 rating, placing in the top five among defensemen in both categories. Michigan State goaltender Jeff Lerg rounds out the First Team. He led the conference in wins, shutouts, save percentage and minutes played.
A pair of Miami RedHawks, defenseman Mitch Ganzak and netminder Jeff Zatkoff, were also voted to the Second Team. Ganzak, who was on the Second Team in 2006, tied for fifth among defensemen in scoring and fourth in plus/minus. The second Spartan voted as an All-Conference selection is forward Tim Kennedy who finished seventh in scoring and tied for fourth in assists among forwards. Nebraska-Omaha's Bryan Marshall, who finished second in assists, and Bowling Green's Derek Whitmore, who finished in a tie for first in both goals and hat tricks make up the final two forwards on the Second Team. The third Wolverine named is defenseman Mark Mitera who played in all 28 conference games and finished tied for sixth in plus/minus among all skaters and tied for 12th in scoring among defensemen.
2007-08 CCHA All-Conference Teams
| Position | Name, Year, School | First | Totals |
| Forward | Kevin Porter, SR, Michigan | 11 | 55 |
| Forward | Ryan Jones, SR, Miami | 10 | 53 |
| Forward | Chad Kolarik, SR, Michigan | 7 | 47 |
| Defense | Tyler Eckford, JR, Alaska | 9 | 48 |
| Defense | Alec Martinez, JR, Miami | 6 | 43 |
| Goaltender | Jeff Lerg, JR, Michigan State | 7 | 42 |
| Position | Name, Year, School | First | Totals |
| Forward | Bryan Marshall, SR, Nebraska-Omaha | 5 | 40 |
| Forward | Derek Whitmore, SR, Bowling Green | 2 | 31 |
| Forward | Tim Kennedy, JR, Michigan State | 1 | 30 |
| Defense | Mitch Ganzak, SR, Miami | 3 | 30 |
| Defense | Mark Mitera, JR, Michigan | 2 | 23 |
| Goaltender | Jeff Zatkoff, JR, Miami | 4 | 36 |
Vote Values: 1st place = 5, 2nd place = 3, 3rd place = 1
Honorable Mention (next six point totals, regardless of position with first team votes in parentheses): Billy Sauer, JR, G, Michigan, (1) 18; Kyle Lawson, SO, D, Notre Dame, (1) 17; Eddie Del Grosso, SO, D, Nebraska-Omaha, 16; Justin Abdelkader, JR, F, Michigan State, 15; Justin Mercier, JR, F, Miami, 12; Mike Ratchuk, SO, D, Michigan State, (2) 12; Daniel Vukovic, SR, D, Michigan State, (1) 12; Nick Sirota, JR, F, Northern Michigan, 12.
Others receiving votes: Forwards -- Mick Lawrence, SR, Nebraska-Omaha, 8; Erik Condra, JR, Notre Dame, 6; Bryan Lerg, SR, Michigan State, 5; Carter Camper, FR, Miami, 4; Jarod Palmer, SO, Miami, 3; Tommy Goebel, SR, Ohio State, 1; Patrick Galivan, JR, Western Michigan, 1; Nathan Perkovich, SO, Lake Superior, 1. Defense -- Jeff Petry, FR, Michigan State, 11; Chris Summers, SO, Michigan, 5. Goaltenders -- Jordan Pearce, JR, Notre Dame, 5; Brian Stewart, SO, Northern Michigan, 3; Wylie Rogers, SR, Alaska, 1.
