3/10/2010 - MEN'S ICE HOCKEY Bakala, Hunt, Read and Lowe garner All-CHA honors

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NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. -- Dan Bakala (So., G, Calgary, Alberta), Brad Hunt (So., D, Ridge Meadows, British Columbia), Ian Lowe (Jr., F, Bradwardine, Manitoba) and Matt Read (Jr., F, Ilderton, Ontario) of the Bemidji State University men’s ice hockey team were announced as members of the 2010 College Hockey America All-League Teams today in a release by conference officials. League coaches voted Bakala, Hunt and Read to the first team while Lowe was selected Second-Team All-CHA.

The quartet of BSU All-CHA selections matched Robert Morris University’s four student-athletes for tops in the league and marked the ninth consecutive season that BSU has placed multiple student-athletes on the all-conference teams. In addition, three first-team picks in 2010 marks the first time since 2006 that BSU has had three players grab first-team honors.

The first-time All-CHA honoree Bakala turned heads as a sophomore. Entering the season with experience in just three exhibition games, Bakala occupied the BSU net for over 1,665 minutes in 2009-10. He finished the regular-season as one of just three goaltenders in the country with 19-or-more wins in net, matching 2008-09 first-team selection Matt Dalton for BSU’s Division I-era record for goaltending victories in a season (19).

With an 12-3-1 mark in CHA play, Bakala led the league in goals against average (2.02), save percentage (.929), wins (12) and winning percentage (.781).

Bakala’s career save percentage of .925 and goals against average of 2.13 are tops in program history among goaltenders that have posted at least 1,500 minutes between the pipes.

The sophomore was a four-time recipient of the CHA’s Defensive Player of the Week award in 2009-10 and earned INCH National Player of the Week Runner-Up honors Jan. 4 and Feb. 22.

A First Team All-CHA selection for the second consecutive season, Hunt finished the regular-season third on the team in scoring with 7-24=31 points, while leading the team with 24 helpers. Hunt’s 31 points stands as the third-best single-season total by a defensemen since 1999 behind only his own 32-point (9-23=32) freshman season and Stephan Bjork who posted 15-19=34 in 1999-00. In addition, his 24 assists breaks his own BSU’s Division I-era record for single-season defensemen assists totals.

Hunt tallied 4-11=15 points in CHA play to lead not only all blueliners, but also place him sixth among CHA scorers. Hunt also proved to be a vital cog on a BSU power-play unit that paced the conference converting over 21-percent (17-80) of its opportunities on the man advantage. The sophomore completed the season tied for third on the league’s power-play scoring list with 2-5=7 points.

Hunt was a three-time CHA Defensive Player of the Week honoree during the 2009-10 regular-season.

Read, a two-time First Team All-CHA selection, paced the Beavers in scoring for the third consecutive season racking up 19-21=40 points.  With at least 40 points in each of the last two seasons, Read became the first BSU player since Bernie Adlys (1993-96) to post back-to-back 40-point seasons. His scoring effort marks the first time in BSU’s Division I history that a junior has broken the 40-point plateau. He eclipsed the 100-point mark for his career in just his 102nd game in the green and white, becoming the second-fastest BSU Division I-era player to 100 career points.

In league play, the junior registered 12 goals to lead all CHA scorers and led a BSU offensive attack that paced the league averaging 3.94 goals per game.  He also capped the season seated second in points (12-11=23), game-winning goals (3), and short-handed goals (1), while he completed the regular-season third on the conference assists scoring list (11).

The alternate captain, a Preseason All-CHA pick and Preseason Player of the Year selection, was a three-time CHA Offensive Player of the Week recipient and garnered Hockey Commissioner’s Association (HCA) National Player of the Month Honorable Mention honors in October.

Bakala, Hunt and Read were joined on the first team by Robert Morris University forward Nathan Longpre and defenseman Denny Urban and Chris Moran, a forward for Niagara University.

Lowe, a junior, makes his debut on the all-conference team with a selection to the second team.  The forward finished the regular-season  fourth among his teammates in scoring, tying the team-lead with 19 goals, adding 10 assists for 29 points. Of his team-high 19 goals, he lead BSU with eight power-play markers and matched teammates Read and Ryan Cramer (Jr., F, International Falls, Minn.) for the team-best four game-winning goals. His 29-point performance in 2009-10 surpasses the scoring output of his first two collegiate seasons combined (4-16=20).

Lowe posted 11-7=18 points in CHA play to finish fourth on the league’s scoring list, while he was second, only to linemate Read, in goal scoring (11), tied for second with four power-play tallies and finished fourth among CHA scorers with a pair of game-winners.

A two-time CHA Offensive Player of the Week, Lowe was named INCH National Player of the Week Runner Up Jan. 22 and garnered HCA National Player of the Month Honorable Mention laurels for his play in December and January.

Joining the Lowe on the second team were: Niagara’s Ryan Olidis (F) and Tyler Gotto (D), Chris Kushneriuk (F) and Dave Cowan of Robert Morris and University of Ala.-Huntsville goaltender Cameron Talbot.

Bemidji State finished its 2009-10 regular-season with a record of 23-8-3 capturing its fifth CHA regular-season crown in seven seasons with a mark of 14-3-1 in league play. The Beavers open the “second season” this weekend as they attempt to defend their title in the 2010 CHA Tournament Championship at Dwyer Arena in Lewiston, N.Y.  The top-seeded Beavers will play No. 4 Niagara University at 6 p.m. (CST), while Robert Morris University, the second seed, will battle No. 3 Ala.-Huntsville in the other semifinal at 2 p.m. (CST) Friday.  Semifinal winners will advance to the CHA Championship at 7 p.m. Saturday. 

2009-10 First Team All-College Hockey America Selections
Matt Read, Bemidji State, Jr., F, Ilderton, Ontario
Chris Moran, Niagara, Sr., F, Buffalo, N.Y.
Nathan Longpre, Robert Morris, Jr., F, Peterborough, Ontario
Brad Hunt, Bemidji State, So., D, Ridge Meadows, British Columbia
Denny Urban, Robert Morris, Jr., D, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Dan Bakala, Bemidji State, So., G, Calgary, Alberta

2009-10 Second Team All-College Hockey America Selections
Chris Kushneriuk, Robert Morris, Jr., F, Ottawa, Ontario
Ian Lowe, Bemidji State, Jr., F, Bradwardine, Manitoba
Ryan Olidis, Niagara, Sr., F, Uxbridge, Ontario
Tyler Gotto, Niagara, Sr., D, Calgary, Alberta
Dave Cowan, Robert Morris, Sr., D, Calgary, Alberta
Cameron Talbot, Alabama-Huntsville, Jr., G, Caledonia, Ontario

--bsu--