Michigan State University Athletics
Miller Named CCHA Player Of The Year
3/16/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
March 16, 2001
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State goaltender Ryan Miller (East Lansing, Mich.) was named the Central Collegiate Hockey Association's 2000-01 Player of the Year by vote of the league's head coaches. The presentations were made at the annual CCHA Awards in Detroit Thursday.
Miller becomes the fourth straight Spartan to be named CCHA Player of the Year and the sixth overall. The NCAA leader in wins (28), goals-against average (1.36) and saves percentage (.948) made his mark on the college hockey record books in February, breaking a 70-year old NCAA career shutout record with his 17th career whitewash in February.
Michigan State junior defenseman Andrew Hutchinson (Rochester Hills, Mich.) and senior forward John Nail (Brampton, Ont.) also keep Spartan CCHA Awards streaks alive. Hutchinson became the fifth consecutive MSU blueliner to earn the Best Defensive Defenseman. He tied for fourth in the CCHA in league plus-minus with a +15 and was a mainstay on a defense that limited opponents to an NCAA-low 1.39 goals per game.
Nail, a senior, who consistently found himself matching up against their opponents' top scoring lines is the third Spartan in a row to grab the league's Best Defensive Forward Award. This season he posted a +15 rating and is now +21 for his career and is among the nation's leaders in game-winning goals.
Other winners at the CCHA Awards include Ohio State forward R.J. Umberger (CCHA Rookie of the Year), Miami University's Enrico Blasi (Coach of the Year), Bowling Green defenseman Doug Schueller (Terry Flanagan Memorial Award) and University of Nebraska-Omaha sophomore Greg Zanon (Best Offensive Defenseman).
The top-ranked and No. 1-seed Spartans return to the ice Friday as they face No. 9-seed Bowling Green at 5 p.m. EST in the first of two CCHA Championship semifinal matches at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. No. 4-seed Nebraska-Omaha meets No. 3-seed Michigan in the second semifinal at 8:30 p.m. Today's semifinal winners will meet in the CCHA title game Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
