Hockey Honors Award Winners, Seniors At Banquet

Michigan State hockey honored its senior class and handed out team awards at the annual banquet at Eagle Eye on Wednesday, April 13.

Four seniors were double award winners on the night, including Mitchell Lewandowski (Clarkston, Mich.), who earned the Outstanding Offensive Player award as well as the Ron Mason Most Valuable Player; captain Dennis Cesana (Providence, RI), is the recipient of the Bill Burgess Outstanding Senior Award as well as the Dr. John Downs Outstanding Defensive Player Award; Adam Goodsir (Okemos, Mich.) is the recipient of the Spartan Shield and the Spartan Fitness Award, and Mitchell Mattson (Grand Rapids, Minn.) received the Blue Line President's Award and the Amo Bessone Award.

Lewandowski Offensive Player

Despite missing 15 games for the Spartans, Mitchell Lewandowski's impact when he was on the ice was undeniable. Lewandowski finished fourth on the team in points, adding a pair of power play goals and two game-winners. The missed games were unfortunate, as he never missed a game over his first four collegiate seasons. In all, he played in 156 games in a Spartan sweater, racking up 56 goals and 121 points, scoring 20 power play goals and 12 game-winners. The Advertising Management major will earn his degree this spring and has already begun his professional career with the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League.

Cesana Outstanding Senior

Dennis Cesana, the senior captain of the Spartans, is the recipient of two team awards as voted by his teammates – the Bill Burgess Outstanding Senior and the Dr. John Downs Outstanding Defensive Player Award. He is currently playing professional hockey for the Charlotte Checkers, signing his first contract at the completion of his senior year. Cesana skated in 135 career games in Green and White, compiling 73 points and blocking 130 shots. As a senior, he led all defensemen in scoring with eight goals and 16 points, and he tied for second on the team with three power-play goals. His eight goals and 52 blocked shots were his career best in those two categories.

Goodsir fitness

Adam Goodsir's dedication to off-ice training makes him this year's winner of the Spartan Fitness Award and was also the recipient of the Spartan Shield. Goodsir ranked atop the team in four of the five fitness testing events administered by the strength and conditioning staff, and his exceptional work ethic is noted in whatever he pursues – his off-ice routines, his on-ice play, his off-ice attention to academics and community, and putting the best interests of the team above all else. He was a nominee for the Senior CLASS Award and is active in several community outreach activities both through MSU and of his own accord. The kinesiology major owns a 3.74 GPA and will graduate this spring.

BLC Mattson

Presented annually to the senior with the highest cumulative grade point average, this year's winner of the Blue Line Club President's Award is defenseman Mitchell Mattson, who carries a 3.76 GPA as a packaging major. Honored as the team's top GPA at the Academic Gala on Monday, Mattson is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection as well as a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. He also won the Amo Bessone Award, which acknowledges on-ice performance, academic achievement, and community service. . Mattson played in 80 career games and blocked a career-best 15 shots this year. Mattson is involved in many community outreach activities, among them the student-athlete food drive, Teams for Toys, adaptable trick-or-treat, and the adaptive sports Sled Hockey clinic.

Nienhuis Most Improved

Sophomore blueliner Nash Nienhuis is year's winner of the Most Improved Player Award. The Sarnia, Ontario native established career highs in goals, assists and points, while also showcasing his upward trajectory as a puck-moving defenseman. He was the second-leading scorer among blueliners, and saw extensive time on the power play. The smooth-skating Nienhuis finished his sophomore campaign with three goals and led all blueliners with 11 assists, which ranked third on the team overall.

Tucker Outstanding Rookie

The Outstanding Rookie recipient is freshman Jesse Tucker (Longlac, Ontario). Tucker worked his way up the lineup and centered the Spartans' top line for most of the second half of the season. He finished the campaign atop the Spartan scoring lists in both points and assists, ranking fourth in the Big Ten in assists per game. He exploded to score two-thirds of his 24 points this season after the holiday break.

Mor Goofus

The Goofus Award, given annually to the team humorist, is sophomore goaltender Jon Mor (Highland Park, Ill.) The award helps extend the legacy of Spartan superfan Goofus -aka Alan Wayne Ammesmaki. Mor takes the shots just as well as dishing them out. As a part of the goaltending corps, part of his job is to be there for teammates in shooting drills beyond the outlines of team practices. An advertising management major, the Highland Park, Ill. native boasts a 3.63 GPA.

Swistak Krygier

Steve Swistak's legacy of emotion and energy lives on in the Spartan hockey program and for the second straight season, Christian Krygier (Novi, Mich.) is the recipient of the Dr. Stephen Swistak Memorial Scholarship. Krygier posted career-best offensive numbers with a pair of goals and six assists as a senior. He ranked third on the team with 48 blocked shots and also sat atop the team with 79 penalty minutes. Krygier is an agribusiness management major with a 3.35 GPA who has twice earned Academic All-Big Ten honors.

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Players Mentioned

Dennis Cesana

Adam Goodsir

Christian Krygier

Mitchell Lewandowski

Mitchell Mattson

Jon Mor

Nash Nienhuis

Jesse Tucker

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