Four Spartans Are B1G Award Finalists

East Lansing, Mich. -- Michigan State has four finalists for major postseason awards, as announced by the Big Ten office on Wednesday. League scoring champion Isaac Howard (Hudson, Wis.) is a finalist for Player of the Year, goaltender Trey Augustine (South Lyon, Mich.) is a finalist for Goaltender of the Year, Matt Basgall (Lake Forest, Ill.) is a Defensive Player of the Year kudos, and head coach Adam Nightingale is a finalist for Coach of the Year honors.

Howard is not only a B1G Player of the Year finalist but is also a favorite to make the list of 10 semifinalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, which honors the best player in Division I hockey. The junior finished the B1G season as the scoring champion with 33 points, 17 assists, and 1.38 points per game in Conference contests, and overall has delivered 23 goals and 46 points in MSU's 34 games. He is second in the country in goals, sixth in points and ranks fifth in points per game (1.35). The junior has scored a goal in 17 and a point in 26 of MSU's 34 games and has a team-best 13 multiple-point contests. Only 10 of his 46 points this season have come on the power play (3-7-10) and 19 of his 23 goals have been scored at even strength – just one empty netter and none with an extra attacker.

Howard has scored 26 of his 46 points away from Munn Ice Arena this season. He owns a 5-15-20 line (1.33 ppg) in MSU's 15 home games, has 14-5-19 (1.38 ppg) in 15 true road games, and 4-3-7 (1.75 ppg) in MSU's four neutral-site contests. He enters the postseason with a 37-62-99 scoring line in three collegiate campaigns - and 82 points have been scored while skating at Michigan State over the last two seasons.

Augustine, meanwhile, is a finalist for two major national awards in addition to Goaltender of the Year honors in the Big Ten: The Mike Richter Award as the nation's top goaltender in Division I, and also the AAU Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete. Augustine is also the youngest full-time starting goaltender in Division I for the second consecutive season. He leads the Big Ten in wins (17, 10th NCAA), save percentage (.925, 13th NCAA) and goals against average (2.09, 16th NCAA), and is third in games played (27), minutes played (1635:30), and fourth in saves (705). Among the full-time starting goaltenders in the country (75% of their team's games), Augustine owns the second-fewest losses (6), and among that group ranks eighth in GAA, fifth in save percentage, and has allowed 57 goals, the third fewest among full-time starters. He also averages 0.63 wins per start, fourth among full-time netminders.

The sophomore has played in 27 of MSU's 34 games, missing four while at the World Junior Championships where he backstopped Team USA to a second straight gold medal (the first US squad to ever accomplish that feat). He is the all-time winningest goaltender for Team USA at World Juniors and is one of a handful to ever play on an IIHF record three WJC squads – and he won a medal at each (two gold, one bronze).

Basgall

Basgall is a finalist for Big Ten Defenseman of the Year honors. With 25 points, the junior is tied for third on the team in points (25) and is second to Howard on the team with 19 assists. He has matched or surpassed his single-season bests in goals (6), assists, and points, is tied for the team lead in power play points (10) and is second in both power play goals (3) and in blocked shots (40). Among league rearguards, his 0.74 points per game ranks second, he is tied for third in goals and points and is fourth in assists (18). He has also taken just three minor penalties this season, tied for the fewest among league defensemen.

Nightingale captured Big Ten Coach of the Year kudos in 2023-24 after leading MSU to both regular-season and tournament titles. This is his third time as a finalist for this award in three seasons as the Spartan head coach. The Spartans concluded the regular season at 24-6-4, the most regular season wins for the program since 2000-01, when it won 28 in the regular season (and tied with the 24 it won the following year in 2001-02). The No. 2-ranked Spartans sit at second in the PairWise rankings (which is used to select the NCAA Tournament field) and are poised to make a second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, its first consecutive appearances since three straight in 2006-2007-2008. Nightingale is 67-34-9 in his combined three seasons behind the bench.

Players Mentioned

Trey Augustine

Matt Basgall

Isaac Howard

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