KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan hockey team handed out its annual postseason awards for the 2019-20 season.
For the third time in his career, redshirt junior Kale Bennett earned the Peter Ellis Academic Player of the Year Award. Bennett, a biology major, holds a GPA of 3.99 and was named to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Academic All-Conference Team along with a NCHC Scholar Athlete. Junior goalie Austin Cain earned the Bronco Hockey Humanitarian Award for his work in the community and with the Capital City Condors. This year's Bronco Hockey Humanitarian Award is in honor of Michael Kuras. Kuras, who lost a battle with cancer, had been around the program for the past five seasons as a guest at practice and at many Bronco Hockey games. The mood was always lifted during Kuras' visits and the team cheered him on during his battle with cancer.
Sophomore Drew Worrad was given the Dickie & Ross Brown and Gold Award, given to the Bronco that consistently gives 100 percent as a team member, a student and a community member to make his teammates and Bronco Hockey better each day. Worrad also shared the Catherine Lawson Sportsmanship award with Ethen Frank. The two combined for just eight penalty minutes on the season.
Junior Paul Washe and senior Luke Bafia shared the Kalamazoo Optimist Hockey Association "Grinder" Award. The honor is given to the athlete that shows consistent grit and perseverance in games and in practice. Senior Dawson DiPitero earned the Bill Saunders Scoring Chance Plus/Minus Award for creating the most scoring chances on the season, while junior forward Brett Van Os was named the Blue Line Club Best Conditioned Athlete.
Goalie Brandon Bussi and defenseman Ronnie Attard shared the Suzanne Klopp Rookie of the Year Award. Bussi posted an 18-12-4 record with a .910 save percentage and a 2.65 goals against average. Attard played in 30 games, missing out on just six due to injury, and was the team's top goal-scoring defenseman. He had six goals and eight assists for 14 total points on the season and finished with a plus/minus of +21.
Sophomore defenseman Michael Joyaux was named the Ed Edwards Most Improved Player. Joyaux improved his production greatly during his second season, posting 17 points on two goals and 15 assists after just four during his freshman year. Joyaux also played in a career-best 36 games, not missing one the entire season.
Sophomore Mattias Samuelsson wrapped up his Bronco career earning the Neil Smith Most Valuable Defenseman Award. Samuelsson, who has signed with the Buffalo Sabres, played in 30 games, posting 14 points on two goals and 12 assists. He also had a plus/minus of +17 while logging the most ice time of any Bronco defenseman.
Senior captain Hugh McGing was named the Rob Hodge Most Valuable Player and earned the Vic Vanderberg Top Scorer Award. McGing capped off a stellar career with a new career-high of 35 points on 13 goals and 22 assists to lead the team. He became the first Bronco in program history to earn First Team All-NCHC honors and was named an AHCA/CCM First Team All-American. McGing also earned NCHC Academic All-Conference Team honors before signing with the St. Louis Blues after the season ended.
