Although Michigan’s players were not eligible for awards based on their play on the field (as confirmed by the program, though they were eligible for academic honors), it’s still interesting to take a look at who took home conference recognition.
Offensive Player of the Year: Logan Schuss, Jr., Ohio State
Defensive Player of the Year: Scott Ratliff, Jr., Loyola Maryland
Goalkeeper of the Year: Charlie Cipriano, Sr., Fairfield
Specialist of the Year: Chase Carraro, Jr., Denver
Rookie of the Year: Wes Berg, Fr., DenverFirst Team
A – Logan Schuss, Jr., Ohio State
A – Mike Sawyer, Jr., Loyola Maryland
A – Mark Matthews, Sr., Denver
M – Brent Adams, Sr., Fairfield
M – Davis Butts, Jr., Loyola Maryland
M – Sam Snow, Jr., Fairfield
D – Scott Ratliff, Jr., Loyola Maryland
D – Dayton Gilbreath, Sr., Air Force
D – Joe Bonanni, Sr., Ohio State
SPEC – Chase Carraro, Jr., Denver
GK – Charlie Cipriano, Sr., FairfieldSecond Team
A – Eric Lusby, Sr., Loyola Maryland
A – Alex Love, So., Hobart
A – John Snellman, Sr., Fairfield
M – Chase Carraro, Jr., Denver
M – Jeremy Noble, So., Denver
M – Cameron Flint, Jr., Denver
D – Keenan Ochwat, Sr., Ohio State
D – Joe Fletcher, So., Loyola Maryland
D – Drew Palmer, Sr., Fairfield
SPEC – Bobby Dattilo, Sr., Hobart
GK – Greg Dutton, So., Ohio StateAll-Rookie Team
A – Keith Dreyer, Fr., Air Force
A – Tristan Sperry, Fr., Fairfield
A – Andrew Federico, Fr., Fairfield
M – Wes Berg, Fr., Denver
M – Jesse King, Fr., Ohio State
M – Taylor Vanderbeek, Fr., Hobart
D – Carson Cannon, Fr., Denver
D – Davis Gunter, Fr., Air Force
D – Bobby Schmitt, Fr., Bellarmine
SPEC – Bryan Price, So., Air Force
GK – Ryan LaPlante, Fr., Denver
As you can see, it’s not a very senior-heavy group in the league. Unfortunately, it looks like Michigan’s first year as a full member of the ECAC won’t be any easier than this partial season.
Who had the top performances against the young Wolverines and Titans this season?
Ohio State
Logan Schuss – 3G, 2A, 2GB 13 shots v. Michigan. 3G, 2A 16 shots v. Detroit.
Joe Bonnani – 1G, 2GB, 2 penalties v. Michigan. 3CT 4GB v. Detroit.
Greg Dutton – 9 GA, 9 saves v. Michigan. 6GA, 9 save v. Detroit.
Keenan Ochwat – 2CT, 7GB v. Michigan. 1CT 1 GB v. Detroit.
Jesse King – 2G, 1A, 3GB v. Michigan. 3G, 1A, 1GB v. Detroit.
Bellarmine
Bobby Schmitt – 1a, 1GB v. Michigan. 3CT, 3GB v. Detroit.
The remaining teams only played Michigan during the season.
Loyola
Mike Sawyer – 5G, 2A, 12 shots, 6GB
Davis Butts – 2G, 2A
Scott Ratliff – 2Ct, 6GB
Eric Lusby – 2G, 2A, 1CT, 1GB
Joe Fletcher – 2CT 4 GB
Denver
Mark Matthews – 3G, 2A, 10 shots
Chase Carraro – 12/15 FO, 3GB, 3shots
Jeremy Noble – 1G, 2A, 5GB
Cam Flint – 1G, 1A, 5GB
Wes Berg – 1A, 2GB
Carson Cannon – 2CT, 1GB
Air Force
Dayton Gilbreath – 1G, 5GB
Keith Dreyer – 3G, 4A
David Gunter – 2CT, 2GB
Bryan Price – 3/5 FO
Now that we have that painful exercise out of the way, let’s take a look at who could have been honored had Michigan players been eligible for recognition. I’ll warn you in advance: pickings are slim.
Michigan’s offense was the worst in the conference (only slightly behind Bellarmine’s, though the advanced metrics are a little less kind) in terms of goals per game, and only two Michigan players cracked top tens in either goals (Trevor Yealy tied for ninth with 25) or assists (Will Meter had ninth to himself with 14 on the year).
Meter is one of the few players who could have garnered recognition. His 19 total points certainly wouldn’t have been enough to earn him first- or second-team honors, but a spot on the All-Rookie team was a possibility. Fairfield’s Tristan Sperry (10G, 6A, 8GB) and Drew Frederico (7G, 9A, 9GB) were both behind Meter in total scoring and ground balls. Keith Dreyer was Air Force’s leading scorer with 46 total points, and was the clear top selection at attack.
Michigan’s other potential honoree would have been goalkeeper Emil Weiss. Although he was sixth in the league in save percentage, he was second in saves made per game. That’s an indication that his defense let him get shelled for much of the year – and he held up very well against it. Although the actual selection, Ryan LaPlante of Denver, had a much better save percentage (.564 to Weiss’s .517), the Wolverine played in more games (nine, compared to LaPlante’s seven) and made more saves per game. Considering Michigan’s backup goalies were both well under .400 in terms of save percentage, it’s fair to say Weiss did much more good than harm for his team this season.
Going forward, we’ll probably see some Wolverines on these lists. Not only do the two aforementioned Michigan players stand to improve their numbers as the team around them gets better, but several talented freshmen are entering next fall (or sat out this spring due to injury), and could populate the all-rookie squad.