Williams Named Picks Up Four Awards Including Top Goaltender & Top Rookie; Leitner and Hayes Named All-WCHA; Hastings Named Circuit’s Coach of the Year

  Mankato, Minn. --- Now that the regular season has concluded, the awards are starting to roll in for Minnesota State as the Mavericks receive recognition for their record-setting season.

A trio of players who have played key roles in that success include freshman netminder Stephon Williams (Fairbanks, Alaska), senior forward Eriah Hayes (La Crescent, Minn.) and sophomore forward Matt Leitner (Los Alamitos, Calif). 

Williams, garnered four honors from WCHA as the league announced its annual postseason awards. Williams was named All-WCHA First Team, WCHA All-Rookie Team, WCHA Rookie of the Year and, by virtue of his league-low goals against average (1.93), WCHA Goaltending Champion. Williams, a two-time WCHA Rookie of the Week this year, stands 19-9-2 overall (t-11th in the country in winning percentage - .667) with a 1.83 goals against average (sixth in the country) and a .929 save percentage (14th in the country).  In WCHA games, he finished the WCHA regular season leading league in goals against average (1.93), ranking second in save percentage (.927) and third in wins (15).  Williams has four shut-outs this year, which stands tied for third on MSU’s single-season list. Including the last 27 in a row, Williams has started 29 of MSU’s 36 games in 2012-13.

Hayes, who was named All-WCHA Third Team, stands second on MSU’s scoring charts on the season with 19-15--34. Hayes stands as MSU’s active career scoring leader with 51-43--94 in 148 career games and is 11th on the school’s career scoring list for the DI era. Hayes, who has 17-13--30 in the last 28 games, leads the Mavericks with 12 power play goals, which ranks second in the nation and are the most PPGs by a MSU player since Cole Bassett had 12 in 2002-03. His 24 career power play goals rank fifth all-time at MSU and he ranks only behind Travis Morin (26 PPGs) and Shane Joseph (25 PPGs) for career PPGs during MSU’s DI-era. His 19 goals on the season are tied for eighth in the nation.

Leitner, who was named All-WCHA Third Team, stands atop MSU’s scoring charts.  His 41 points this year are the most by a Maverick since forwards David Backes and Travis Morin both had 42 points in 2006-07. Leitner, who has 5-6--11 in the last seven games, is tied for tenth overall in the country in points and is tied for tenth in assists. Leitner, who led the Mavericks in scoring last year as a freshman, ranks third in the country in power play points with 24 and has not missed a game in his two-year MSU career with 73 straight appearances.

Mike Hastings, who is in his first year as head coach of the Mavericks, was named WCHA Coach of the Year after leading MSU to a school all-time NCAA Division I-high 22 wins. The Crookston, Minn., native has guided MSU to its first top-half league finish since 2007-08 and the Mavericks are positioned to make their second-ever NCAA postseason tournament appearance.  MSU achieved an all-time program best national ranking of #7 in the country Feb. 25, had a seven-game winning streak from Nov 23-Dec. 14 and during the course of the season, claimed wins over #2 Minnesota, #4 North Dakota and #15 Wisconsin. Under his guidance, the Mavericks had an all-time program-best 16 wins versus WCHA opponents and since Nov. 23rd MSU has gone 19-6-1.

Currently rated tenth in the country, MSU (22-11--3) hosts Nebraska Omaha this weekend in the first round of the WCHA play-offs.