Mankato, Minn. --- The Western Collegiate Hockey Association announced its 2020-21 all-conference teams this afternoon and six Minnesota State individuals have been selected for recognition.

Mavericks earning all-league honors were junior goaltender Dryden McKay (All-WCHA First Team), junior forward Julian Napravnik (All-WCHA First Team), sophomore forward Nathan Smith (All-WCHA Second Team), senior defenseman Riese Zmolek (All-WCHA Third Team), freshman defenseman Akito Hirose (All-WCHA Third Team, WCHA All-Rookie Team) and freshman defenseman Jake Livingston (WCHA All-Rookie Team).

McKay, now a three-time WCHA Goaltending Champion, was named Western Collegiate Hockey Association Goaltender of the Week three times this year and was the league's and the national Goaltender of the Month for January.   The Downers Grove, Ill., native currently ranks second on the NCAA career shutouts list with 22, and heads into this weekend leading the country with a 1.32 goals against average, .895 winning percentage and eight shutouts.  For his career, Mckay - who is a Hobey Baker Award nominee and a Richter Award finalist this year, stands 71-13-4 with a .1.48 GAA, and .934 Sv% in 91 games played.  He was a First Team All-American last  year, was All-WCHA First Team as a sophomore and Second Team as a freshman.

Napravnik stands atop Minnesota State's scoring charts with 9-15--24 in 21 games played. His five game-winning goals this year are tied for first in the nation and he now has 11 GWGs for his three-year career to tie for eighth on the school's all-time list.  Napravnik, whose 1.14 points per game mark ties for 17th in the nation, is tied for 22nd in the country in assists per game with a 0.71 APG mark. A native of Bad Nauheim, Germany, Napravnick was a member of the WCHA All-Rookie Team in 2018-19.

Smith enters this week having tallied 3-7--10 in the last 12 games.  The Hudson, Fla., native has 5-15--20 in 22 games played this year and his assists per game mark of 0.68 stands tied for 28th in the country. His goal in last Friday's 2-1 win over Michigan Tech is his second GWG this year. He was a member of the WCHA All-Rookie Team last year.

The captain of the Mavericks, Zmolek has 1-10--11 in 18 games played this season and leads the Mavericks in blocked shots with 33 and is third on the team with a +13 rating.  The Rochester, Minn., native has tallied 7-31--38 in 129 career games.

Hirose is Minnesota State's top-scoring defenseman with 1-12--13 on the year. The Calgary, Alta., native, whose 13 points and 12 assists stand tied for second in the country amongst all freshmen blueliners, leads the Mavericks with a +16 rating - a mark that ranks fourth in the country amongst all freshmen. He has been named WCHA Rookie of the Week twice this season and was the league's Rookie of the Month for December.

Livingstone has 3-8--11 in 22 games in his first season of college hockey. The Creston, B.C., native is tied for fourth in the country in scoring by freshmen defensemen. His 24 blocked shots is tied for 18th amongst all freshmen blueliners and his +10 stands tied for 10th.

A total of 20 Mavericks were named WCHA All-Academic. To qualify for the WCHA All-Academic Team, student-athletes must have completed one year of eligibility at present institution, prior to the current academic year and have a GPA of at least 3.0 for the previous two semesters or three quarters.

Wyatt Aamodt** (Jr., D, Hermantown, Minn.); Cade Borchardt* (So., F, Burnsville, Minn.), Colby Bukes* (So., D, Littleton, Colo.), Andy Carroll** (Jr., D, Northfield, Minn.); Walker Duehr*** (Sr., F, Sioux Falls, S.D.); Evan Foss* (So., G, White Bear Lake, Minn.), Brendan Furry* (So., F, Toledo, Ohio); Dallas Gerads*** (Sr., F, Blaine, Minn.); Jake Jaremko*** (Sr., F, Nowthen, Minn.); Reggie Lutz** *(Sr., F, Elk River, Minn.); Tony Malinowski* (Jr., D, Clarkston, Mich.); Dryden McKay** (Jr., G, Downers Grove, Ill.); Shane McMahan** (Jr., F., Lakewood, Colo.); Jack McNeely*** (Sr., D, Lakeville, Minn.); Ryan Sandelin* (So., F, Hermantown, Minn.); Nathan Smith* (So., F, Hudson, Fla.); Lucas Sowder* (So., F, Trinity, Fla.); Jared Spooner*** (Sr., F, Bismarck, N.D.); Chris Van Os-Shaw** (Jr., F, Regina, Sask.); Riese Zmolek*** (Sr., D, Rochester, Minn.).
*indicates number of times student-athlete has been named to team.

The league is also expected to announce its individual award recipients (Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Student-Athlete of the Year and Coach of the Year) this week.


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