Four League Standouts Earn All-America Honors
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Four League standouts were selected as part of the nation's Old Time Hockey All-Americans recognizing the top 24 college hockey players for the 2010-11 season. The announcement came as part of the NCAA Men's Division I Frozen Four festivities in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Rensselaer placed two individuals on the All-America list, while Union and Princeton each had one honoree.
Selected as the First Team goaltender for the East Region, Union
sophomore Keith Kinkaid finished the year with a record of 25-10-3,
compiling a save percentage of .920 and a school-record
goals-against average of 1.99. Kinkaid earned the Ken Dryden Award
as ECAC Hockey's Goaltender of the Year, becoming the first Union
goaltender to win the award since Trevor Koenig in 1997. He is the
first Union goaltender to record a sub 2.00 goals-against average
after regular-season play (1.90 GAA). Kinkaid backboned
Union’s defense on the season which currently ranks second in
the country only allowing 2.10 goals per contest.
Also a First Team selection in the East Region is two-time ECAC
Hockey Player of the Year Chase Polacek. The senior forward from
Rensselaer played in all 38 games, tallying 21 goals and adding 27
assists for 48 points. He was first on the team in goals, points,
power-play goals (11), shorthanded goals (2) and game-winning goals
(9). He helped the Engineers to a 20-13-5 record, a national
ranking for much of the season and the program’s first trip
to the NCAA Tournament since 1995. Polacek, who registered multiple
points in 16 games, had two separate seven-game point scoring
streaks and a stretch of four straight contests with the
game-winning goal. He was held without a point in consecutive games
just three times all year long.
One of the two League Second Team selections is sophomore
defenseman Nick Bailen from Rensselaer. The Fredonia, NY native
played in 38 contests netting eight goals and adding 28 assists for
36 points. Bailen was first on the team in assists and third in
points. He recorded five goals and 15 assists for 20
points in 22 ECAC Hockey contests. He was among the national
leaders, ranking fifth in points per game by a defenseman (0.95)
and among ECAC Hockey leaders, ranking first in defenseman scoring,
third in assists and power-play points (3g-17a-20pts) and 10th in
points. In 22 conference games, he was second in the League in
defenseman scoring (0.91), fifth in assists, seventh in power-play
points (2g-8a-10pta) and 10th in points.
Joining Bailen on the Second Team East squad is Princeton senior
defenseman Taylor Fedun. The Edmonton, Alberta native was widely
recognized as one of the top defensemen in ECAC Hockey during his
career. Fedun anchored Princeton's blue line with 10 goals, 12
assists and 22 points this past season, ranking 12th in the nation
among his counterparts. Fedun amassed 20 goals and 48 assists for
68 points in 127 games at Princeton, the second highest total ever
for a Princeton defenseman. He also led Princeton defensemen with a
+8 rating during the season and was +43 in his four years wearing
the Orange and Black.
