Polacek Garners First-Team All-America Honors

Photo by Sara Melikian

TROY, N.Y. – The American Hockey Coaches’ Association (AHCA) has announced its 2009-10 National Reebok All-Americans and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) student-athlete Chase Polacek was named to the East First Team.

The junior forward was also an Inside College Hockey (INCH) All-America Second Team and All-College Hockey News (CHN) Second Team selection.

Polacek, who hails from Edina, Minn., played in all 39 games this season, tallying 26 goals and 26 assists for 52 points. He had 13 power play goals, two shorthanded goals and 40 penalty minutes. He currently ranks third in the nation in power play goals, and is fifth and sixth, respectively, in points and goals. Polacek is also eighth in goals per game (0.67), seventh in points per game (1.33) and 10th in shorthanded goals (2).

In 22 ECAC Hockey games, Polacek recorded 17 goals and 18 assists for 35 points. Six of his markers came on the power play and two were shorthanded. He was first in points, points per game (1.59), power play points (15), shorthanded goals and shorthanded points (5). The Academy of Holy Angels graduate was also third in goals, assists, goals per game (0.77) and assists per game (0.82) and fourth in power play goals.

The 2009-10 ECAC Hockey Player of the Year, Polacek became just the third player in RPI history to receive the league’s top honor, joining Marc Cavosie (2001-02) and Bob Brinkworth (1962-63, 1963-64). Additionally, he was an All-League First Team selection and was named a Top Ten Finalist for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award, presented annually to the top men’s college hockey player in the U.S.

During the course of the season, Polacek had a 14-game point streak and five streaks of two points or more. He also compiled a six-game goal scoring streak and had a five-game assist streak. He was held without a point no longer than two straight games. He had 14 points in nine games against nationally-ranked teams, including three three-point games and a two-point effort.

In 116 career games, Polacek has 44 goals and 68 assists for 112 points. He had 28 points (7 goals, 21 assists) in 38 games as a freshman and 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) as a sophomore. He led the team in goals, assists and points in 2008-09, earning the team’s Most Valuable Player Award, and assists in his first season. He was named to the ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team and Rensselaer’s Male Freshman Athlete of the Year in 2007-08.

While at Holy Angels, where he was a teammate of current RPI student-athlete Bryan Brutlag, Polacek had 26 goals with 38 assists for 64 points in 28 games as a senior captain in 2006-07. He won numerous team and league awards and the team won the Missota Conference all four years. It also captured the state title in 2004-05.