Polacek Receives Honor from USCHO
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Chase Polacek of Rensselaer, the 2010 ECAC Hockey Player of the Year, added another accolade to his growing list of honors, garnering All-USCHO Second Team recognition, it was announced Friday.
Polacek, who hails from Edina, Minn., played in all 39 games for
the Engineers this season, tallying 26 goals and 26 assists for 52
points. He had 13 power-play goals, two shorthanded goals and 40
penalty minutes.
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.
