MEN'S HOCKEY RELEASES 2021-22 TEAM AWARDS

Duluth, Minn. - On Wednesday afternoon, the University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey club announced their 2021-22 team award winners. Ryan Fanti, Ben Patt, Zach Stejskal, Dominic James and Blake Biondi all garnered individual honors for their performances last season.

Keith Christiansen Award:
Former Bulldog Ryan Fanti has been named the Keith Christiansen Award winner as UMD's most valuable player during the 2021-22 campaign. This past season was one to remember for the Thunder Bay, ON native. In 37 starts on the season, Fanti notched a 20-12-4 record, while also registering a goals against average of 1.83 and a save percentage of .929. Additionally, Fanti tallied seven shutouts on the year. For his work in the crease, Fanti notched NCHC Goaltender of the Year honors, as well as garnering All-NCHC First Team recognition. During the NCHC Frozen Faceoff in St. Paul, Fanti posted back-to-back shutouts to help the Bulldogs to their third conference title in program history. He was named the NCHC Frozen Faceoff's Most Outstanding Player for his performance in St. Paul.

Fanti

Pat Francisco Award:
For his efforts away from the rink, Ben Patt has earned the Pat Francisco Award for his contributions in the local community. Patt garnered the award for his work in promoting Movember, a foundation that raises money and brings awareness to men's mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. During his time in Duluth, Patt has been a constant advocate for the issues surrounding men's health and the Movember movement. This past November, Patt helped the team raise over $11,000 towards the Movember campaign. To raise awareness, Patt pushed his teammates to grew fun and quirky mustaches to blow up social media. In addition to the impressive money raised, Patt won the NCHC's Best Movember Mustache for the second straight season.

Patt

Goldie Wolfe Award
Junior goaltender Zach Stejskal has been named the Goldie Wolfe Award winner as UMD's most inspirational player for the 2021-22 season. After missing a portion of the season due to a medical diagnosis, Stejskal returned to the pipes in a relief appearance at Denver. After coming into the game in the second period, Stejskal turned away 20 Pioneer shots to earn a massive road win for the Bulldogs. For his efforts, Stejskal was named the NCHC's Honorary Goaltender of the Week on 2.14.22. On the season, Stejskal started four games and appeared in 219:04 minutes. He posted a 2-2-0 overall record, while tallying a goals against average of 3.29 with a save percentage of .880.

Jerry Chumola Award
Freshman forward Dominic James has received the Jerry Chumola Award as Minnesota Duluth's top rookie. During his freshman season in 2021-22, James played a solid role on the James-Olson-Biondi (JOB) line. On the year, James secured six goals and 12 assists for 18 points in 39 games as a rookie. He finished the season fourth on the team in plus/minus with a +11 rating. Also, James scored two game-winning goals on the year, including the game-winner against Western Michigan in the 2022 NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship. Adding to his impressive year, James also competed for Team USA at the 2022 World Junior Championships in Red Deer, AB.

James

Mike Sertich Award
After chipping in just five points during his freshman season in 2020-21, Blake Biondi was named UMD's most improved player during his sophomore season. On the year, Biondi notched career-highs in goals (17), assists (11), points (28) and games played (42). While finishing second on the team in points, Biondi also posted a +15 rating, which was second best on the roster.

Biondi