The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association released this year's All-Conference Team on Friday and Foresters Bobby Barrett, Ben Certo, and Leo Podolsky made the list. In addition, Lake Forest College's Jack Lewis was named to the All-Freshmen Team and Ryan McKelvie was named NCHA Coach of the Year.
Barrett, a junior forward, led the conference with 16 goals scored during the league's 18-game schedule. His 30 points overall ties him for fifth in the NCHA and is the highest total by a Forester since 2006. Only one player in the league has more than Barrett's 18 goals and it has been 11 years since a Lake Forest player has lit the lamp that many times in a season. He recorded a pair of hat tricks and two additional multi-goal games this year.
Certo, a junior, is tied for fourth in the conference in points by a defenseman and tied for second in the league with 13 power play points. He has been credited with three goals and 15 assists this season, numbers which do not include his game-winning score in overtime of the 20-minute mini-game that decided the team's NCHA quarterfinal series with Marian University last Saturday night.
Podolsky, a sophomore goaltender, is 13-3-1 this season with a 2.39 goals against average and .910 save percentage. He has stopped at least 90 percent of shots on goal in 12 of 18 appearances and registered a pair of shutouts. If the season ended today, his goals against average would rank second in team history.
Just one freshman in the NCHA scored more goals than Lewis' 10 and his 18 points ranked sixth among the league's rookies. He is currently second on the team in goals and tied-for-third in points.
McKelvie was selected by his peers as the NCHA Coach of the Year after leading the Foresters to a fourth-place finish in the league standings. Under the direction of McKelvie and assistant coaches Pat Kelliher and Erik Hudson, Lake Forest was 11-7-0 in NCHA play after posting a mark of 6-10-4 in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association a year ago.
The Foresters won their conference quarterfinal series with visiting Marian University last weekend to advance in the NCHA Harris Cup Tournament. Lake Forest will take its 15-11-1 overall record to St. Norbert College for a semifinal game this Saturday night at 7:00.
