FERRIS LANDS THREE ON CCHA ALL-ROOKIE HONORABLE MENTION TEAM

*2004-05 CCHA All-Rookie Team Release* PDF

Three freshmen members of the 2004-05 Ferris State University men's ice hockey team have been named to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association's (CCHA) All-Rookie Honorable Mention Team as announced Monday (March 7) by the league office.

Representing the Bulldogs on the 10-member honorable mention squad are right wing Matt Stefanishion (Daysland, Alberta), defenseman Adam Welch (Hastings, Minn.) and goaltender Derek MacIntyre (Stanwood).

Matt Stefanishion

Stefanishion leads all Ferris' freshmen in scoring this season with 20 points on 11 goals and nine assists in 31 contests. He has also compiled two multi-point games to go with four power-play lamplighters and a game-winning goal this campaign. Prior to Ferris, Stefanishion spent three seasons (2001-04) with the Melville (Saskatchewan) Millionaires of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL).

Welch, who has six points on one goal and five assists in 33 outings this season, is tied for the top honor among the Bulldogs' top scoring defensemen. The blueliner has presently posted a +2 plus/minus efficiency rating and was chosen as the CCHA's Rookie of the Week (Dec. 13) for his performance in Ferris' two-game league set at Miami, Ohio (Dec. 10-11). Welch scored his first collegiate goal in the series finale and was +2 in each contest. The walk-on skated two seasons (2002-04) for the North American Hockey League's (NAHL) Wichita Falls (Texas) Rustlers before his arrival to Ferris State.

Adam Welch

MacIntyre has registered a 5-8-1 record in goal with a 3.19 goals against average (47 goals allowed) and an .888 saves percentage (371 total saves) in 17 appearances this season. MacIntyre was named the CCHA's Goaltender of the Week earlier this campaign (Dec. 13) as a result of his career-high 34 saves in a win at Miami, Ohio (Dec. 11). The goaltender has turned aside 25 or more shots on goal in eight encounters this season. He was an eighth-round draft pick of the San Jose Sharks in the 2004 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft and was selected as the nation's fifth-best incoming frosh netminder by Inside College Hockey.com for the 2004-05 season. Before Ferris, MacIntyre played the 2003-04 campaign with the Soo (Mich.) Kewadin Indians of the North American Hockey League (NAHL).

Comprising the six-member CCHA All-Rookie squad were Ohio State forward Tom Fritsche, forward Bill Thomas and defenseman Joe Grimaldi both from Nebraska-Omaha, Northern Michigan forward Mike Santorelli, defenseman Mike Hodgson of Bowling Green State and Alaska Fairbanks goaltender Wylie Rogers.

Derek MacIntyre

The honorable mention selections consisted of six forwards -- Kyle Greentree of Alaska Fairbanks, Michigan's Chad Kolarik, Ohio State's Domenic Maiani, Bryan Marshall of Nebraska-Omaha, Bowling Green State's Jonathan Matsumoto and Matt Stefanishion. Joining Adam Welch on defense were Miami's Mitch Ganzak and Kyle Hood of Ohio State. Derek MacIntyre was the lone goaltender to be honored.

Ferris State, which closed out the regular-season portion of its 2004-05 campaign at 12-20-4 overall and 7-17-4 in the CCHA, begins a best-of-three CCHA Tournament First-Round series this weekend (March 11-13) versus the nationally-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes at OSU's Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The tourney's first two contests are slated for 7:05 p.m. (EST) opening faceoffs. The starting time for Sunday's game, if necessary, has yet to be determined.