Ferris State's Kunitz and Brown Chosen To All-CCHA First Team

*2002-03 CCHA All-Conference Release* PDF

Senior left wing Chris Kunitz (Regina, Saskatchewan) and sophomore goaltender Mike Brown (Calgary, Alberta), members of the 2002-03 Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Regular-Season Champion Ferris State University men’s ice hockey team, have been named to the six-member All-CCHA First Team in an announcement made by CCHA office Wednesday (March 12).

In addition to Kunitz and Brown, senior defenseman Troy Milam (Lake Orion) along with junior defenseman Simon Mangos (Caledon, Ontario) and sophomore center Jeff Legue (Cornwall, Ontario) were second-team All-CCHA selections. Sophomore right wing Derek Nesbitt (Egmondville, Ontario) received honorable mention all-league accolades.

Chris Kunitz, the CCHA scoring champion, headlines Ferris State's list of 2002-03 all-league performers. The Hobey Baker Memorial Award candidate was among two CCHA First-Team returnees. (Mark Hicks/Westside Photo)

Kunitz, the conference scoring champion with 51 points on 24 goals and 27 assists in 28 league outings, was an unanimous choice with 55 points and 11 first-place votes. The assistant captain was tops among the CCHA’s overall leaders in points (65), goals (28) and assists (37) this season. He’s a four-time CCHA Offensive Player of the Week selection (Oct. 21 & 28, Feb. 3 and March 3) and also was recognized twice (Oct. 29 and Feb. 4) as the U.S. College Hockey Online’s (USCHO) Offensive Player of the Week. Kunitz, a 2002-03 Hobey Baker Memorial Award candidate, is a repeat All-CCHA honoree after attaining first-team laurels last season as a result of capturing the league goal-scoring title with 25 markers. Brown, a CCHA All-Rookie Team pick last season, became the first Ferris goaltender ever to receive all-league first-team kudos. The 2002-03 CCHA Perani Cup Three Star Champion, Brown was honored a league-record six times as the CCHA’s Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 14, 21, 28, Nov. 4, 25 and March 3), including a league record four consecutive weeks. A two-time USCHO Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 5 and March 4) pick, Brown set a school single-season record for most victories this campaign with a current 26-8-1 mark in 35 games. He placed first among CCHA netminders in league games only in wins (21) and save percentage (.927) while ranking tops for overall contests in victories (26), goals against average (2.25) and save percentage (.925).

The team’s captain, Milam currently leads all Bulldog defensemen in scoring with a career-high 29 points on six goals and 23 assists in 36 contests. He ranks tied for fourth place among this season’s team point leaders and finished 30th in league scoring overall. Milam totaled 21 points with two goals and 19 assists in 28 league games while posting a +14 efficiency rating. Like Milam, Mangos is midst his most productive season ever in a FSU uniform with career bests in points (17), goals (eight) and assists (nine) to go along with a CCHA-leading +43 plus/minus rating. Mangos, who was honored as the CCHA Defensive Player of the Week (Jan.6), generated six goals and assists apiece for 12 league points while registering a league-best +33 rating. Legue, who presently ranks as the squad’s second-highest points leader with a career-best 48 points in 36 outings, has also set personal highs this season in goals (21) and assists (27). Moreover, he’s nearly doubled his offensive production of a season ago in which the forward accumulated 25 points with six goals and 19 assists in 36 contests. Legue is listed third this week in CCHA overall scoring and placed fifth among the league’s top point getters with a 35-point league game only total as a result of scoring 15 goals with 20 assists and notching a +22 efficiency rating.

Nesbitt, a top forward linemate of Kunitz and Legue, has doubled his offensive numbers from last season with 42 points, 15 goals and 27 assists in 36 appearances this campaign. He recorded nine goals with 12 assists for 21 points as a freshman. In league play, Nesbitt tied for seventh place in scoring with 32 points on 14 goals and 18 assists while posting a +24 rating. The right winger currently is sixth among the CCHA’s overall scoring leaders and is +33 this season. Members of the CCHA all-conference teams were selected by the 12 head coaches in the CCHA and coaches weren’t allowed to vote for players from their own team. The teams, which were chosen based on statistics in conference games, will be honored at the 2003 CCHA Awards Banquet on Wednesday, March 19, at the Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit.

Ferris State, which claimed its first-ever CCHA Regular-Season title with a first-place 22-5-1 league mark and is enjoying its best season ever in the program’s 25-year NCAA Division I history at 27-8-1 overall, opens CCHA Tournament action this weekend (March 14-16) at home as the league’s number one seed. The Bulldogs are hosting Lake Superior State in a first-round, best two-of-three series.