SAULT STE MARIE, Mich. -- Five members of the 2016-17 Lake Superior State University men's ice hockey team have been recognized for their efforts both on the ice and in the classroom by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) as Gus Correale (Prince George, British Columbia), Aidan Wright (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario), Collin Saccoman (Stillwater, Minn.), Ryan Renz (Castlegar, British Columbia), and Nick Kossoff (West Des Moines, Iowa) have all been named AHCA All American Scholars for the 2016-17 season in a recent announcement (Aug. 11) by the AHCA.
The five Lakers earned the honor for demonstrating outstanding athletic and academic performance during the 2016-17 campaign. The inaugural AHCA All American Scholar Program, sponsored by Krampade, is a distinguished rcognition presented to more than 1,000 student athletes by the AHCA. To qualify for the award, a NCAA Division I or III men's or women's ice hockey student-athlete must have attained at least a 3.6 grade point average this past year and participated in 40 percent of their respective school's games.
The Lakers' 2016-17 captain, Correale received Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) All-Academic Team recognition this past season in his senior year as the Laker forward recorded a squad 11th-best tying 12 points on a personal career season-best six goals and assists apiece in 35 contests. Correale, who was chosen as the 2016-17 recipient of LSSU's Gay Blade and Jim Howie Unsung Hero Awards, scored a team-leading three short-handed goals and netted one game-winning marker for the 2016-17 season.
Wright finished his junior season in 2016-17 with a goal and a career-high six assists for a career season-most seven points in 36 appearances. The 2016-17 WCHA All-Academic defenseman tallied his lone goal of the season during a power play and posted a plus one efficiency rating.
A defenseman, Saccoman placed eighth overall on LSSU's top points getters list with 18 total as a result of scoring three goals to with 15 assists in 36 games. He paced all Laker blueliners in points while garnering the third-highest output among the freshmen skaters. Saccoman notched two power-play lamplighters and was plus one in the efficiency rating category.
Renz, a 2016-17 WCHA All-Academic Team selection, accumulated three points (all assists) and had a plus one efficiency rating in 14 games from his defenseman position this past season.
Kossoff posted an 0-3-0 mark with a 3.87 goals-against average (14 goals allowed) and an .881 save percentage (104 saves) in six appearances between the pipes this season, which including three in a starting capacity. The 2016-17 WCHA All-Academic Team goaltender, Kossoff racked up 20 or more saves in a game on three occasions this last season highlighted by a 31-saves effort at Michigan Tech (March 3) in the WCHA Quarterfinals.
Lake Superior State, under head coach Damon Whitten, concluded the 2016-17 season at 11-18-7 overall and 8-13-7 (35 points) in the WCHA.
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