FAIRBANKS, AK – Alaska Nanooks freshman right wing Andy Taranto (Woodridge, IL, Fargo (USHL)) was the only unanimous pick on the Central Collegiate Hockey Association's All-Rookie Team, announced Monday by the league office.
The top scoring freshman in the 12-team conference through 32 games this season, Taranto was chosen as CCM CCHA Rookie of the Month and the Hockey Commissioners Association National Rookie of the Month in November and February and finished the CCHA season with a scoring line of 12-19-31.
Taranto was also named CCM CCHA Rookie of the Week three times and captured the freshmen scoring title by 10 points. He was second in power-play points (14) and fifth in point scoring (31) among all CCHA players.
With 41 points (17g, 24a) through 36 games this year, he has tied Alaska's all-time record for freshman scoring, equaling the mark set by Andy Pokupec during the 1986-87 campaign. He is also second in scoring among Division I rookies this season, averaging 1.14 points per game.
He is the fourth freshman in program history to earn all-rookie team honors, joining Tyler Eckford (2006), Wylie Rogers (2005), and Aaron Voros (2002), currently of the National Hockey League's New York Rangers.
For the first time since 1997 and second time ever, six different CCHA schools had one student-athlete named to the 2010 CCHA All-Rookie Team. This marks the 22nd year that the conference has named an all-rookie team. Fifteen freshmen garnered at least one vote, including Alaska's Nik Yaremchuk (St. Albert, AB, Sherwood Park (AJHL)), who received honorable mention.
Yaremchuk is fifth on the team offensively with 6-16-22 in 36 appearances this season. He was fourth among CCHA freshman through 28 league games with 4-15-19.
The No. 12 Nanooks head south to Marquette, Michigan, this week, where they will take on the No. 16 Northern Michigan Wildcats in the second round of the CCHA playoffs. Friday and Saturday's games will begin at 7:35 p.m. EST, and Sunday's game, if needed, will begin at 6:05 p.m. EST.
2009-10 CCHA All-Rookie Team
Andy Taranto F Alaska Chicago, IL
Terry Broadhurst F Nebraska-Omaha Orland Park, IL
Chris Brown F Michigan Flower Mound, TX
Torey Krug D Michigan State Livonia, MI
Joe Hartman D Miami St. Cloud, Minn.
Mike Johnson G Notre Dame Verona, WI
Honorable mentions: Forward — Nik Yaremchuk, UA; Jordan Samuels-Thomas, BGSU; Curtis McKenzie, MIA; Derek Grant, MSU; Riley Sheahan, ND; Defense — Zach Trotman LSSU; Kyle Follmer, NMU; Devon Krogh, OSU; Goaltender — John Faulkner, UNO.
