PHILADELPHIA – A pair of Alaska Hockey players were recognized for excellence on the ice this season as senior center
Cody Kunyk (Sherwood Park, Alberta/Business Administration) and sophomore defenseman
Colton Parayko (St. Albert, Alberta/Business Administration) were both named CCM Hockey Division I Second Team All-Americans on Friday during the Frozen Four festivities in Philadelphia.
The top 25 players in the country were voted All-Americans by the American Hockey Coaches Association with the First and Second Teams being broken up into one East and West teams, with Alaska being represented in the West.
"Alaska Hockey is extremely proud of Cody's and Colton's accomplishments this season," head coach
Dallas Ferguson said. "Being named college hockey All-Americans is a tremendous honor for them and for our university. Both men are very talented athletes but equally talented people who were outstanding leaders for Alaska Hockey this season."
Kunyk and Parayko became the first All-Americans for the Nanooks in five years and join a small list as the sixth and seventh All-Americans in team history, joining
Chad Johnson (2009, Second Team),
Tyler Eckford (2008, First Team),
Dean Fedorchuk (1994),
Steve Moria (1985) and
Doug Desorcie (1983).
Kunyk wrapped up his collegiate career as one of the program's leading scorers, ranking 13th on Alaska's all-time list with 133 points on 60 goals and 73 assists in 148 career games. He was named Western Collegiate Hockey Association Player of the Year and to the All-WCHA First Team after capturing the league's scoring title with 17 goals and 17 assists for 34 points during the 28-game conference schedule.
He led the Nanooks in 2013-14 with 22 goals and 43 points in his 37 games played, which included five multiple-goal outings and was highlighted by his career-best four goals in a 7-2 victory over rival Alaska Anchorage on March 7. Kunyk was one of four collegians to achieve a four-goal performance during this year and also led the nation with seven game-winning goals during the regular season. Named to the WCHA All-Academic Team, Kunyk was a one-time WCHA Player of the Week selection and took home a pair of team honors in the Steve Moria Most Valuable Player and Keith Street Top Performer awards.
"Cody is an extraordinary talent and a player who impacts hockey games with his ability," Ferguson said. "He was a tremendous leader for our program this season and I could not be happier for the success he had. Cody has developed his game every year he has been in our program and he made his senior season the best season as a Nanook."
Parayko is coming off a spectacular season from the blue line as he was named WCHA Defensive Player of the Year as well as a member of the All-WCHA First Team. He was one of the leading offensive defenseman in the conference with 18 points on four goals and 14 assists during WCHA play.
The sophomore was the team's top scoring defender with 26 points on seven goals and 19 assists in the 37-game season slate as he tallied six multi-point games, including his first two-goal game against UAA on March 15. Defensively, Parayko ranked second in the nation with 2.65 blocks per game during the regular season and finished the year with 97 total blocks. A WCHA Scholar-Athlete and All-Academic Team honoree, he was a two-time WCHA Defensive Player of the Week and garnered three team awards in the Shawn Chambers Top Defenseman, Top Playoff Performer and Fan's Choice award.
"Colton had a great sophomore season for our hockey program," Ferguson said. "He has the ability to make a difference in every shift. Colton's leadership to make our team successful this season was very impressive. His intelligence with the puck, determination to defend hard and ability to make his teammates better were special qualities in his game that make him a player he is."
Kunyk and Parayko were the only two WCHA players to make the All-America Team this season.
Institutionally, Union College led the way with four selections while Minnesota and Boston College both had three All-America nods. Alaska joined the likes of Denver, Maine and Wisconsin which all had two All-America accolades.
The Nanooks finished their inaugural season in the WCHA with an 18-15-4 overall record and won a string of seven straight games during the second half of the conference season to finish third in the WCHA standings with a 14-12-2 mark.
As a team, Alaska led the league with 3.46 goals per game during conference play, was third on the power play (.185, 23/124) and fourth on the penalty kill (.857, 102/119).
CCM Hockey Division I All-Americans:First Team East:F: Greg Carey, Sr., St. Lawrence
F: Johnny Gaudreau, Jr., Boston College
F: Kevin Hayes, Sr., Boston College
D: Mat Bodie, Sr., Union College
D: Shayne Gostisbehere, Jr., Union College
G: Connor Hellebuyck, So., UMass-Lowell
First Team West:F: Josh Archibald, Jr., Nebraska-Omaha
F: Nic Dowd, Sr., St. Cloud State
F: Ryan Dzingel, Jr., Ohio State
D: Jake McCabe, Jr., Wisconsin
D: Mike Reilly, So., Minnesota
G: Sam Brittain, Sr., Denver
Second Team East:F: Daniel Carr, Sr., Union College
F: Ryan Haggerty, Jr., Rensselaer
F: Devin Shore, So., Maine
D: Ben Hutton, So., Maine
D: Michael Matheson, So., Boston College
G: Colin Stevens, Jr., Union College
Second Team West:F: Austin Czarnik, Jr., Miami
F:
Cody Kunyk, Sr., Alaska
F: Michael Mersch, Sr., Wisconsin
F: Kyle Rau, Jr., Minnesota
D: Joey LaLeggia, Jr., Denver
D:
Colton Parayko, So., Alaska
G: Adam Wilcox, So., Minnesota
All-Time Alaska Nanooks Hockey All-AmericansCody Kunyk, Second Team (2014)
Colton Parayko, Second Team (2014)
Chad Johnson, Second Team (2009)
Tyler Eckford, First Team (2008)
Dean Fedorchuk (1994)
Steve Moria (1985)
Doug Desorcie (1983)
For more information, contact hockey SID Chris Brooks at cpbrooks@alaska.edu.
