NCAA Hockey

Three Badgers named finalists for four Big Ten honors

Three Badgers named finalists for four Big Ten honors


MADISON, Wis. – Three Badgers – goaltender Kyle McClellan, forward Owen Lindmark and Head Coach Mike Hastings – have been named finalists for four Big Ten men’s hockey postseason awards, the conference announced on Wednesday.

Senior goaltender Kyle McClellan is one of three finalists for both the Goaltender of the Year and Player of the Year awards. McClellan sits among the nation’s leaders in all major goaltending statistics, leading with a .931 save percentage and seven shutouts and owning second with 24 victories and a 1.92 goals-against average.

The senior’s impressive performance between the pipes this season has also earned him multiple accolades, including Mike Richter Award semifinalist for national goaltender of the year, a Hobey Baker fan vote nominee for national player of the year, the Hockey Commissioners Association’s National Goaltender of the Month for December, the 2024 Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off Most Outstanding Goaltender and a five-time Big Ten Star of the Week.

 

Graduate student forward Owen Lindmark is a Defensive Player of the Year finalist. Lindmark is a key part of the Badgers’ penalty kill, which sits second in the nation after killing off 86.8 percent of penalties. The senior also leads the nation in career short-handed goals with seven. In the faceoff circle, Lindmark has been a stalwart, winning 56.9 percent of the time to rank third in Big Ten games. His 60.3 percent success rate in all games is best of those with at least 100 victories. The Naperville, Illinois, native is having a career year this season, setting new highs in goals and points with 11 and 21, respectively. He shares the team lead with three multi-goal games in 2023-24, and picked up his third-career Big Ten Star of the Week honor in November. Lindmark is the only award finalist this year who is a forward.

 

Head Coach Mike Hastings is a finalist for Big Ten Coach of the Year. In his first year as…

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