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Hockey awards: Who was most dominant in 2014-2015

March 26, 2015

Whether it was senior forward Brent Darnell going on a multi-game point streak early in the Big Ten season or senior forward Matt Berry posting more than a point-per-game after he came back from suspension, the Spartans had a newfound depth that propelled them.

Still, there were some that stood out above the rest. Be it on a game-to-game basis or a single performance, certain Spartans take the cake. Here are a few end-of-the-year awards for the 2014-2015 MSU hockey squad:

There’s not much debate on this one. When someone on the roster is named the Big Ten Player of the Year, it is usually safe to say he is the team’s MVP as well. The acclaim is fully deserved though, as Hildebrand led the Spartans and started every single game MSU played. The junior goaltender posted some gaudy numbers on his way to leading the Big Ten in goals-against average (2.12), save percentage (.930) and shutouts (six).

Hildebrand was even more impressive in Big Ten games, compiling a .940 save percentage and 1.94 goals-against average.

The most telling statistics are Hildebrand’s numbers since January 1. With MSU fighting to stay in the Big Ten race, every single point became vital in their chase for a bye in the Big Ten Tournament. Hildebrand was a big reason in that goal becoming a reality, as he became one of the best goaltenders in the nation.

MSU has a history of churning out elite collegiate goaltenders, and Hildebrand kept that tradition alive with his MVP performance this season.

There were a number of Spartans that could have laid claim to this award. Senior defenseman Ron Boyd, sophomore forward Mackenzie MacEachern and junior defenseman Travis Walsh could all be argued for this spot.

What made Keller’s season so impressive was not only his improvement from last season to this, but also his improvement from the beginning of the season to the end.

Coming into his junior year, Keller had posted 12 total points (three goals, nine assists) in his first two seasons wearing the green

and white. He nearly met that total in a seven-game span when he racked up 11 points and seven goals.

Keller finished the year with 11 goals and 19 points, which was good for fifth on the team. However, Keller only had one goal and five points through the Spartans’ first 18 games.

Over MSU’s last 16 games – which amounted to 10-5-1 – Keller added 14 points, 10 of which were goals. Keller started to use his big frame to get to the front of the net as the season went on, and got rewarded for it often.

In a mid-February sweep of Penn State, MacEachern recorded four goals and one assist to earn him NCAA First Star of the Week honors. He recorded a hat trick while scoring all three goals for MSU in a 3-2 victory, and had the game-winning goals in both games.

The sophomore forward was solid throughout the season, finishing second on the team with 25 points.

An honorable mention goes to sophomore forward Joe Cox, who in the same series against PSU put on a clinic on two consecutive penalty kills. Cox sacrificed his body on four different occasions in the first 10 minutes of the game as he finally limped over to the bench.

It inspired the crowd at Munn and the Spartans, including MacEachern who went on to record his hat trick in that game.

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