UND players earn All-WCHA honors

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota senior forwards Danny Kristo and Corban Knight have been named to the 2012-13 All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Team announced today by the league office. Kristo was named to the first team while Knight earned second-team honors. It was the first All-WCHA honor for both players.

Additionally, freshman forward Rocco Grimaldi was named to the All-WCHA Rookie Team, while 11 UND student-athletes earned All-WCHA Academic Team honors.

Kristo led the team in scoring during league play, collecting 17 goals and 20 assists in 28 games. In 34 games overall this season, the Eden Prairie, Minn., native is tied with Knight for the team scoring lead with 45 points, including a career-high 21 goals. He ranks third nationally in goals per game (0.62) and fourth in goals. A two-time WCHA Offensive Player of the Week, Kristo leads the nation with 31 points since Dec. 8 and ranks second with 16 goals during that time. Kristo leads all active NCAA Division I men’s hockey players with 154 career points and ranks second with 63 career goals.

Knight collected 12 goals and 23 assists in 28 WCHA games this season and has a career-high 45 points in 35 overall games this season. The High River, Alberta, native, ranks third nationally in assists and seventh in scoring. He has collected at least one point in 29 different games, more than any other player in the WCHA, and leads the nation with a school-record 525 faceoff wins. Earlier this season, Knight put together a 19-game point streak that was UND’s longest in 25 years, and he also became UND’s first player since Zach Parise (2002-04) to record two seasons of 30-plus assists.

Grimaldi tied for third in the WCHA rookie scoring race with 26 points in 28 games, collecting 10 goals and 16 assists. In 34 games this season, Grimaldi ranks third on the team in points (31) and goals (13). A native of Rossmoor, Calif., Grimaldi is averaging 0.91 points per game, tying him for fourth in the WCHA and ninth nationally.

UND’s 11 selections to the All-WCHA Academic team included four-time selection Tate Maris (Sr., Denver, Colo.), three-time selection Andrew MacWilliam (Sr., Calgary, Alberta), and two-time honorees Derek Rodwell (Jr., Taber, Alberta) and Dillon Simpson (Jr., Edmonton, Alberta). Connor Gaarder (So., Edina, Minn.), Rocco Grimaldi (Fr., Rossmoor, Calif.), Mark MacMillan (So., Penticton, British Columbia), Mitch MacMillan (Jr., Penticton, British Columbia), Nick Mattson (So., Chanhassen, Minn.), Brendan O’Donnell (So., Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Dan Senkbeil (So., Fremont, Calif.) each earned their first selections.

UND has now placed 97 student-athletes on the All-WCHA Academic Team during head coach Dave Hakstol’s nine-year tenure, including a school-record 16 in 2010-11.