Porter, Kolarik Headline All-CCHA First Team Honorees
3/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. -- A trio of University of Michigan ice hockey players were named to the All-CCHA first and second teams, the league announced Wednesday (March 12). Senior forwards Kevin Porter (Northville, Mich.) and Chad Kolarik(Abington, Pa.) -- who finished first and second, respectively, in league scoring -- were each picked for the All-CCHA first team, while junior defenseman Mark Mitera(Livonia, Mich.) was an All-CCHA second team selection.
Porter, who was a unanimous first team selection, finished the CCHA regular season with a league-leading 42 points on 22 goals and 20 assists. Additionally, he had a +23 rating and was assessed just 10 penalty minutes. He was named CCHA Player of the Month for November and February. The captain notched points in 24 of 28 league contests and recorded 12 multi-point games, including a hat trick at Nebraska-Omaha (Nov. 2) and three-assist showings at Western Michigan (Jan. 12) and vs. Lake Superior State (Feb. 15). Porter was selected to the preseason All-CCHA first team in the fall. As a junior in 2006-07 he earned All-CCHA second team recognition.
Overall, Porter leads the country in points (54) and points per game (1.50). He has recorded career highs in goals (27) and power-play goals (14) this season.
Kolarik finished second on the CCHA scoring list (20-15-35) despite missing the final four games of the regular season due to injury. The alternate captain potted five game-winning goals, four power-play markers and three shorthanded tallies. He received just six penalty minutes and had a +19 rating. Kolarik posted points in 18 of 24 games. Twice he tied his career high with four goals -- at Western Michigan (Jan. 12) and vs. Lake Superior State (Feb. 15) -- and had nine other outings in which he had multiple points. Kolarik was chosen to the preseason All-CCHA second team in October.
Overall, Kolarik is tied for seventh nationally with 43 points and sixth in points per game (1.34). His 24 goals on the season are a career high and rank tied for sixth in the country.
Mitera, a stalwart on U-M's blue line, recorded a +16 rating in conference play. He finished with a positive plus/minus rating in 15 games and was even in 11 other matches. The 6-3, 203-pound rearguard notched a goal and 12 assists. Over the final three games of the regular season Mitera posted six assists; tied his career high with three helpers vs. Ferris State on Feb. 29. The alternate captain collected CCHA Defenseman of the Week laurels on Oct. 29 and March 3. He received preseason All-CCHA honorable mention.
Overall, Mitera has a plus/minus rating of +24, which is tied for the best mark for the Maize and Blue. He has a 1-14-15 scoring line in 36 games.
The rest of the All-CCHA first team was comprised of Ryan Jones (Miami), Tyler Eckford (Alaska), Alec Martinez (Miami) and Jeff Lerg (Michigan State). The other All-CCHA second team members are Bryan Marshall (Nebraska-Omaha), Derek Whitmore (Bowling Green), Tim Kennedy (Michigan State), Mitch Ganzak (Miami), and Jeff Zatkoff (Miami).
Junior goaltender Billy Sauer(Walworth, N.Y.) earned All-CCHA honorable mention; he received one first team vote. In CCHA play, Sauer posted a 17-3-3 record, which gave him a league-best winning percentage of .804. Sauer ranked fourth in the CCHA with a 2.11 goals against average. His .918 save percentage was sixth best. Overall, the netminder is 24-4-3 this season, one win shy of his career high set last season. He is sixth in the country in GAA (1.99) while ranking ninth nationally in save percentage (.925).
Also receiving votes for the Wolverines was sophomore defenseman Chris Summers(Milan, Mich.), who had 2-10-12 totals in CCHA contests to go with a +20 rating.
The teams were selected by a vote of the league's head coaches and are based on performance in conference games. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
