Five BG hockey players earn WCHA honors

3/8/2018
BY JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
  • SPT-BGhockey29p-5

    Bowling Green's Mitch McLain has his shot stopped by Alaska goalie Anton Martinsson earlier this season.

    BLADE/ANDY MORRISON

    • BOWLING GREEN — Five members of the Bowling Green State University hockey team were honored Thursday by the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

    Sophomore defenseman Alec Rauhauser was named to the All-WCHA first team, while senior forward Mitch McLain was selected to the second team in a vote of the league’s coaches. The Falcons had three players named to the WCHA’s all-rookie team in forwards Brandon Kruse and Max Johnson, along with goaltender Eric Dop.

    Rauhauser ranked second in the league in plus-minus rating for defensemen with a plus-16 mark and finished with six goals and 20 assists in league play. He was tied for the league lead in assists among WCHA blue-liners, and he led all players in power-play points in league games with 16.

    The native of Bismarck, N.D., led the Falcons in assists (28) and points (37) in 38 games.

    McLain tied for fourth in the WCHA in goals in league action with 15 and added nine assists in 28 games. The Baxter, Minn., native led the Falcons in goals (17) and added 13 assists for 30 points to rank third on the team.

    Kruse, a native of Saline, Mich., led all first-year WCHA players with 21 assists, including eight on the power play, in league play and finished second with 25 points. He finished second on the team with 33 points thanks to eight goals and 25 assists, the second-most assists on the team.

    Johnson is a Lakeville, Minn., product who finished third among freshmen with nine goals in WCHA play, and his six power-play goals in league action tied for the lead among first-year players. Johnson finished second with his 11 goals, and he tied for fourth on the team with 28 points.

    Dop led all freshman goaltenders with six wins and a 2.59 goals-against average in league play. In 15 games the Lewis Center, Ohio, native posted an 8-4-2 record with a 2.54 GAA and .901 save percentage.

    The Falcons will face Northern Michigan in a best-of-3 second-round WCHA playoff series on the road. The first two games start at 7:07 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The third game, if necessary, is at 7:07 p.m. Sunday.

    Contact John Wagner at: jwagner@theblade.com, 419-724-6481, or on Twitter @jwagnerblade.