Four U.P. Players named to All-CCHA Preseason First Team

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (WLUC) - The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) has announced the 2022-23 Preseason All-CCHA Team and seven student-athletes have been recognized. Brendan Furry (Minnesota State), Louis Boudon (Lake Superior State) and AJ Vanderbeck (Northern Michigan) made up the forward group, while Jake Livingstone (Minnesota State), Jacob Bengtsson (Lake Superior State) and Elias Rosen (Bemidji State) were selected on defense. Blake Pietila (Michigan Tech) earned top goaltender honors. The team was selected by the conference’s eight head coaches.

A senior captain from Toledo, Ohio, Furry helped the Mavericks to their second Frozen Four appearance in as many years and first ever trip to the finals. Fourth in the CCHA in scoring with 13 goals and 31 assists for 44 points in 44 games last season. His 31 helpers were good for third-most in the country and his 14 multi-point games were tops among conferences skaters and his +30 rating was good for fifth. He earned NCAA East Regional All-Tournament honors after collecting a goal and an assist for two points in Albany.

Bourdon, a senior who hails from Grenoble, France, ranked seventh nationally in 2021-22 in points per game (1.22), scoring 15 goals with 29 assists for 44 total points. He ranked sixth in the CCHA in assists and seventh in points and his two hat tricks were the most in the country and his three shorthanded tallies were second. An All-CCHA Second Team selection last season, the Lakers captain was a three-time CCHA Player of the Week and the Player of the Month for October. He has notched 90 career points (29 goals, 61 assists) in 103 contests.

Northern Michigan standout Vanderbeck, who is from Monument, Colo., earned All-CCHA Second Team honors in 2021-22 after amassing a league-best 24 goals to go along with 19 assists for 43 points in 36 games. His 0.67 goals per game ranked second in the country and he led the conference in shots (161) and shots per game (4.47). Entering his senior season, he has played in 74 career games for the Wildcats, recording 40 goals and 39 assists for 79 points.

A junior out of Creston, B.C., Livingstone was named CCHA Defenseman of the Year in 2021-22, playing in all 44 games for the Mavericks on their Frozen Four run. He scored nine goals with 22 assists for 31 points, which was good for ninth nationally and first in the conference among blueliners. An All-CCHA First Team selection, he was the league’s Defenseman of the Month for November and December.

Bengtsson, who hails from Stockholm, Sweden, is a junior who earned All-CCHA Second Team honors in 2021-22, picking up three goals and 24 assists for 27 points in 36 games. Earning CCHA Player of the Week and CCHA Player of the Month for October, he ranked fourth among conference defensemen in scoring and his seven multi-point games was the most among blueliners.

The Beavers top-scoring defenseman from a year ago, Rosen, who is from Mora, Sweden, was an All-CCHA First Team pick in 2021-22, recording seven goals and 19 assists for 26 points in 38 contests. He ranked fifth among league blueliners in points and was third overall in game-winning tallies (4) and seventh in power-play tallies (5). The three-time CCHA Player of the Week was the conference’s Defenseman of the Month in January. In 73 games over two seasons, he has 12 goals and 38 assists for 50 points.

A senior out of Howell, Mich., Pietila started all 37 games for the Huskies in 2021-22, posting a 21-13-2 record with a 1.91 goals against average and a .918 save percentage. An All-CCHA Second Team honoree, he made 779 saves in 2194:52 minutes, tying the school record for shutouts in a season with seven. Nationally, he ranked fourth in shutouts and seventh in goals against average and was a Semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award as the top goalie in the country. He was a four-time CCHA Goaltender of the Week.

2022-23 Preseason All-CCHA Team

Position Name, Year, School

Forward Brendan Furry, SR, Minnesota State

Forward Louis Boudon, SR, Lake Superior State

Forward AJ Vanderbeck, SR, Northern Michigan

Defense Jake Livingstone, JR, Minnesota State

Defense Jacob Bengtsson, JR, Lake Superior State

Defense Elias Rosen, SR, Bemidji State

Goaltender Blake Pietila, JR, Michigan Tech

Earlier today, the CCHA announced the 2022-23 CCHA Preseason Coaches’ Poll results. Two more awards will be announced today, as the CCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year will be announced at 1pm CT / 2pm ET and the CCHA Preseason Player of the Year will follow at 2pm CT / 3pm ET.

CCHA Virtual Media Day will take place on Wednesday, September 21, 2022, beginning at 10am CT / 11am ET. Along with CCHA Commissioner Don Lucia and CCHA Director of Officiating Kevin Langseth, all eight CCHA head coaches will preview the upcoming season and be available to answer questions from local, regional and national media outlets via Zoom.

The CCHA officially drops the puck on year two of the reconfigured league on Saturday, Oct. 1. Six CCHA teams will be in action with one league contest, three non-conference games and one exhibition scheduled. The first full weekend of conference action will be Nov. 4-5.