CCHA recognizes three Broncos
March 16, 2004
KALAMAZOO--Three members of the Western Michigan University hockey team, seniors Paul Davies of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and Dana Lattery of Cochrane, Alberta, along with freshman Paul Szczechura of Brantford, Ontario, have been recognized by the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.
Davies and Lattery were named to the CCHA All-Academic Team, while Szczechura received honorable mention for the CCHA All-Rookie squad. WMU and Miami University were the only schools to have multiple selections to the academic team.
The All-Academic Team was selected by the league's athletic faculty representatives. The top six vote-getters, regardless of position, were named to the squad. WMU also had three players receive Special Mention as part of the nomination process: Jeremy Cheyne of Calgary, Alberta; Lucas Drake of Holt, Mich.; and Mike Jarmuth of Monkton, Ontario.
"This is a tremendous honor for Paul and Dana, it speaks volumes about who we are as a program," said coach Jim Culhane. "The academic environment and culture that exists within our program is just as important as the hockey that is played."
Davies owns the team's highest overall grade-point average (3.61) as a pre-medicine major. Known for his quickness on the ice and penalty-killing skills, Davies owns eight points in 34 contests this season. He scored the game-winning goal against Alaska Fairbanks on Jan. 10 with 2:37 left in regulation. He was also named Bronco Player of the Week on Oct. 6. Davies was CCHA All-Academic Honorable Mention in 2002-03 and received Special Mention in 2001-02.
Lattery, a pre-medicine major with a 3.27 GPA, shares team goal-scoring honors (13) and stands second in points (32). He owns 10 multiple-point games this season and has been named CCHA Offensive Player of the Week on two occasions. Earlier this year, Lattery strung together a seven-game goal-scoring streak. He was CCHA All-Academic honorable mention as a sophomore in 2001-02.
Szczechura (pronounced Sha-HER-ah) leads Bronco rookies in scoring (20 points), compiling nine goals and 11 assists in 36 games. He was tabbed CCHA Rookie of the Week on Jan. 19 and spent a good portion of this season playing on WMU's top forward line.
Western Michigan completed the 2003-04 season with an overall record of 17-18-4. The Broncos' season ended with a 5-4 overtime loss in the third and decisive game of a best-of-three CCHA first round playoff series at Notre Dame.
Media contact: Daniel Jankowski, 269 387-4138, daniel.jankowski@wmich.edu