Umberger and Steckel Named to Bauer/CCHA All-Rookie Team – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/5/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
March 5, 2001
%^$COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State men’s hockey freshman centers Dave Steckel (West Bend, Wis.) and R.J. Umberger (Pittsburgh, Pa.) each were named to the 2000-01 Bauer/Central Collegiate Hockey Association All-Rookie Team in a vote by the conference coaches, the league announced. Freshman defenseman Doug Andress (Iroquois Falls, Ontario) earned honorable mention all-rookie team accolades. Ohio State is the only school to place two student-athletes on the CCHA All-Rookie Team. The Buckeyes are tied with Notre Dame with three total honorees.%^$
%^$Steckel, a two-time CCHA Rookie of the Week honoree, leads the Buckeyes with 16 goals and is third in scoring with 32 points. He had a 15-game scoring streak earlier this season and is tied for second on the squad with a +7 rating. He also ranks first in shooting percentage, tallying on 23.2 percent of his shots. He is third among league rookies in scoring and is ranked 17th overall in the conference in scoring. Steckel is tied for 12th in the CCHA in scoring in league games, ranking ninth (tied) in goals in CCHA contests with 15.%^$
%^$Umberger is tied for the team lead in scoring with 34 points, on 14 goals and 20 assists, in 29 games. He has posted 11 multiple-point outings, including a team season-best four points against Notre Dame Feb. 3. He earned CCHA Rookie of the Week accolades after leading the Buckeyes to a sweep of the Fighting Irish with five points in two games. He ranks second among conference freshmen in scoring and is tied for 11th in the CCHA in scoring overall and in conference games.%^$
%^$Umberger is ranked the No. 4 North American prospect by the NHL’s Central Scouting Service and is the top collegian and American-born player on the list, while Steckel is No. 25, the fifth-highest collegian. Umberger and Steckel both were members of the 2001 U.S. National Junior Team that placed fifth in the World Junior Championships in Russia this season. They were the first Buckeyes ever named to the U.S. National Junior Team.%^$
%^$Andress led the Buckeyes’ defense in scoring with 18 points, on five goals and 13 assists. He posted the game-winning goal against Michigan and tallied the game-tying goal at Ferris State with just over 10 minutes remaining. He is second on the squad with 11 power-play points, including a team-high tying eight assists. Andress recorded three two-assist outings.%^$
%^$Umberger and Steckel are the seventh and eighth Buckeyes to be named to the CCHA All-Rookie Team. Andress is the eighth to earn honorable mention all-rookie team honors. Current Buckeye junior Jason Crain was named to the CCHA All-Rookie Team in 1999 and senior Jean-Francois Dufour and junior Scott Titus earned honorable mention accolades in 1998 and ’99, respectively.%^$
%^$The Buckeyes return to action Friday-Sunday, March 9-11, when they travel to Omaha, Neb., to face the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks in the first round of the CCHA Tournament.%^$
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2001 BAUER/CCHA ALL-ROOKIE TEAM%^$Forward Jeff Campbell Western Michigan%^$Forward Dave Steckel Ohio State%^$Forward R.J. Umberger Ohio State%^$Defenseman Mike Komisarek Michigan%^$Defenseman Brett Lebda Notre Dame%^$Goaltender Dan Ellis Nebraska-Omaha%^$
%^$Honorable Mention:%^$Forward – Derek Edwardson, Miami, Aaron Gill, Notre Dame,%^$Rob Globke, Notre Dame.%^$Defense – Doug Andress, Ohio State, Andy Burnes, Michigan,%^$Mike Gabinet, Nebraska-Omaha, Mike Jarmuth, Western Michigan,%^$Felipe Larranage, Alaska-Fairbanks.%^$Goal – Craig Kowalski, Northern Michigan, Preston McKay, UAF.%^$
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