Rod Pelley and Nate Guenin Earn All-CCHA Second Team Accolades – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/9/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
March 9, 2005
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State men’s hockey junior defenseman Nate Guenin and junior forward Rod Pelley have been named to the 2005 All-Central Collegiate Hockey Association Second Team and junior goalie Dave Caruso and sophomore defenseman Sean Collins are honorable mention all-league picks, the CCHA announced Wednesday. The honorees were selected by a vote of the league’s coaches and were based on performance in league play. Honorable mention choices were the next six-highest vote getters, regardless of position.
Guenin, an honorable mention all-league choice last season and an honorable mention CCHA All-Rookie Team honoree in 2003, has played in 35-of-36 games this season. The Aliquppa, Pa., native has 2-10-12 totals and a +4 rating. He was the CCHA Defenseman of the Week Feb. 7 and a 2004-05 Preseason All-CCHA honorable mention choice. He has helped the Buckeye defense allow just 2.2 goals a game and record a league-best penalty-kill percentage of 87.3 overall and 88.7 percent in conference play. OSU is fourth in the nation on the penalty kill.
Pelley, from Kitimat, British Columbia, is OSU’s leading scorer with a career-best 37 points. He is first on the team and ranks third in the league with a career-high 21 goals. Thirteen of Pelley’s goals have come on the power play, ranking first in the league and third in the nation. Pelley has two gamewinners on the year and a +5 rating. Pelley ended league play 10th in scoring with 30 points and tied for second with 18 goals (including a league-best 12 on the power play). He earned CCHA Offensive Player of the Week and INCH national player of the week accolades Oct. 25.
Caruso, from Roswell, Ga., is second in the CCHA with a 2.11 goals-against average this season and ranked second in league play with a 2.14 gaa. He is tied for second in the nation with 22 wins, a mark that is tied for first in OSU history for goalie wins in a season. He was named to the Ohio Hockey Classic All-Tournament Team, is a two-time CCHA Goalie of the Week and a two-time special mention league player of the month. Troy, Mich., native Collins leads the Buckeye defensemen in scoring with 23 points, including 15 assists. He ended league play fifth among CCHA defensemen in scoring with 18 points and ranks third in all games. Collins is +6 on the year, is a two-time CCHA Defenseman of the Week and earned Ice Breaker All-Tournament Team honors.
No. 7 Ohio State (24-8-4, 21-5-2/2nd CCHA), the second seed, will play host to No. 11-seed Ferris State (12-20-4, 7-17-4/t-10th CCHA) in the first round of the CCHA playoffs. The teams will meet in the best-of-three series at 7:05 p.m. Friday-Saturday (and Sunday if necessary) in Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The winner advances to the CCHA Super Six at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit March 17-19.
