MADISON, Wis. – For the first time in the Big Ten Conference's 10-year history, Wisconsin men's hockey boasts the Big Ten Goaltender of the Year. Senior Kyle McClellan earned the honor as one of five Badgers recognized by the Big Ten on Tuesday.
McClellan sits among the nation's leaders in all major goaltending statistics, leading with a .931 save percentage and seven shutouts and owning second with a 1.92 goals-against average. He is also tied for third with 24 victories.
The senior's impressive performance between the pipes this season has also earned him multiple other accolades, including Mike Richter Award semifinalist for national goaltender of the year, a Hobey Baker fan vote nominee for national player of the year, the Hockey Commissioners Association's National Goaltender of the Month for December, the 2024 Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off Most Outstanding Goaltender and five Big Ten Stars of the Week.
Twice during the season, McClellan posted consecutive shutouts, including in UW's season-opening sweep over Augustana, and then again at the 2024 Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off in games against Air Force and Northeastern.
McClellan, one of three finalists for Big Ten Player of the Year, also became the first UW goaltender named first-team all-Big Ten.
Multiple other Badgers were also named to 2024 All-Big Ten teams.
Sophomore forward Cruz Lucius and senior forward David Silye, as well as sophomore defenseman Ben Dexheimer, were named all-Big Ten honorable mention.
Lucius has led the Badgers in points for the past two seasons and currently has 34 points while sitting second with 13 goals and third with 21 assists. He was named to the 2024 Ice Breaker All-Tournament Team after scoring a pair of goals, including the overtime winner at Bemidji State on Oct. 13.
Silye leads the team with 23 assists and ranks second with 32 points. A alternate captain, the forward recorded eight multi-point games this season, which is good for second-most on the roster. Silye is also a leader in the faceoff circle, ranking fourth in the nation and first in the Big Ten with 490 wins. His 59.8 percent success rate in the faceoff circle ranks fifth in the nation among players with at least 200 wins.
Dexheimer, who scored his first NCAA goal on Nov. 18 at Michigan State, leads all Badger defensemen with 22 assists and 27 points. He's been an integral part of UW's third-ranked scoring defense that has allowed average of 2.00 goals against per game.
Finally, Owen Lindmark was named Wisconsin's recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Lindmark is a key part of the Badgers' penalty kill, which sits third in the nation after killing off 86.8 percent of penalties. The senior also leads the nation in career short-handed goals with seven. In the faceoff circle, Lindmark has been a stalwart, winning 56.9 percent of the time to rank second in Big Ten games. His 60.3 percent success rate in all games is best of those with at least 100 victories. The Naperville, Illinois, native is having a career year, setting new highs in goals and points with 11 and 21, respectively. He shares the team lead with three multi-goal games in 2023-24, and picked up his third-career Big Ten Star of the Week honor in November.
Lindmark was one of three finalists for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
Head coach Mike Hastings was one of three finalists for Coach of the Year, which was won by Michigan State's Adam Nightingale.
The Badgers will be back in action next week when the 2024 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament begins on Thursday and Friday, March 28-29. The tournament field will be announced during the selection show on Sunday, March 24 at 5:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
