The Gophers may not be present at the Frozen Four as a team, but they did pick up a bunch of hardware Friday night at the College Hockey awards ceremony. Gopher senior goalie Jack LaFontaine was named the 2021 recipient of the Mike Richter Award given to the best goaltender in men’s college hockey. He was also named a First Team-All American in the West Region along with Gopher forward Sampo Ranta. Defenseman Jackson LaCombe was named a Second Team All-American. The Mariucci Arena staff is gonna need to book the mural painter here ASAP!
LaFontaine was one of three finalists for the Mike Richter Award along with Boston College’s Spencer Knight and Minnesota State’s Dryden McKay.