MIAC Men's Hockey Post-Season Awards

WINONA, Minn. — What a difference a year makes.
 
Jay Heinle (York, Pa.) fit into the role as a set-up man for the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey team a year ago, and he enjoyed a productive freshman campaign, finishing with eight assists in 25 contests.
 
Heinle equaled that assist total in his sophomore season, once again finishing with eight helpers.
 
Unlike a year ago, however, Heinle also got a taste for scoring goals—and once he scored that first collegiate goal against Hamline at the MIAC Hockey Showcase on Nov. 1, there was no stopping him.
 
Heinle finished the year as one of the top goal-scorers in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and his efforts did not go unnoticed as the Cardinal forward was named First-Team All-MIAC, the league office announced Tuesday.
 
And Heinle was not alone on the MIAC podium, as Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.) and Bob Kinne (St. Paul, Minn.) both earned All-First Team honors for the second straight year.
 
Fueled by a quick start—including his first collegiate hat trick during a stretch of four games in which he scored six goals—Heinle finished the year with a team-leading 16 goals, while adding eight assists for 24 points. In the Cardinals' 16 conference games, Heinle scored a team-best 10 goals and added seven assists for 17 points.
 
Gruse, coming off a career season a year ago—in which he earned First-Team All-MIAC and Second-Team All-American honors—was once again an MIAC goalie's worst nightmare this season, as the junior racked up 14 goals and added 17 assists for a team-best 31 points. In conference play, Gruse—who finished the year with three multiple-goal games and his third career four-point night—was again the team's top point-getter with 19 points (9 G, 10 A).
 
Kinne, meanwhile, fit right between Gruse and Heinle in the Cardinals' points race, collecting nine goals—including his first hat trick as a Cardinals—and a team-best 18 assists for 27 points. The junior put together a 16-point (5 G, 11 A) showing in Saint Mary's 16 conference games.
 
Hamline's Charlie Adams was named MIAC Player of the Year, while Augsburg's Chris Brown—who helped guide the Auggies to the conference's regular-season title—was tabbed MIAC Coach of the Year.
 
As part of the conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC also announced the ninth annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for men's hockey, which included Saint Mary's Jared Johnson (Hartland, Wis.)