WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey team enjoyed a banner season in 2016-17, placing third in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season standings, and earning a spot in the MIAC Playoff semifinals.
 
And they proved to be equally as successful in the classroom, as the Cardinals boasted six players—Mike Mezzano (Woodbury, Minn.), Taylor Portner (Andover, Minn.), Jay Heinle (York, Pa.), Jared Johnson (Hartland, Wis.), Michael Cimba (Wilmette, Ill.), and Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.)—who earned American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) All-American Scholar honors, it was announced Wednesday.
 
The inaugural AHCA All American Scholar Program, sponsored by Krampade, is a distinguished recognition presented to more than 1,000 student-athletes by the AHCA.  To qualify for the award, an NCAA Division I or III men's or women's hockey student-athlete must have attained at least a 3.6 grade-point-average this past year and participated in 40 percent of their respective school's games.