TROY, MI – A dominant force in American Collegiate Hockey Association Men's Division II this season, the University of Mary was ranked first in all five ACHA M2 polls and earned the top seed for the national tournament that gets underway this week in Bismarck. And that on-ice domination by the Marauders was reflective in the ACHA national awards as UMary captured the top two honors and placed three scholar-athletes on the All-American team.
 
The architect of a program that has taken ACHA M2 by storm in just three seasons, Dan Huntley was selected as the 2020-21 ACHA Men's Division 2 Coach of the Year. Under his lead, the Marauders rolled to a record of 33-4-6-1. Despite an incredibly aggressive schedule facing the nation's top teams, the Marauders suffered only two losses to ACHA M2 opponents in 37 games.
 
This is the second straight season Huntley earned Coach of the Year honors. He joins an exclusive group of two-time recipients, including Bob Brinkworth (Florida Gulf Coast University), Chris Consentino (New York University), Alex Piotrowski (Michigan State), Joe Augustine (University of Rhode Island) and Chris Van Timmeren (Hope College). Huntley, Augustine and Van Timmeran are the only ones to win the award in back-to-back seasons.
 
"I am humbled to have received this recognition for a second time," said Huntley. "I thank our players for choosing UMary and having faith in our program. Their hard work and dedication to our team's success is recognized through this award. I also want to thank our athletic trainers, Ray Hall and Amanda Doyle, who keep our players on the ice and ready to compete. I can't forget our strength staff. Michael Silbernagel and Jamal Jones work with our players all year to ensure their bodies are strong but also healthy. I also thank my assistant coaches, Aaron Nelson, Nate Speidel and Logan Kraft, for their dedication to the improvement of our players every day. They contribute to our program more than they know. Lastly, I thank our Athletic Director, Dale Lennon, and our university administration for supporting our efforts to play a full schedule this season during a pandemic. We were successful in keeping our players healthy and look forward to the opportunity to compete this week for our first national championship right here in our home rink."  
Zach Garrett was selected as the 2020-2021 ACHA Men's Division 2 Player of the Year. The first Marauders player to earn Player of the Year recognition, Garett lead all of Men's Division 2 with 56 points on 18 goals and 38 assists. He was seventh nationally in goals and first in assists. The 3-year team captain from Creighton, SK Canada, averaged 1.36 points per game this season. Garrett had three game-winning goals and finished the season at +29.
 
"I am so happy for Zach that he was recognized by the ACHA for this award," said Huntley. "He is not only our Captain but he's as quality a person as you would want in your program. He is a team-first player and is always on the scoresheet when we need him and he plays as tough as anyone at this level. Zach is a dedicated leader on and off the ice so this recognition is truly reflective of his contribution to our team's success. His play is infectious and our guys really respond to his leadership. I know it means a lot to him but I also know he understands that the recognition comes with the support of his teammates. We are all very proud of him."
 
Garrett also headlines a 2020-21 ACHA M2 All-American team featuring three Marauders. Joining Garrett on the first team is defenseman Johnny Witzke. Goaltender Kyle Hayden backstops the second team.
 
Witzke makes an impact on the ice in all phases of the game. In addition to helping hold the opposition to less than two goals a game, the Bismarck, ND, is dangerous in the offensive zone. In his second season with the Marauders, Witzke produced 48 points in 41 games to rank third on the Marauders. He had 14 goals and 34 assists and finished the regular season at +39. In addition to three game-winning goals, Witzke scored eight goals and distributed 11 assists with the Marauders on the power play while scoring twice in shorthanded situations.
 
Hayden is the third straight UMary goaltender to earn All-American honors, following in the footsteps of Aaron Nelson (2019 1^st team) and Lance Knudson (2020 2^nd team). The native of Albertville, MN, posted a record of 16-2-1-5 (W-L-OTL-T) on the season with a 1.98 goals again average and a save percentage of .929. He is the Marauders goaltender career leader in minutes played (2,935), saves (1,175) and shots faced (1,271). His four shutouts this season are one away from the school single-season record.
 
In addition to Nelson and Knudson, Alex Flicek (2020 2^nd team) is the Marauders other previous All-American.
 
In addition to their status as the top seed at the ACHA M2 National Tournament, the Marauders are also the host for the event that runs April 15-20. UMary opens pool play against Davenport on Thursday, April 15, before playing Providence on Friday, April 16, and North Carolina State University on Saturday, April 17. All three Marauders games will start at 7 pm on UMary's home rink Starion Sports Complex Schwan Cadillac Rink.
 
The semifinals are April 19 with the championship game on April 20.
 
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