(Fort Wayne, Ind.) The Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) announced their season awards on Saturday afternoon in conjunction with the WHAC Tournament. The men's hockey team showed they have earned the respect of coaches within the league earning a plethora of honors. Head Coach David Wohlberg was named WHAC Coach of the Year and Quinn Bieniek was named Newcomer of the Year.
In just his second season with the Cardinals, Wohlberg continued to take the team to new heights. The continued growth and team success has led to individual accolades for many Cardinals. The Cardinals set many team records this season including most wins in a season despite a COVID-ridden year. The Cardinals were 6-6 overall and 3-4 in the competitive league. The Cardinals swept Cleary and Bowling Green while going 2-1 against Rochester. The Cardinals earned the three seed in the WHAC Tournament.
Wohlberg has also left his mark on the recruiting trails. Quinn Bieniek was one of Wohlberg's first recruits including his brother Tyler. Quinn was named the WHAC Newcomer of the Year voted on by head coaches throughout the conference. Quinn 12 points on the team which was the third most for the Cardinals. Quinn totaled 4 goals and 8 assists. He tied for the team lead in efficiency with a +7 plus/minus. Quinn was named the WHAC Offensive Player of the Week on March 1st. During the three games that week he recorded three goals and five assists leading to three wins as well.
Elijah Gibbons and Tyler Groth were named to the WHAC first team all-conference. This is the first time in program history the Cardinals have had players receive first team honors. Elijah started five games in goal for the Cardinals totaling 193 saves. He had a saves percentage of .946 and only gave up 11 goals on the season. Gibbons earned WHAC Defensive Player of the Week on March 1st as well. This was the second time in his career earning player of the week honors.
Team captain Tyler Groth led the Cardinals on and office the ice. His versatility on the ice led to four goals and five assists. Two of his goals were significant as they were game winning goals for the Cardinals. He also led the team with 38 shots. Groth's leadership off the ice continues to be an integral part to the team's success.
Abel Christians earned second team all-conference. Christians serves as the other team captain with Groth. Christians led the team with 15 points recording a team high eight goals. He also assisted on seven goals throughout the season. Christians recorded one hat-trick on the season and had 24 shots.
The WHAC honors athletes through the All-Academic team for those student-athletes of junior academic status having atleast a 3.25 cumulative GPA. Qualifying for the Cardinals this season were; Abel Christians, Jacob Culp, Evan Daldin, Jacob Gerace, Tyler Groth, Thomas Hendry, and Tristan Waechter.
The WHAC prioritizes the NAIA's core values of respect, integrity, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership. In celebration of these core values the WHAC honors representatives from each sport that epitomize these core values and their respective institutions. Abel Christians was named Concordia's recipient of the Champions of Character.
