MINNEAPOLIS -- For the second straight season, the Gophers men's hockey team has the top defenseman in the Big Ten.
Minnesota junior Mike Reilly was named Monday the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, as well as a First-Team All-Big Ten selection. Reilly, who led all Division I defensemen with 42 points this season, won the same two honors last year as a sophomore.
Reilly wasn't the only Gophers player awarded by the conference Monday. Forwards Kyle Rau and Travis Boyd and goalie Adam Wilcox all earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors. Defenseman Brady Skjei was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten.
Rau, Minnesota's captain, finished the regular season with 39 points (19 goals, 20 assists) and scored twice in Saturday's game against Penn State. He also was the Gophers' recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Boyd, another senior, emerged for a career-high 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists). He missed time earlier in the season with an injury but still topped last year's point total of 32 en route to his Second-Team All-Big Ten award.
Wilcox was named the Big Ten's Goaltender of the Year and All-Big Ten First team last year but found himself on the Second Team list this year as a junior. The South St. Paul native posted a 2.46 goals against average and a save percentage of .909 en route to a 20-11-3 record.
The Gophers return to action Friday in the Big Ten tournament in Detroit and will play the winner of Penn State and Ohio State.
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