Penn State men’s hockey has earned six Big Ten awards, including Freshman of the Year, two All-Big Second Team, and four All-Big Honorable Mentions.

Freshman forward Gavin McKenna, who leads the Big Ten with his 51 points in 15 goals and 36 assists, was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, along with being named to the All-Big Freshman Team and All-Big Second Team, both with freshman defenseman Jackson Smith.

McKenna is the first-ever Penn Stater to be named Freshman of the Year. He is also the first-ever Nittany Lion to earn the Big Ten Scoring Champion honors with 38 points on 11 goals and 27 assists in 24 conference games.

Smith led all Big Ten defensemen with 11 goals and 15 assists and is ranked tied for fourth in the nation for goals by a defenseman. The rookie duo is now the second and third Nittany Lion freshmen to earn conference recognition on the first- or second-team.

Junior forwards Aiden Fink and Matt DiMarsico, along with senior defenseman Jarod Crespo and freshman goalie Josh Fleming, were each named an All-Big Honorable Mention.

This is Fink’s third-straight conference honor after being selected to the All-Big First Team last season and also earning honorable mention recognition. DiMarsico, Crespo, and Fleming are each recognized for the first time in their careers.

Earlier this season, Fink became the fastest Nittany Lion to 100 career points, doing so in just his 87th career game. DiMarsico then became the 10th Nittany Lion to reach 100 career points last Wednesday after becoming the 11th Nittany Lion to hit the 40-point mark in a season.

Fleming has impressed this season for the Nittany Lions while splitting time with Kevin Reidler. The rookie has a 10-6-2 record with two shutouts, a .922 save percentage, and a 2.64 goals-against average.

The Nittany Lions are now looking ahead to the NCAA Tournament, with the selection show on Sunday, March 22, at 3 p.m. After their quarterfinal victory against Minnesota, the Nittany Lions likely clinched a bid and are four wins away from claiming the National Championship.