The 2015-16 American Family Insurance ALL-USA Boys Hockey Teams were selected by USA TODAY High School Sports based on performance, level of competition and strength of schedule.
FIRST TEAM: Meet the ALL-USA First Team
SECOND TEAM: Meet the ALL-USA Second Team
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Casey Mittelstadt, Eden Prairie (Minn.)
PRESEASON: 2015-16 ALL-USA Preseason Teams
COACH PROFILE:
Red River Coach Bill Chase (Photo: John Dvorak)
Coach: Bill Chase
School: Red River (Grand Forks, N.D.)
The Roughriders accomplished something this winter that hadn’t happened in North Dakota high school hockey for 49 years: They went undefeated en route to a state championship. The state crown was Red River’s 17th overall and third in Chase’s seven years.
Red River went 27-0-0 and outscored its opponents 173-61, but there were a couple of serious nail-biters along the way. The Roughriders eked out a one-goal victory over Central (Grand Forks, N.D.) in the regional championship game. In the state final, they prevailed 4-3 against Bismarck (N.D.), withstanding a furious comeback attempt as the Demons roared back from a 4-1 deficit in the second period to draw within one.
“I don’t think they felt the pressure,” Chase told the Grand Forks Herald after the state final. “I didn’t hear them say a word about (the undefeated season). They just wanted to win.”
Senior defenseman Brock Montgomery was named the state’s Senior Player of the Year. Montgomery led the Roughriders with 36 assists and was one of six Red River players to top 40 points on the season. Sophomore Braden Costello led the team in goals (27) and points (52).
Bill Chase and the Red River Hockey team (Photo: Jessie Trelstad, Grand Forks Herald)