Four former Yellowjacket men's hockey standouts have been named to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) All-Time Team as part of the conference's centennial celebration. The 2012-13 season will be the 100th for the conference and each sport that the WIAC has or had sponsored as a championship sport will have an all-time team named as part of the celebration.
Forwards Mas Fukushima (1972-75) and Glen Lang (1991-93), defenseman Gary Fritch (1973-76) and goaltender David Graichen (1993-97) were the four Yellowjackets named to the 17-person team. UW-River Falls landed a conference-best eight players on the team, while the Yellowjackets and UW-Stevens Point had four apiece. UW-Eau Claire had one player make the squad.
“I had the opportunity to coach two of the players on the team and I coached against many of the other ones. This is a good representation of some of the best players to ever compete in this conference,” UW-Superior athletics director and former head hockey coach Steve Nelson said. “I'm proud of our four guys. They definitely deserve this and are four of the best to ever come through our program.”
Fukushima, who hailed from Geraldton, Ontario, was arguably the first superstar to don the Yellowjacket uniform. A diminutive forward, Fukushima still resides in the top-ten of the UW-Superior all-time point and assist charts. His 152 points and 90 assists are both good for eighth on their respective lists. Fukushima was a three-time NAIA All-American, bringing home the honor in 1972, 1974 and 1975. He went on to play professionally after his career at UW-Superior. Fukushima was inducted into the UW-Superior Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.
Lang is the all-time leading scorer in UW-Superior history, having accumulated 188 points in just three seasons. The Columbia Heights, Minn. native is a two-time AHCA First-Team All-American, claiming the honor in 1992 and 1993. He was named First Team All-WIAC and First-Team All-NCHA three times, in 1991, 1992 and 1993. The 1991-92 season was especially great for Lang, as he scored 33 goals and 71 points, both school records, en route to NCHA Player of the Year honors, the first Yellowjacket to ever receive the award. Lang was also a team captain on the first Yellowjacket team to ever reach the NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Championships in 1992. Lang was inducted into the UW-Superior Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.
Duluth, Minn. native Fritch was a two-sport star at UW-Superior, excelling in baseball in addition to hockey. Fritch was a captain on the 1975-76 Yellowjacket team, which claimed the NAIA National Championship, the first national title in school history. Over four years, Fritch scored 88 points, which ranks him fourth all-time among defensemen at UW-Superior. Fritch was a three-time NAIA All-American, as he was honored 1974, 1975 and 1976. Fritch was inducted into the UW-Superior Hall of Fame in 2003.
After a red-shirt season in his first year at UW-Superior, Graichen only played two games as a freshman. He took off after that, however, and became one of the greatest goaltenders in school history. A three-time AHCA All-American (First-Team in 1995 and 1997, Second-Team in 1996), the Salem, N.H. native holds the school record for games played in a career (96) and a season (33) as well as having the school record for saves (2,482). A member of four teams that played in the NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Championship, Graichen held the record for saves in an NCAA game until the record was broken in the 2010 national championship game. Graichen was inducted into the UW-Superior Hall of Fame in 2007.
The entire WIAC release is available here.
For more information about the WIAC and its centennial celebration, visit the conference online at www.wiacsports.com.
ABOUT THE TEAM SELECTIONS
The student-athlete representation on each team has relied heavily on input provided by the sports information director from each of the nine WIAC campuses, while the process for selecting the head coach(es) for each team also includes input from a panel of media representatives. The number of individuals selected per team varies depending upon the nature of the sport itself as well as the number of years the sport has/had been sponsored within the conference.
All-Time Team members will receive certificates from the conference and it is hoped that most, if not all, of the recipients will be in attendance or represented at the WIAC Centennial Banquet to be held at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison on August 4, 2012.
More information on the activities and events associated with the WIAC Centennial can be accessed via the WIAC website at www.wiacsports.com.
