TAMPA, Fla. – Three University of Denver hockey players earned 2022-23 All-American honors as defenseman
Mike Benning and forward
Carter Mazur and
Massimo Rizzo were named to the West Second-Team by the American Hockey Coaches Association on Friday.
The last time that DU had three players honored as All-Americans in a single season was in 2018 (Henrik Borgstrom, Troy Terry, Tanner Jaillet), and this is just the eighth instance in school history that it had at least three players recognized (1960; 1961, 4; 1986, 4; 2005; 2010; 2017; 2018). Denver was one of four programs in the country with three All-Americans, joining Minnesota, Quinnipiac and Harvard.
The trio of Pioneers bring the program's total All-Americans to 51 in its history. This marks consecutive seasons where DU had at least one All-American as
Bobby Brink was named to the West's First Team in 2022.
Benning led all DU defensemen this past season in scoring and ranked fourth nationally in goals (13) and tied for fifth in points (34) by a blueliner. The junior tied for third overall on the team in both points and assists (21). He also ranked second overall on the squad with seven power-play goals and a plus-24 rating (tied) and was third with 101 shots.
The St. Albert, Alberta, native recorded 10 multi-point games during the 2022-23 campaign, the second-most on the squad. The NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year and a member of the All-NCHC First Team, Benning registered two-goal performances on three occasions this past season.
Benning recorded a career-long, nine-game point streak from Nov. 26, 2022 to Jan. 7, 2023 (5g/10a), which included tying a personal best with a five-game assist streak from Dec. 2-16, 2022 (7a). It was the longest point streak by a Denver defenseman since 2005. He also recorded a career-best, three-game goal streak from Feb. 17-24 (4g/2a).
Mazur led the Pioneers and ranked tied for fifth in the nation in goals in 2022-23, recording a career-high 22 markers while playing in all 40 games. His six game-winning goals tied for third in the country, and he also added 15 assists to finish the campaign with 37 points. A member of the All-NCHC Second Team, Mazur led DU with eight power-play tallies, recorded 32 penalty minutes, had a plus-19 rating and was a finalist for the NCHC Defensive Forward of the Year award.
The Jackson, Michigan, native went on a career-long, 10-game point streak from Feb. 10 to March 11 (5g/9a), which also included a personal-best, six-game assist streak from Feb. 24-March 11 (6a)—tied for the longest of the season by a DU player.
An alternate captain on the squad as a sophomore, Mazur finished his collegiate career with 36 goals, 39 assists and 75 points and appeared in all 81 games. Mazur, who signed with the NHL's Detroit Red Wings on March 28, was named the NCHC Rookie of the Year in 2021-22.
Rizzo was first on Denver in scoring this past season with 46 points and also led the team with 29 assists. Suiting up in 38 games, he posted career highs in all three scoring categories and was second on the squad behind Mazur with 17 goals. The sophomore finished 11th overall in the nation in points and was tied for 12th in assists.
The Burnaby, British Columbia, native recorded a career-long, 11-game point streak from Nov. 26-Jan. 14 (6g/8a), which was the fourth-longest by a DU player since the 2005-06 season and tied for the fifth-longest in the NCAA during the year. He also went on a five-game, multi-point streak from Oct. 21-Nov. 4, tied for the second-longest multi-point streak by a Pioneer since 2005 and longest such stretch by a Denver skater since Troy Terry's five-game multi-point run from Oct. 21-Nov. 4, 2018.
A member of the All-NCHC First Team and a finalist for the NCHC Forward of the Year, Rizzo led the National Collegiate Hockey Conference in scoring overall (46 points) and in league play (31 points) during the regular season. He paced the Pioneers with 12 multi-point outings and recorded at least a point in 29 of the 38 games he played.
All three players were a member of Denver's record-tying ninth national championship team in 2021-22, with Benning also earning Most Outstanding Player honors during that year's NCAA Frozen Four.
The 2022-23 All-American Teams were announced at Sparkman Wharf in Tampa as part of the annual awards show at the NCAA Frozen Four on Friday night. The Pioneers' three honorees were part of the NCHC's four overall All-Americans, as Western Michigan's Jason Polin also garnered second-team west accolades.
Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 18 of DU's NCAA Division I sports
Like Denver Pioneers and Denver Hockey on Facebook
Follow @DU_Pioneers and @DU_Hockey on Twitter
Follow @DenverPioneers and @DU_Hockey on Instagram
