Six members of the Falcon men's hockey team have been named to 2006 All-WIAC teams.

Goalie AJ Bucchino (So., Bow, N.H.), defenseman Mike Salmela (Sr., Duluth, Minn.) and forwards TJ Dahl (So., Burnsville, Minn.) and Derek Hansberry (Fr., Arvada, Col.) were all named to the first team. Forward Pat Borgestad (So., St. Paul, Minn.) and defenseman Jim Henkemeyer (So., St. Cloud, Minn.) both earned honorable mention.

Bucchino, 5-10, 185 pounds, played 18 games and finished the year with a 10-5-3 record. He had a 2.08 goals against average and a .938 saves percentage. He was consistenly ranked in the top 10 of the NCAA Div. III in goals against and saves percentage categories. He recorded two shutouts, a 3-0 win over St. Thomas on Jan. 14 and a 1-0 win over Superior on Feb. 4. He was named the team's Player of the Week four times and was named the NCHA Player of the Week on Jan. 16 and the WIAC Player of the Week on Feb. 6.

Salmela, 6-3, 200 pounds, played in all 27 games and led all defensemen in points. He had three goals and 16 points. His 13 assists tied him for third on the team. He scored one power-play goal and one game-winner. He scored at least one point in four straight games twice during the season. He had two two point games. The Falcons were 2-0-1 when he scored a goal. In his career he played in 79 games and scored eight goals and 45 points. He earned honorable mention to the 2003 All-NCHA team. He was named to the 2006 NCHA All-Academic team and the league's Scholar-Athlete.

Dahl, 6-0, 192 pounds, finished second in scoring for the Falcons with nine goals and 30 points. He played in all 27 games and led the team in assists (21). He scored six power-play goals and had two game-winners. He scored three goals in a 7-3 win over Eau Claire on Nov. 19. He scored at least one point in seven straight games during the season and scored a point in five of the team's final seven games. He had nine multiple point games and picked up four assists in a 4-2 win over Hamline. Dahl was second on the team in power-play points (6-11-17). He was twice named the team's Player of the Week and was named the WIAC and NCHA Player of the Week on Nov. 21. The team was 6-0-0 when he scored a goal. In 55 career games he has scored 21 goals and 60 points. He has 10 power-play goals and two game-winners. Dahl earned All-WIAC honorable mention honors in 2005.

Hansberry, 6-0, 190 pounds, had a great first year for the Falcons. He led the team in goals (18) and points (33). He also led hte team with 11 power-play goals and was ranked in the two top of the NCAA Div. III in that category for most of the season. He scored one short-handed goal and one game-winner. He led the team in power-play points (11-11-22). He was twice named the team's Player of the Week. He played in all 27 games and had nine mulitple point games. He scored at least one point in seven straight games. Hansberry scored a least a point in six of the team's last seven contests. The Falcons were 10-3-3 when he scored a goal.

Borgestad, 6-3, 200 pounds, played in all 27 games and finished with 13 goals and 26 points. He was third on the team in scoring and his 13 assists tied him for third on the team. He was second on the team in goals. He had five power-play goals and led the team with three game-winners. Borgestad had eight multiple point games. He scored a goal and had two assists in a 5-5 tie against St. Olaf. The Falcons were 7-2-1 when he scored a goal. He finished third on the team in power-play points (5-8-13). He was named the team's Player of the Week three times.

Henkemeyer, 5-11, 180 pounds, played in all 27 games and scored a career high six goals and 12 points. He scored three power-play goals. He was second on the team in scoring by a defenseman. He had three multipe point games and scored at least a point in three straight games. The Falcons were 6-0-0 when he scored a goal. He finished the year with four power-play points (3-1-4). In 40 career games he has scored six goals and 16 points.

Freeman was named the WIAC Coach of the Year for the fourth straight season in 2006. He led the Falcons to a 17-7-3 overall record and the team won the WIAC championship with a 6-1-1 record. The title is the University's 12th overall and the third in a row. Freeman has a 199-85-19 career record in 10 years with the Falcons.

Go to the All-WIAC web site to see the entire 2006 team.