Rising hockey sensation Macklin Celebrini already has a lot to celebrate. And that list could grow longer if the end of the college hockey season goes his way.
After his No. 2-ranked Boston University hockey team secured the NCAA Sioux Falls Regional in South Dakota on Saturday, Celebrini and the rest of the Terriers are heading to the Frozen Four, otherwise known as the NCAA Division I hockey championship.
Boston will face off against the No. 3 University of Denver Pioneers in the national semi-finals April 11 in Saint Paul, Minn., marking this the first time in 27 years that the Terriers have made back-to-back appearances at the tournament.
But the good news for Celebrini doesn’t stop there. On Thursday, the 17-year-old North Vancouver forward was named one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, which honours the top player in Division I men’s college hockey. The winner will be announced on April 12.
Earlier this week, Celebrini was named a New England Division I All-Star, as well as the George Carens Rookie of the Year, by the New England Hockey Writers Association.
After helping to lead Boston to its second-straight Frozen Four appearance, Celebrini has also been named Hockey East Rookie of the Month with 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in just seven games, giving him a 2.29 points per game average in March, an NCAA best.
Celebrini will enter the Frozen Four tournament ranked second in the NCAA with 32 goals, 64 points and 1.73 points per game this season.
