Big Rapids Native Bradley Marek Named CCHA Rookie of the Year
Big Rapids, Mich. - The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) has named Ferris State University freshman forward Bradley Marek the CCHA's Rookie of the Year.
"He had an outstanding season for us," Head Coach Bob Daniels said. "He played not only a lot of minutes, but important minutes. For a freshman to come in and play on our top two lines all season says a lot about how well prepared Bradley was. Obviously there's more to his game than goals and assists, he's a very strong defensive player, his ability to win faceoffs earned him more time on ice, and he's a tremendous shot blocker."
With the honor, Marek becomes the third freshman in school history to earn league rookie of the year honors, joining Corey Mackin (2016) and Cooper Zech (2019).
Skating at the Division I level in his home town, Marek became the first Big Rapids native in program history to win an individual conference award.
On the year, Marek ranked tied for second among all CCHA freshmen in point-scoring on five goals (third most), eight assists (second most) to go with the third most face-off wins and percentage of all freshmen in the country. He was the only forward and only freshman in the CCHA's top 20 in blocked shots (31).
Marek also ranked tied for third among all CCHA skaters in power play goals with four and was one of only two freshman skaters in the top 20 in the entire league in that category.
All together, Marek had 10 goals and nine assists for 19 points, second most among Bulldog skaters, and had seven power play goals, which was good for second-most among all CCHA skaters through the regular season.
One of the league's top defensive forwards, Marek led all CCHA forwards in blocked shots with 44, tied for second among all Bulldog skaters for the mark. His two game-winning tallies was tied with multiple Bulldogs for most on the team.
He also became the second freshman in school history to lead the team in goal scoring (10) as he tied with senior forward Marshall Moise. The only other Bulldog freshman to hold that distinction is John DePourcq (1987-88).