March 8, 2006
Farmington Hills, Mich. – Notre Dame freshman right wing Erik Condra (Livonia, Mich.) has been selected to the 2006 Central Collegiate Hockey Association’s (CCHA) all-rookie team. He is also one of three finalists for the CCHA rookie of the year award along with Michigan State goaltender Jeff Lerg and Miami goaltender Jeff Zatkoff.
Condra is the first Notre Dame player selected to the CCHA all-rookie team since Brett Lebda `04 was chosen in his freshman season of 2000-01. Only Morgan Cey `05 and current Irish defenseman Wes O’Neill (Jr., Essex, Ont.) have received honorable mention since the 2000-01 campaign. He is the first Irish player since current goaltender David Brown (Jr., Stoney Creek, Ont.) to be a finalist for rookie of the year honors as Brown was in 2003-04. The last Notre Dame player to take rookie of the year honors was defenseman Mark Eaton in 1997-98.
The 5-11, 184-pound right wing stepped into the Notre Dame lineup and finished the season as the team’s top scorer with six goals and 28 assists for 34 points. That led all CCHA freshmen in scoring and was the seventh-best point total in the nation among rookie scorers. His 34 points ranked him 11th among all CCHA scorers and his 28 assists tied him for fourth among players in the conference. In 28 CCHA league games, Condra led all freshmen with 25 points and 21 assists.
Condra’s 34 points were the most by a Notre Dame freshman since Jamie Ling `96 scored 40 points in his freshman year of 1992-93. Condra also becomes the first freshman to lead the Irish in scoring since Ling’s 40-point rookie season.
The 2006 CCHA All-Rookie Team
Name Position Team HometownAndrew Cogliano Forward Michigan Woodbridge, Ont.Erik Condra Forward Notre Dame Livonia, Mich.Dan Reidel Forward Ferris State Rochester Hills, Mich.Tyler Eckford Defenseman Alaska Fairbanks Langley, B.C.Jack Johnson Defenseman Michigan Ann Arbor, Mich.Jeff Lerg Goaltender Michigan State Livonia, Mich.
Honorable Mention: Forwards – Troy Schwab, Lake Superior; Justin Abdelkader, Michigan State; Tim Crowder, Michigan State; Tim Kennedy, Michigan State. Defensemen – Raymond Eichenlaub, Miami; Mark Mitera, Michigan; Juha Uotila, Nebraska-Omaha. Goaltender – Chad Johnson, Alaska Fairbanks; Jeff Zatkoff, Miami.
The CCHA all-rookie team along with all the major award winners will be honored at the CCHA’s annual awards show that will be held on Thursday, March 16 at the historic Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit.