By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — Kyle Meeh (Fenton, Mo.) turned more than a few heads when he took the ice for the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey team as a freshman last season—not only earning honorable-mention All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors, but also being named to the MIAC All-Rookie Team.
 
And Meeh's performance this season proved that that stellar freshman campaign was no fluke.
 
Far from it.
 
Meeh was once again one of the top defensemen in the conference in 2017-18, and while he took his game to the next level, the MIAC coaches took his post-season accolades to the next level—voting the Cardinal sophomore to the All-MIAC First-Team, it was announced Monday.
 
And Meeh wasn't the only Cardinal in the conference's post-season spotlight, being joined by teammate Kelvin Walz (Woodbury, Minn.) on the All-MIAC First-Team.
 
Concordia's Zach Doerring was named the MIAC's Player of the Year, while Gustavus' Brett Peterson—who guided the Gusties to a fourth-place regular-season finish and a berth in the MIAC Playoff championship game—was tabbed the MIAC Coach of the Year.
 
Meeh played in all 16 games for the Cardinals, who finished 6-7-3 in the MIAC—and missed out on a post-season playoff berth with a 4-3 overtime loss to St. Olaf in the final game of the regular season—sharing the team lead with six conference goals, while adding seven assists for 13 points. The six goals and 13 points also tops among MIAC defensemen.
 
Overall, Meeh appeared in all 25 games for the Cardinals, scoring eight goals and adding 10 assists for 18 points—all ranking second on the team—while his eight goals and 18 points were career-bests.
 
Walz made the most of his senior season with the Cardinals, finishing second to Meeh in goals (5), while leading the team in assists (10) and points (15) in 16 conference games.
 
Walz played in all 25 games this season—one of just five players to play in every game—scoring six goals, while leading the Cardinals with career-highs in assists (13) and points (19).
 
The MIAC also announced on Monday the 11th annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship teams for men's hockey, which included Saint Mary's Michael Cimba (Wilmette, Ill.)