Goalie Finn Kelly headlines Gaylord hockey players on All-Big North teams
GAYLORD ― It certainly was an up-and-down winter for the Gaylord hockey team.
The Blue Devils had their moments this season but were overwhelmed at times in a tough Big North Conference, finishing with a 7-18 overall record and at the bottom of the BNC standings.
Still, while the team had struggled as a whole, some individuals stood out among their peers and earned their spot among the top players in the conference when the All-BNC first and second team lists were released this past week.
Leading the Gaylord honorees was goalkeeper Finn Kelly, one of the top goalies in the conference based on save percentage. With a young core of defenders, Kelly saw plenty more shots than the average goalkeeper but racked up some impressive numbers because of it, finishing with 760 saves against 831 shots faced, giving him an impeccable .915 save percentage.
Kelly was one of the top reasons Gaylord stayed in games they probably shouldn't have, most notably in a 3-2 victory over Traverse City West on Valentine's Day where Kelly turned away 56 of 58 total shots on goal.
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While he was the only Blue Devil to earn first or second-team honors, five more Gaylord players earned honorable mentions; Bryton Thaxton, Collin Garbulinski, Grady Smith, Conner Graham and Bowen Hanley.
Thaxton was the team leader in goals (28), assists (16) and points (44), wrapping up his junior year as one of the conference's top-scoring threats. Garbulinski finished with 27 total points (13 goals, 14 assists), Grady Smith had 19 points (4 goals, 15 assists), Conner Graham had 7 points (2 goals, 5 assists) and Bowen Hanley had 3 points (3 assists).
Full All-BNC list
First team
Garret Hamp, Forward, Alpena
Brand Meyers, Forward, TC West
Noah Bodurka, Forward, Petoskey
Kallen Ray, Defenseman, TC West
Devin Garner, Defenseman, TC Central
Kiel Knapp, Goalie, TC Central
Second team
Graham Peters, Forward, TC Central
Laiken Batcha, Forward, TC Central
Gabe Outman, Forward, Cadillac
Luke Miller, Defenseman, Alpena
Anderson Ward, Defenseman, Petoskey
Finn Kelly, Goalie, Gaylord
Honorable Mentions
Cole Herzberg Forward TCC
Drew Zrimec Defenseman TCC
Gavin Winterstein Forward Alpena
Brody Misiak Forward Alpena
Ethank Walker Defenseman Alpena
Jon Rensberry Goalie Alpena
Jonah Starr Forward TC West
Lincoln Seyferth Forward TC West
Brady Lewis Defenseman TC West
Alonso Oviatt Goalie TC West
Madden Pateman Forward Petoskey
Thomas Guiney Forward Petoskey
Forrest Neff Defenseman Petoskey
Nicklas Timm Goalie Petoskey
Mitch House Forward Cadillac
Cadyn Russell Forward Cadillac
Devin Garner Defenseman Cadillac
Zach Beckhardt Defenseman Cadillac
Nick Brandsma Goalie Cadillac
Bryton Thaxton Forward Gaylord
Collin Garbulinski Forward Gaylord
Grady Smith Forward Gaylord
Conner Graham Defenseman Gaylord
Bowen Hanley Defenseman Gaylord
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Goalie Finn Kelly headlines Gaylord hockey players on All-BNC teams
