NCHA, WIAC Scholar-Athletes

Nine Falcon hockey players have been named Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Max Sparger or Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Scholar-Athletes.

The WIAC Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete Award is the most prestigious academic award given by the WIAC. In order to be nominated for the award a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.25 grade point average, be in the last year of comeptition, or on schedule to graduate this academic year and have competed for a minimum of two years. The award is named after Max Sparger, who served as the WIAC Commissioner for 22 years.

The NCHA Scholar-Athlete Award was first presented in 2004-05. In order to be nominated for the award a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.50 grade point average and be in the last year of competition.

The nine Falcons won have won the award have demonstrated not only great athletic ability, but outstanding talents in the class room.

Tom Griffith won the award twice - after the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons.

Russ Johnson won the award after the 1995-96 season.

Jesse Sampair was honored after the 1998-99 season.

Jared Anderson brought the award to UWRF after the 2000-2001 season.

Rob Novak won the award after the 2003-04 season.

Tony Sikich won the award after the 2004-05 season.

Mike Salmela won both the WIAC and NCHA awarsd after the 2005-06 season.

Derek Hansberry won both the WIAC and NCHA awards after the 2008-09 season.

Jason Yuel won the NCHA award after the 2011-12 season.

Jeff Bergh won the WIAC award after the 2016-17 season

Eddie Matsushima won the WIAC award after the 2018-19 season.

Tom Griffith was a member of the 1988 Falcon team which won the NCAA Div. III National Championship. The Falcons won the WIAC championship in each year he participated. The forward was also named to the College Sports Information Directors of America’s National All-Academic team in 1988. He was named to the All-NCHA Academic team in 1987 and 1988. He received All-WIAC honorable mention honrs in 1987. Griffith finished his career with 36 goals and 65 assists for 101 points.

Tom Griffith

Russ Johnson earned three varsity letters for the Falcons and was a member of the 1994 team which won the NCAA Div. III National Championship. The Falcons competed in the NCAA tournament in all three years that Johnson played. He was named to the All-NCHA Academic team in 1995 and 1996. Johnson was named to the second All-WIAC team in 1994. He was named to the AHCA All-American team after his final season. He finished with 47 goals and 83 assists for 130 points.

Russ Johnson

Jesse Sampair was a shifty forward who played for three seasons with the Falcons. He was named to the first All-WIAC teams in 1998 and 1999. He helped the Falcons reach the NCAA Div. III playoffs in 1998. He finished his career with 41 goals and 41 assists for 82 points.	Jesse Sampair
Jared Anderson played a key role for the Falcons for four seasons. He helped the 2001 and 1998 teams to the NCAA Div. III National Championships. He was named to the first All-WIAC team in 2001 and was given honorable mention in 1999 and 2000. He was named to the All-NCHA Academic teams in 2000 and 2001. He finished his career with 45 goals and 39 assists for 84 points.	Jared Anderson

Rob Novak played for the Falcons from 2000-2004 and was one of the team captains in 2004. He helped the Falcons reach three NCAA National Tournaments (2001, 2003, 2004) and the Falcons finished fourth in 2001. He was three times named to the NCHA All-Academic team. He earned honorable mention to the 2002 and 2003 All-NCHA teams and honorable mention to the 2002 All-WIAC unit. He played in 125 career games and scored 33 goals and 57 assists for 90 career points. He had four power-play and three game-winning goals.

Rob Novak

Tony Sikich was the first recipient of the NCHA award. He is the first Falcon defenseman to win the award. He played for the Falcons for three seasons (2003-05) and at times during his career also played forward. He was named to the NCHA All-Academic team in 2004 and 2005 and to the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll in 2000, 2002 and 2003. He has been named to the University's Dean's List seven times. He is a member of Sigma Beta Delta, an international business honors society. He finished the 2004-05 season with 10 goals and 23 points in 28 games. He scored six power-play goals and two game-winners. He scored 25 career goals and finished with 60 career points.

Tony Sikich

Mike Salmela played an important role for the 2005-06 Falcons at defense. He played three seasons with the Falcons (2001-03, 2005-06) and in his career he played in 79 games and had eight goals and 45 points. He had three power-play goals and two game-winners. He led all defensemen in scoring (4-17-21) in the 2002-03 season and the 2005-06 season (3-13-16). In 2006 he was named to the first All-NCHA and All-WIAC teams. He earned honorable mention to the 2003 All-WIAC and All-NCHA teams. He was named to the 2002 and 2003 WIAC Scholastic Honor Rolls and the 2006 NCHA All-Academic team. He earned UWRF Sophomore and Junior Merit awards. He has been named to the UWRF's Dean's List seven times.

Mike Salmela

Derek Hansberry led the 2008-09 Falcons in goals (16) and points (25). He also led the team with seven power-play goals and two short-handed goals. He had two game-winners. He was named to the 2006 and 2007 first All-WIAC teams and earned honorable mention in 2008. Hansberry finished his career fourth in goals (74) and 12th in points (131). He scored 37 power-play goals, five short-handed goals and 12 game winners in 110 games. Hansberry is majoring in business finance and boasts a 3.88 grade point average. He was named to the 2007 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America College Division At-Large Third Team. Hansberry is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll and two-time honoree on the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) All-Academic squad. In addition, he has been recognized on UW-River Falls’ Dean’s List numerous semesters. Hansberry is a two-time USCHO.com All-America West Second Team honoree, claiming recognition in 2007 and 2008. He was named to the American Hockey Coaches Association/RBK All-America West Second Team in 2007 and USCHO.com West All-Rookie Team in 2006. Hansberry is a four-time All-NCHA First Team pick and three-time All-WIAC First Team selection. He was named his team’s Most Valuable Player in 2006.

Derek Hansberry

Forward Jason Yuel was named the 2012 NCHA Co-Scholar-Athlete. Yuel has been named to the UWRF Dean's List eight times. He has captained the Falcons for three seasons and has won multiple awards for excellence in economics at UW-River Falls. Yuel has been a volunteer speaker at a local middle school and has participated in “Bike for Kids” programs. In 2012 Yuel was voted to the All-NCHA team after posting 27 points in 27 games and leading an offense on a team that was ranked as high as third in the nation this season. He was named to the NCHA All-Academic team three times and in 2012 he was named to the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District 6 team. He was named to the WIAC All-Sportsmanship team three times and earned the team's Norqual Award after the 2010 season. He was voted the team's top Student-Athlete in 2011 and 2012 and in 2012 was named UWRF's Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

yuel

Jeff Bergh was named the 2017 WIAC Scholar-Athlete. A senior from Hallock, Minn., Bergh is double-majoring in mathematics and economics with a minor in business administration and owns a 3.92 grade point average. He is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll and been recognized on UW-River Falls' Dean's List numerous semesters. He secured All-WIAC first team recognition a season ago after receiving honorable mention accolades in 2015. He was a member of UW-River Falls' regular-season conference champion teams in 2014 and 2016, and the Commissioner's Cup champion in 2015. Bergh has played in 95 games for the Falcons in his career and has scored 10 goals and has 23 assists.

A senior from Verona, Wis., Eddie Matsushima boasts a 3.97 grade point average and is majoring in business management. He earned a spot on the 2017-18 American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) Krampade NCAA Division II-III All-American Scholar Men's Team and is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll. Matsushima has been recognized on UW-River Falls' Dean's List numerous semesters and is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi, Chi Alpha Sigma and Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Societies. He was a two-year team captain, he was a two-time All-WIAC first team selection and received UW-River Falls' Don Norqual Award for student-athlete leadership. He tallied three hat tricks this season, including a career-high four goals against Augsburg University (Minn.) on Nov. 3, 2018.