Michigan State Goaltender Trey Augustine Wins Team MVP Award

Michigan State hockey recently revealed its postseason awards.

Michigan State hockey coach Adam Nightingale hoists the Big Ten tournament championship trophy after / Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal

Michigan State's hockey team recently announced its 2023-24 postseason awards. Multiple Spartans won more than one award.

Freshman goaltender Trey Augustine earned team MVP and Outstanding Rookie honors, while senior captain and Sarnia, Ontario native Nash Nienhuis earned three team awards. 

Augustine, a native of South Lyon, Michigan, received the Ron Mason Most Valuable Player Award, which his teammates voted on. Augustine also earned Second-team All-Big Ten and All-Freshman Team honors. Augustine was vital in the Spartans’ Big Ten regular-season and postseason success. The freshman earned Most Outstanding Player honors for the Big Ten Tournament with impressive outings.  Augustine stopped over 90% of shot attempts, stopping 70 of 75 shot attempts. 

Augustine ranked fourth in the Big Ten and 15th in the nation, registering a .918 save percentage. He ranked fifth in the Big Ten with a 2.96 GAA and had an overall 23-9-2 record.

Augustine’s 1,113 saves were more than anyone else in the nation; his 23 victories ranked fifth, and his .710 winning percentage was ninth-best. He ranked eight in shutouts, registering three on the season. The awards for Augustine didn’t stop there, as his successful season also earned him the Steve Swistak Memorial Scholarship. 

Nienhuis also won multiple awards. The senior was voted the Spartans’ Dr. John Downs Outstanding Defensive Player and the Bill Burgess Outstanding Senior. Nienhuis also received the Blue Line Club President's Award as the senior with the highest grade-point average.  

The Spartans had a relatively young blueline; Nienhuis was the only senior.  This season, he registered a career-best 24 points. Nienhuis tied his career-best assists total with 15 and finished +20 on the season. He scored nine more goals this season than the previous three seasons combined. Nienhuis was a Big Ten All-Tournament Team pick.

Nienhuis earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors as a junior after recording a 3.625 cumulative GPA as an advertising management major. Nienhuis has won Academic All-Big Ten honors three times in his career. 

Alternate captain Karsen Dowart of Sherwood, Oregon, was another Spartan who won multiple awards. Dowart’s teammates voted him the team’s Outstanding Offensive Player. He also won the Spartan Fitness Award for his weight room and off-ice training commitment. Performance Coach Will Morlock determines the award.

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