Wild, NAHL alum McKenzie named AHA Defenseman of the Year
Former Wenatchee Wild and NAHL defenseman and current Air Force Academy junior Adam McKenzie was named the Atlantic Hockey Association Defenseman of the Year as voted by the league’s coaches.
McKenzie was fifth in the league in points by a defenseman with 17 points in 22 games. The Petaluma, Calif., native was tied for fourth in the league in power-play points with 12 and was tied for sixth in power-play goals with five. McKenzie was named the AHA Player of the Week on March 4 as he scored five points (1-4-5) as the Falcons swept the 13th-ranked Purple Eagles in the final regular-season series. He had a career-high four points (1-3-4) in the win on March 2. A first-team all-AHA selection this season, McKenzie is third Falcon to win the AHA Defenseman of the Year award, joining Greg Flynn (2008-09) and Tim Kirby (2011-12), who are also both NAHL alums.
In all games, McKenzie finished the season with eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points. McKenzie was hot in the second half of the season as he had 11 points in the final nine games of the season. He scored a career-high two goals in the season-ending loss to Canisius, March 16.
McKenzie also played two seasons in the NAHL for the Wenatchee Wild from 2008-2010, where he recorded 59 points in 113 career regular season games.
Air Force finished the season with a 17-13-7 overall and was second in the AHA with a 15-7-5 record.
