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24 Annual Mr. Hockey Award Banquet

   The 24^th annual Mr. Hockey Awards Banquet was be held March 9, by the Minnesota Wild and Acceleration Minnesota are co-sponsors of the Mr. Hockey Awards Banquet. The Mr. Hockey Award is hosted by The Minnesota Minutemen.

This Year MR. Hockey Award went to Aaron Ness  (Roseau) Front Row Center.


Back Row: Jake Gardiner, Minnetonka, Tyler Barnes, Burnsville, Justin Jokinen, Cloquet, Cory Fienage, Eastview, Jake Youso, International Falls, Drew Olson, Brainerd

Front Row: J.T.Brown, Rosemount, Zack Lehrke, Park Rapids, Aaron Ness, Roseau, 2008 Mr. Hockey, Joe Phillippi, Hill-Murray, 2008 Frank Brimsek Award Winner, Joe Gleason, Edina.

Ness first Roseau player to win Mr. Hockey Award

By Ray Richardson

Among the words that have been used to describe Roseau's Aaron Ness as a hockey player and a person, "loyal" is the one that stands out for Roseau coach Scott Oliver.

After Ness was selected the 2008 Minnesota Mr. Hockey on Sunday at St. Paul RiverCentre, Oliver immediately thought about how fortunate he has been to coach the talented defenseman.

Ness had several opportunities to leave Roseau's program to play in the United States Hockey League or participate in USA Hockey's youth development program in Ann Arbor, Mich.

"No one has been as loyal to our program the past few years as Aaron," Oliver said. "He turned down a lot of things to wear the green and white."

Ness, who turns 18 in May, is the first Roseau player to be chosen Mr. Hockey. He helped lead Roseau (29-2) to the semifinals of the Class AA state tournament. The award temporarily eased the disappointment of Roseau's 6-2 loss to Hill-Murray on Friday night in the semifinals, a loss that ended the Rams' 42-game winning streak and hopes of a repeat state championship.

"It still hurts, and it probably will for a while," Ness said of the loss.

But Ness was smiling as he talked about his three years in the Roseau program. Ness, a junior, will graduate in June after doubling up on required courses since the fall semester to enter college a year early. Ness, headed to the University of Minnesota in the fall, reflected on decisions to stay at Roseau for his entire high school career.

"I don't have any regrets about staying," said Ness, who led the Rams with 26 goals and 41 assists. "I'm so glad I did. The people in Roseau have been so supportive of the program. We won a state title last year. That's a memory I'll always keep with me."
Ness was chosen over nine other Mr. Hockey finalists, including Burnsville's Tyler Barnes, Rosemount's J.T. Brown, Eastview's Cory Fienhage, Minnetonka's Jake Gardiner, Edina's Joe Gleason, Park Rapids' Zack Lehrke, Brainerd's Drew Olson, Cloquet/Esko/Carlton's Justin Jokinen and International Falls' Jake Youso.

"Ness is a good pick," Hill-Murray coach Bill Lechner said. "For a defenseman, he has great vision and great instincts when he has the puck. He knows how to find guys when they're open."

In Friday's semifinal game, Lechner made sure his players paid extra attention to Ness. Lechner used the Pioneers' depth to shadow Ness as much as possible with different players. The scheme worked. Ness was limited to one assist.

Ness, however, was a force during the regular season and sparked Roseau's 28-0 run heading into the tournament.

"One of the best things about Aaron is how unselfish he is on the ice," Oliver said. "He really knows how to move the puck. He was a real joy to coach the past three years."

Ness could have stayed for his senior year at Roseau, but he believed he was at the point in his career where he needed to "progress more." Ness has assured Gophers coach Don Lucia that he intends to enroll in the fall and is not considering the USHL or Ann Arbor.

Briefly: Joe Phillippi of Hill-Murray received the goalie of the year award. Receiving coach of the year awards were Ken Essay of Mankato West in Class A and Curt Giles of Edina in Class AA.

Aaron Ness (Roseau), Brian Bonin (MN Wild) Loren Feldkamp (Minute Men/Mr. Hockey Director)

By MICHAEL RAND, Star Tribune
Last update: March 9, 2008 - 11:27 PM

Roseau's Aaron Ness joked that his speech Sunday wouldn't be as good as that of Joe Phillippi because the Hill-Murray goalie found out well in advance that he was the winner of the Frank Brimsek Award as the state's top senior netminder.

While that is technically true, and Ness earns points for modesty, those in the hockey know figured that Ness being named the 2008 Mr. Hockey winner -- a distinction announced Sunday at a banquet at RiverCentre in St. Paul -- was merely a formality.

That's how dominant Ness, a defenseman, was this season. He entered the state tournament with 26 goals and a reputation for being a smooth skater and an unselfish teammate. While it hardly ended the way Ness wanted -- defending champion Roseau came in undefeated as the No. 1 seed in the Class 2A state tournament before losing in both the semifinals and third-place game -- there are bigger and better things awaiting him.

Ness accelerated his academics this year, essentially cramming both his junior and senior years into one grueling year. He has eight classes at school and is also earning 3.5 credits online. The point of the fast pace is being able to join the Gophers in the fall instead of waiting another year.

"I'm ready to move on and take from this season all the fun I had," Ness said. "I can't wait to get to Minnesota to get with the team and start playing."

Roseau coach Scott Oliver spoke in glowing terms of not only Ness' ability but also what he has meant to his hockey-loving community. While some have questioned why Ness would speed up his graduation to leave a year earlier than he had to, Oliver said it's a matter of a player being ready for a new challenge.

"He played three years of varsity hockey and made three trips to state. He turned down the USHL, he turned down Ann Arbor," Oliver said. "Nobody has been more loyal to Roseau than Aaron. He's ready for the next level."

Phillippi received his hardware for winning the Brimsek Award on Sunday, and all 10 finalists for the Mr. Hockey award were honored at the banquet. Phillippi and Ness, per tradition, received Wild jerseys with their names and numbers on the back.

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