Union's Kinkaid, RPI's Polacek, Bailen earn All-America honors

PHOTOGRAPHER: Ken Schott

Union goalie Keith Kinkaid and RPI’s Chase Polacek and Nick Bailen were named All-America by the American Hockey Coaches Association on Friday.

Kinkaid and Polacek were named to the East’s first team, while Bailen was on the East second team.

Kinkaid, a sophomore, won the Ken Dryden Award as ECAC Hockey’s top goalie and a first team All-ECACH after going 17-3-2 in league play with a 1.90 goals-against average, a .926 save percentage and two shutouts. The Dutchmen won their first ECACH regular-season title in their 20 years at the Division I level.

Overall, Kinkaid was 25-10-3 with a 1.99 GAA, a . 920 save percentage and three shutouts. He is the second Union D-I player to be named All-America, joining goalie Trevor Koenig, who earned first-team honors it in 1997. Three players from Union’s Division III era earned All-America second team — goalies Wayne McDougall (1986) and Ron Kinghorn (1989), and defenseman Jack Rankin (1977).

Polacek, who signed with the AHL’s Peoria Rivermen last week, won his second straight ECAC Hockey Player of the Year Award, just the third player in the league’s 50-year history to accomplish the feat. He was RPI’s leading scorer with 21 goals and 27 assists. Polacek was named to the All-ECACH first team for the second consecutive season. He finished his career with 160 points on 65 goals and 95 assists.

Polacek is the fifth RPI player to repeat as a first-team All-America,

joining Paul Midghall (1958 and 1959), Bob Brinkworth (1963 and 1964), Jerry Knightley (1964 and 1965)and Adam Oates (1984 and 1985).

Bailen, a sophomore defenseman, came to RPI after spending last year with U.S. Hockey League’s Indiana Ice, where he played after leaving Bowling Green at the end of the 2008-09 season. He provided an offensive spark from the blue line, collecting eight goals and 28 assists. Bailen was a first team All-ECACH.