By Jim Scott
Apr 4, 2021 12:11 AM
(UW ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS) â Wisconsin menâs hockey head coach Tony Granato was named a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award given to the top coach in Division I college hockey by the American College Hockey Association and CCM.
Badgers coach Tony Granato
After receiving Big Ten Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his five seasons, Granato is now one of 10 nominees for the national award recognizing coaches who found on-ice success in the 2020-21 hockey season.
Granato led a worst-to-first turnaround and the Badgers to a Big Ten regular-season championship and a 20-10-1 record, their best mark since the 2013-14 campaign. The Badgers overcame injuries, players out due to COVID protocols and key players out due to the world junior championship, but were able to reach as high as a No. 4 national ranking and a No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament.