The Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) has announced the semifinalists for the 2025 Mike Richter Award and Augustana's Josh Kotai and Minnesota State's Alex Tracy have been selected to the group of 10 goaltenders advancing to the next stage, as voted on by a panel from across the hockey community. The award is given annually to the top goalie in men’s NCAA Division I hockey since 2014.
Kotai (Abbotsford, B.C.) is 15-7-3 in 25 appearances so far this season for the Vikings, posting a 1.76 goals-against average and a .943 save percentage. He has totaled 722 saves in 1503:59 minutes, with three shutouts. A two-time National Goaltender of the Month, he has recorded 25 or more saves in 18 games this season and 30 or more in eight contests. His 45 stops at then-No. 8 Colorado College on January 4 matched a career-high.
Ranking second nationally in save percentage, Kotai is fifth in shutouts, sixth in wins, seventh in goals-against average and 13th in minutes played.
Tracy (Chicago, Ill.) has played every minute between the pipes for the Mavericks, going 20-8-2 with a 1.53 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage with three shutouts in 30 games. The National Goaltender of the Month for November, he has made 734 saves across 1807:04 minutes. In 14 of his starts, he has made 25 or more saves and five games of 30 or more.
Nationally, Tracy ranks first in wins and goals-against average, second in minutes played, third in save percentage and fifith in shutouts.
2025 Mike Richter Award Semifinalists
Trey Augustine, Michigan State (Big Ten)*
Albin Boija, Maine (Hockey East)
Matt Davis, Denver (NCHC)
Jacob Fowler, Boston College (Hockey East)*
Thomas Gale, Holy Cross (Atlantic Hockey)
Josh Kotai, Augustana (CCHA)
Simon Latkoczy, Omaha (NCHC)
Cameron Rowe, Western Michigan (NCHC)
Alex Tracy, Minnesota State (CCHA)
Lawton Zacher, Brown (ECAC Hockey)
*2024 Semifinalist
Five of the goalies come from the United States, three from Canada and one each from Slovakia and Sweden. Two of the U.S. goalies come from Illinois. One is a graduate student, two are seniors, two are juniors, and five are sophomores. Two were semifinalists last year: Trey Augustine of Michigan State and Jacob Fowler of Boston College. BC (#1) and MSU (#2) sit atop the national polls.
Three finalists will be announced in early March and the winner of this year’s Mike Richter Award will be announced in April during the NCAA Frozen Four in St. Louis.
The six NCAA Division I conferences are all represented among the semifinalists with the NCHC boasting three goalies, the CCHA and Hockey East each with two, and the Big Ten, Atlantic Hockey, and ECAC Hockey each with one.
Past Richter Award Recipients: 2014 - Connor Hellebuyck, UMass Lowell; 2015 - Zane McIntyre, North Dakota; 2016 - Thatcher Demko, Boston College; 2017 - Tanner Jaillet, Denver; 2018 - Cale Morris, Notre Dame; 2019 - Cayden Primeau, Northeastern; 2020 - Jeremy Swayman, Maine; 2021 - Jack LaFontaine, Minnesota; 2022 - Devon Levi, Northeastern; 2023 - Devon Levi, Northeastern; 2024 - Kyle McClellan, Wisconsin.