On the same day he competed in the first-ever NCAA Frozen Four Skills Challenge, Ouellette was elected to the Division I All-America second team.
The honor is Ouellete's first, and Dartmouth's third in three years, after current St. Louis Blues skater Lee Stempniak '05 was selected twice.
Ouellette was quick to credit the performance of his teammates for making the recognition possible.
"I am very proud to be able to represent the school," he said. "I think the selection was a reflection of the team's success this year and I owe a lot of credit to my teammates for having achieved so much as a group."
Head coach Bob Gaudet '81 was extremely excited about Ouellette's selection, emphatically declaring that he has had "quite a year" and expressing sorrow over the senior's departure.
"Mike capped off a fantastic career by leading our team to the first ever ECACHL regular season championship," Gaudet said. "I could not be more proud of him."
Ouellette finished the season as Dartmouth's scoring leader with 37 points, tallying 13 goals and 24 assists, helping to lead his team to a 19-12-2 regular season record and a tie with Colgate for that historic ECACHL title.
Ouellette was one of just three ECACHL players to be recognized. The RBK All-America hockey clubs are sponsored by RBK Hockey, and are chosen by members of the American Hockey Coaches Association.
While Ouellette's selection was being released to the public, he was busy showcasing his talent at the Skills Challenge at the Frozen Four in Milwaukee, Wis. Ouellette competed in the fastest skater competition before he notched a crucial penalty shot for his Eastern region squad.
With the competition tied up at nine after the five scheduled events, Ouellette sent the tying goal flying into the back of the net for the East, sending the Challenge into a sudden-death shootout in which Colgate's Allison Paiano drove home the winner for an East victory.
"It was a great experience this weekend -- not only to be part of the first ever NCAA skills competition in hockey but also to meet other senior players who I've never been able to meet on a personal level," Ouellette said.
"We were treated incredibly well all weekend long, and I relished the opportunity to be part of such a fun event," he continued. "Nothing got too serious and everybody just enjoyed themselves. It was also nice to see the Frozen Four games and just watch some great college hockey."
Despite the laid back nature of the event, Gaudet was quick to note just how well Ouellette represented both himself and Dartmouth in the skills challenge.
"The move Mike made in the breakaway competition on Friday night was a great one," Gaudet said. "[He] was in a pressure situation to tie things up for the East squad. He skated very well in the speed competition and looked like he was having a lot of fun."
Ouellette's All-America selection and performance in the skills competition are just the latest in a month chock full of accolades for the Big Green captain. Ouellette also grabbed first team All-ECACHL and All-Ivy honors this season and was named Ivy League Player of the Year as well as the ECACHL's Best Defensive Forward -- an impressive title for the man who led Dartmouth in scoring as well.
Ouellette also made the New England Hockey Writers Division I All-Star team earlier last week. He was selected by the New England Hockey Writers Association as one of only 12 players on the squad.
The awards have punctuated what was an incredible career for Ouellette. He finished his stint at Dartmouth as the Big Green's all-time leader in games played with 136, and fifth in all-time scoring with 138 points. Ouellette is one of just 13 Big Green players to have eclipsed 50 goals and 50 assists as he leaves Hanover with 58 and 80, respectively.
Ouellette was also one of only three college players to score hockey's version of a cycle -- a short-handed, even-strength and power-play goal against Yale this season. The performance helped him notch the ECACHL's Player of the Week award.
