COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – With January in the rear-view mirror, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) has named St. Cloud State sophomore forward Jonny Brodzinski the NCHC Player of the Month for January while Minnesota Duluth freshman forward Alex Iafallo was selected the NCHC Rookie of the Month for January.

NCHC January Player of the Month
Jonny Brodzinski
St. Cloud State
Sophomore Forward
Blaine, Minn.

Brodzinski tied for the NCHC lead in January with 10 points, notching six goals and four assists in seven games played. The Los Angeles Kings prospect recorded at least one point in each game during the month, including two multi-point and multi-goal games. His six goals, two of which came on the power play, were second in the conference during January while he put 35 shots on goal in the month, which was tops in the NCHC. Brodzinski finished the month with a +1 rating and blocked two shots, as well.

Brodzinski started January strong with a three-goal weekend in a split at Denver Jan. 10-11, including two goals in a 6-3 win in the series opener, one of which came on the man advantage. He then fired a season-high 10 shots on goal in the series finale, scoring once. The next weekend the six-foot-one forward handed out an assist in both games against Western Michigan Jan. 17-18. At the North Star College Cup, Brodzinski tallied SCSU’s lone goal in a loss to Minnesota Jan. 24, but sparked the Huskies the following night with his second three-point game of the season, scoring two goals (one on the power play) and adding an assist in a win over Minnesota State. He then capped January with an assist in a win over Nebraska Omaha to extend his point streak to eight games while helping SCSU finish with a 3-3-1 record in the month.

Brodzinski earned recognition throughout January as well, earning NCHC Offensive Player of the Week following his four-point outing at the North Star College Cup. He was also named the first star of the game in the Huskies’ win over Minnesota State at the tournament. On the season, he leads SCSU with 26 points and 14 goals and boasts a +12 rating while helping the Huskies move into first place in the NCHC standings.

Brodzinski is now a candidate for Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) National Player of the Month, which will be announced Thursday. Other nominees for January NCHC Player of the Month included Nebraska Omaha junior forward Josh Archibald, Miami sophomore forward Riley Barber, Minnesota Duluth junior forward Caleb Herbert, Colorado College senior forward Alexander Krushelnyski and Denver junior defenseman Joey LaLeggia.

NCHC January Rookie of the Month
Alex Iafallo
Minnesota Duluth
Freshman Forward
Eden, N.Y.

Iafallo led all NCHC rookies with seven points in January, two more than any other freshman. He tied for the conference lead among rookies with both three goals and four assists during the month while his 1.00 points per game average in January was tops among NCHC freshmen. His three goals also tied for fourth nationally among rookies this past month. Iafallo, who is the second Bulldog to claim NCHC Rookie of the Month this season, notched all seven of his points in just three games with multiple points in each, including his second career multi-goal game. He played in all seven games during the month though, leading UMD to a 4-1-2 record in January.

Iafallo opened the month by handing out a pair of assists, his first career multi-assist game, in a win at Nebraska Omaha Jan. 10 to earn first star of the game honors, while the Bulldogs completed the road sweep the next night. On Jan. 18, the rookie scored both of UMD’s goals in a 2-2 overtime tie with Denver and scored in the shootout to again garner first star of the game. In his next game Jan. 24, Iafallo led the Bulldogs to a 5-4 win over Minnesota State in the North Star College Cup semifinals with a three-point outing, matching his career high. In that game, the six-foot winger again dished out two assists while also scoring the game-winning goal in overtime on the power play to grab first star of the game for the third time in January. He was also named NCHC Rookie of the Week for his efforts after UMD tied Minnesota in the NSCC championship game.

Iafallo finished January with a +2 rating, while putting 20 shots on goal and blocking six shots. On the season, he is tied for the team lead with both 19 points and 10 goals, while adding nine assists. Iafallo is now a candidate for Hockey Commissioners’ Association National Rookie of the Month, which will be announced Thursday. The other nominees for January NCHC Rookie of the Month were Nebraska Omaha forward Jake Guentzel, Miami forward Anthony Louis and Denver forward Trevor Moore.

Previous NCHC Monthly Award Winners
Riley Barber, Miami – October NCHC Player of the Month
Kyle Osterberg, Minnesota Duluth – October NCHC Rookie of the Month
Shane Berschbach, Western Michigan – November NCHC Player of the Month
Jake Guentzel, Nebraska Omaha – November NCHC Rookie of the Month
Justin Kovacs, Western Michigan – December NCHC Player of the Month
Luke Johnson, North Dakota – December NCHC Rookie of the Month

--NCHCHockey--