COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – With the calendar turned to March, postseason play is right around the corner and several National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) players are stepping up their game, but two stood out to claim February NCHC monthly honors. Western Michigan senior forward Sheldon Dries earned NCHC Player of the Month for February, while Minnesota Duluth freshman goaltender Hunter Miska was named NCHC Rookie of the Month for the second straight month. The honor is Dries’ first career NCHC monthly award, while Miska was also the January NCHC Rookie of the Month.
NCHC Player of the Month
Sheldon Dries
Western Michigan
Senior Forward
Macomb, Mich.
Dries led the NCHC with 11 points in February, while pacing Western Michigan to a 5-1-2 record, a third-place finish in the NCHC (a program-best) and the Broncos’ first home ice NCHC quarterfinal series in program history. The three-time captain tallied points in seven of WMU’s eight games with two multi-point games, while scoring four goals in three games. Dries also posted a plus-7 rating during the month while firing an NCHC-best 31 shots on goal.
Dries opened February with an assist in a win over Arizona State Feb. 3, before exploding for six points in a road split at Omaha, which earned him NCHC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career. On Feb. 10, he tallied a career-high four points, scoring both short-handed and on the power play in the first period, before handing out the primary assist on both the game-tying and game-winning goals in a 7-6 third-period comeback win over the Mavericks to earn Third Star of the Game. The next night, Dries added two more assists as WMU erased a 3-0 hole before falling 6-3.
Dries returned to Lawson Ice Arena Friday, Feb. 17 and scored the game-winning goal with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation to break a 2-2 tie in WMU’s first ever home win over North Dakota. That earned him First Star of the Game honors, while he dished out a primary assist the following night to help the Broncos complete their first sweep of UND. The Macomb, Mich. native then wrapped up February with two points at Colorado College, tallying the Broncos’ first goal Feb. 24 in a tie, while picking up an assist on WMU’s first goal in a 5-1 win the following night to extend his point streak to six games.
In addition to his scoring, Dries led the NCHC with 21 blocked shots in February, which were the most among all NCAA forwards during the month. He also led the conference with 106 faceoff wins in his eight games, winning 56.1 percent of his 189 draws in February. On the season, Dries has 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points, which is second on the team, in 32 games.
Dries is now a candidate for Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) National Player of the Month for February, which will be announced Thursday. Other nominees for NCHC Player of the Month included Denver junior goaltender Tanner Jaillet and Minnesota Duluth senior forward Dominic Toninato.
NCHC Rookie of the Month
Hunter Miska
Minnesota Duluth
Freshman Goaltender
Stacy, Minn.
Leading Minnesota Duluth to an undefeated month, Miska posted a 3-0-3 record in net, playing all 375 minutes of his team’s action in February. He posted a 1.76 goals-against average in the month, which ranked second in the NCHC and sixth nationally, but first among all NCAA rookie netminders. Miska also logged an NCHC-best .933 save percentage in February with one shutout.
Miska opened his month with a 22-save outing in a 2-2 overtime tie against Omaha Feb. 3 in Duluth, which earned him Third Star of the Game after also stopping UNO’s only shootout attempt. The following night he pitched his fifth shutout of the season, tying the UMD single-season record, by making 27 saves in a 5-0 win to earn First Star of the Game. His showing on the weekend also earned him NCHC Goaltender of the Week honors for the second straight week.
After the Bulldogs had an off weekend, Miska resumed his post in net, giving up only three goals at Colorado College Feb. 17-18. In the series opener he made 20 saves in a 2-1 victory, while putting up 34 saves in a 2-2 overtime tie in the finale, including 15 saves in the third period. Miska was named the game’s Second Star Saturday while also garnering NCHC Rookie of the Week honors. The Stacy, Minn. native closed his February by combining for 48 saves against Miami with 28 saves in a 4-3 win on Thursday, Feb. 23, before adding 20 more stops in a 3-3 overtime tie Feb. 24.
Miska finished February with 152 saves on 163 shots faced, while only seven of the 11 goals he allowed during the month came even strength. On the season, Miska is 19-4-5 with a .926 save percentage and a 2.00 goals-against average, both of which are second in the NCHC. His five shutouts this year tie for the NCAA lead.
Miska is now a candidate for Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) National Rookie of the Month for February, which will be announced Thursday. The other nominee for NCHC Rookie of the Month was Denver forward Henrik Borgström.
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