COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – With the 2016-17 season now complete, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) has announced its final monthly awards for the season, which is a combined honor for March and April, and Minnesota Duluth captured both awards. UMD senior forward Alex Iafallo was selected the NCHC Player of the Month for March/April, while freshman linemate Joey Anderson garnered NCHC Rookie of the Month for the final month and half of the season.

Iafallo is the first Bulldog to win NCHC Player of the Month this season, while it is also his first career NCHC monthly honor. Anderson is a repeat winner, also claiming the award for November. Of the six NCHC Rookies of the Month awarded this season, UMD earned four with freshman goalie Hunter Miska picking up the accolade for January and February.

NCHC PLAYER OF THE MONTH

Alex Iafallo
Minnesota Duluth
Senior Forward
Eden, N.Y.

Iafallo finished his collegiate career in incredible fashion, scoring at least one point in each of his final 15 games, including all 10 games in March and April to lead the Bulldogs to an 8-2-0 record and the national championship game. He compiled 17 points during those 10 games, which led the NCAA during that span, as did his 10 assists, while his seven goals tied with Denver’s Troy Terry for the NCAA lead in March and April. Iafallo tallied multiple points in seven straight games to close March while having both four-game and three-game goal streaks during the final two months, as well. He averaged an assist per game to close his career and 1.70 points per game in March and April. Iafallo’s three game-winning goals also led the entire NCAA over the last month and a half.

Iafallo opened March with three points in a split at Western Michigan to close the regular season, including a short-handed goal. The undrafted free agent then began the NCHC Playoffs with a goal and an assist both nights in a quarterfinal sweep of Miami March 10-11. He assisted on the overtime game-winner in the series opener while scoring the game-winner the next night to cap a third-period comeback and complete the sweep with a 5-3 win. Leading his team to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff, Iafallo notched four more points at Target Center in Minneapolis en route to being named Most Outstanding Player of the Frozen Faceoff and to the All-Tournament Team. He again scored the game-winning goal in a semifinal win over Western Michigan March 17, while adding an assist, and dished out two helpers in the Frozen Faceoff championship game as the Bulldogs won the NCHC Tournament for the first time with a 4-3 victory over North Dakota.

Iafallo continued his tear in the NCAA Tournament March 24, handing out two assists in a 3-2 overtime win over Ohio State in the West Regional semifinals in Fargo, N.D. with the senior setting up the game-winner in the extra session. The next night, he capped his seven-game multi-point streak with a goal and an assist in the West Region final against Boston University, again dishing out an assist on the game-winner in overtime for another 3-2 victory as he was selected to the NCAA West Region All-Tournament Team. At the NCAA Frozen Four in Chicago, Iafallo saw his multi-point streak snapped but he still managed to score the game-winning goal against Harvard in the national semifinals April 6 with only 26.6 seconds remaining in regulation to break a 1-1 tie. In his final game as a Bulldog, the Eden, N.Y. native scored UMD’s first goal on the power play in a 3-2 loss to Denver in the national championship game to close his career on a three-game goal streak and 15-game point streak. He was voted to the NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament Team, as well, for his third all-tournament team in March and April.

Iafallo fired an NCHC-leading 39 shots on goal during the final month and a half of the season, while also blocking 10 shots and winning three of the four faceoffs he took. He was also plus-5 in 10 games in March and April. For the season, Iafallo finished with an NCHC-best 51 points on 21 goals and 30 assists, the latter of which also led the conference. He ends his career with 121 points on 48 goals and 73 assists in 152 career games.

Iafallo is now a candidate for Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) National Player of the Month for March/April, which will be announced Friday. Other nominees for NCHC Player of the Month included Denver sophomore forward Troy Terry.

NCHC ROOKIE OF THE MONTH

Joey Anderson
Minnesota Duluth
Freshman Forward
Roseville, Minn.

Anderson closed out his freshman season strong, tallying 13 points in 10 games in March and April to lead all NCAA rookies in scoring during that span, while also ranking third among all NCHC players in scoring. His eight assists also led all NCAA freshmen while his five goals tied for the NCHC rookie lead and ranked second among NCAA freshmen. The New Jersey Devils draft pick averaged 1.30 points per game to close the season, scoring two power play goals and one game-winner. He notched a point in seven of his 10 games in March and April, including closing on a five-game point streak, tallying multiple points in six of those games to help Minnesota Duluth finish the season on an 8-2-0 run.

After being held pointless to open March, Anderson scored two goals in the regular-season finale at Western Michigan March 4 in a 6-3 win for his second collegiate multi-goal game. He then handed out two assists in UMD’s quarterfinal-series-clinching win over Miami March 11, including setting up the game-winning goal to complete a third-period rally in a 5-3 victory. For the third straight Saturday, Anderson compiled two points, this time coming in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship game, tallying an assist and scoring the game-winning goal in the final minute of regulation to break a 3-3 tie in a 4-3 win over North Dakota to give the Bulldogs’ their first NCHC Tournament crown.

Anderson continued his multi-point streak in the NCAA Tournament, handing out two assists, including on the game-winning goal in overtime in a 3-2 win over Ohio State March 24 in Fargo, N.D. He then added a goal and an assist the following night in a 3-2 overtime win over Boston University in the regional final. With his four-point weekend, he was named to the NCAA West Region All-Tournament Team. Anderson then capped his five-game multi-point streak by having a hand in both goals in UMD’s 2-1 national semifinal win over Harvard April 6 at the Frozen Four in Chicago, scoring the first goal and setting up Alex Iafallo’s game-winner with 26.6 seconds left in regulation. In the national championship game April 8, he collected the primary assist on the Bulldogs’ first goal in an eventual 3-2 loss to Denver.

Along with his scoring, Anderson fired 34 shots on goal in March and April, which led all NCAA freshmen, and was a plus-6 on the ice in 10 games. He also won six of nine draws he took over the last month and a half. Anderson finished his rookie campaign with 37 points on 12 goals and 25 assists in 39 games played.

Anderson is now a candidate for Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) National Rookie of the Month for March/April, which will be announced Friday. Other nominees for NCHC Rookie of the Month included Denver forward Henrik Borgström.

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