COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – With the new year upon us, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) has honored a pair of Colorado College Tigers and one Denver Pioneer as the NCHC December Players of the Month. CC senior forward Trevor Gooch was named NCHC Player of the Month for the last month of 2018, while his freshman forward teammate Ben Copeland nabbed Rookie of the Month and DU freshman netminder Filip Larsson gloved Goaltender of the Month for December. This is the first career NCHC monthly award for all three players.
Player of the Month
Trevor Gooch, Colorado College
Senior Forward
Mantua, N.J.
Gooch closed out 2018 in strong fashion, leading the NCHC with both five goals and seven points in December to help the Tigers to a 3-3-0 record in six games during the month. His five markers, including one game-winner, also tied for fifth nationally in December, one off the NCAA lead. Gooch recorded two multi-point games and fired 25 shots on goal in the final month of 2018, which also led all NCHC skaters, while he posted a +3 plus/minus.
Gooch started December on fire, racking up six of his seven points in the first three games after going pointless in the six games prior to December. He opened the month with a career-high three points in a 6-3 win at Omaha on Dec. 1, tallying two goals, including the game-winner, and an assist to earn First Star of the Game. The following weekend, the New Jersey native compiled three more points against Vermont with a goal and an assist in a 5-2 win on Dec. 7, while extending his goal-scoring streak to three games with CC’s only tally in a 2-1 loss in the series finale. Gooch then wrapped up the year by scoring another goal in a 5-1 win at Merrimack on New Year’s Eve.
Along with his scoring, Gooch also blocked six shots and won nine faceoffs in December. He now has seven goals and 12 points on the season after only two goals and four points prior to December. Gooch is now eligible for Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) National Player of the Month, which will be announced on Friday. Other nominees for NCHC Player of the Month included St. Cloud State sophomore forward Blake Lizotte and Western Michigan sophomore forward Josh Passolt.
Rookie of the Month
Ben Copeland, Colorado College
Freshman Forward
Edina, Minn.
Copeland more than doubled his season points total in December, racking up five points in six games to lead all NCHC rookies in scoring during the month. He notched two goals, one of only two NCHC rookies to do so in December (along with teammate Grant Cruikshank), while adding three assists. Copeland’s 0.83 points per game also led all NCHC rookies with more than one game in December, while his five points tied for third among all NCHC skaters in the final month of 2018 and tied for fourth nationally among rookies.
After notching only four points in the first two months of the season, Copeland rattled off all five of his December points in CC’s first four games of the month. He opened the month with his second career multi-point game, tallying a goal and an assist in a 6-3 win at Omaha on Dec. 1 to earn Third Star of the Game. The following weekend, Copeland dished out an assist in each game of a split with Vermont. The draft-eligible forward then finished his scoring and extended his point streak to a career-long five games with the Tigers’ second goal in a 4-2 loss at Arizona State on Dec. 14.
Copeland, who now has nine points on the season (4g, 5a), finished December with nine shots on goal and a +2 plus/minus. He is now a candidate for HCA National Rookie of the Month, which will be announced on Friday. Other nominees for NCHC Rookie of the Month included Denver freshman forward Cole Guttman.
GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH
Filip Larsson, Denver
Freshman Goaltender
Stockholm, Sweden
Making only the second and third starts of his collegiate career after being injured early in the season, Larsson was rock solid in net for the Pioneers in December. He posted a 2-0-0 record while allowing only two goals all month, including only one even strength, in his two starts (one goal each game). His 0.96 goals-against average and .963 save percentage were both tops among NCHC netminders and both ranked second nationally in the final month of 2018. The Detroit Red Wings prospect totaled 52 saves on 54 shots faced in December.
Larsson’s first game of the month came at North Dakota on Dec. 8, when he racked up 32 saves in a 2-1 overtime win to earn First Star of the Game. It was also his first career win in net for Denver. His second and only other game of December came on Dec. 29 at UMass Lowell, as he compiled 20 saves in a 4-1 victory with UML’s lone goal coming on the power play.
With his two wins on the road, Larsson improved to 2-0-1 on the season with a 1.90 GAA and a .940 save percentage. He is now a candidate for HCA National Goaltender of the Month, which will be announced on Friday. Other nominees for NCHC Goaltender of the Month included SCSU sophomore Dávid Hrenák and WMU senior Trevor Gorsuch.
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