COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – A pair of Bulldogs from Minnesota Duluth garnered two of the three National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) monthly honors for January, while Denver claimed the third accolade. UMD sophomore forward Nick Swaney has been selected the NCHC Player of the Month for January, while his junior teammate, Hunter Shepard, is the January Goaltender of the Month in the NCHC. Denver freshman forward Tyler Ward earned NCHC Rookie of the Month for the first month of 2019.

This is the first NCHC monthly honor for both Swaney and Ward, while Shepard is now a three-time NCHC monthly award winner, including a two-time Goaltender of the Month this season (also in November). He was also the NCHC Player of the Month for February of 2018, before an NCHC Goaltender of the Month was awarded.

Player of the Month

Nick Swaney, Minnesota Duluth
Sophomore Forward
Lakeville, Minn.

Swaney led Minnesota Duluth to a 5-1-0 record in January, including 4-0-0 when he registered a point. The Minnesota Wild draft pick tied for the NCHC lead with six goals during the first month of the calendar year, while adding two assists for eight points, which tied for second in the conference in January. He averaged a goal per game and 1.33 points per game during the month, while firing an NCHC-best 35 shots on goal for an average of 5.83 shots on goal per game. Swaney posted a +5 plus/minus in January, while only being on the ice for one goal against all month. He was the lone NCHC player to record a hat trick in January, as well, tallying a goal in four of his six games.

Swaney opened 2019 with the game’s first goal in a 3-1 victory over top-ranked St. Cloud State on Jan. 11 to earn Third Star of the Game. The next weekend, he was dominant in a sweep at Miami, tallying a goal and an assist in both games, both of which were shutouts, to earn NCHC Offensive Player of the Week. He scored the game-winning goal short-handed in the series opener at Miami Jan. 18 to earn First Star of the Game, while nabbing Second Star in the finale after setting up the game-winner. The Lakeville, Minn. native then closed out his month with his first career hat trick in a 7-2 win over Omaha, again garnering First Star of the Game, while repeating as NCHC Offensive Player of the Week.  

Swaney also blocked five shots on the defensive end in January. He is tied for the team lead with 11 goals this season and ranks fourth on the team with 19 points on the year.

Swaney is now eligible for Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) National Player of the Month, which will be announced next Tuesday. Other nominees for NCHC Player of the Month included Denver junior forward Liam Finlay, Western Michigan sophomore forward Ethen Frank and St. Cloud State senior defenseman Jimmy Schuldt.

Rookie of the Month

Tyler Ward, Denver
Freshman Forward
Kamloops, B.C.

Ward helped lead Denver to a 4-2-1 record in January, totaling five points in seven games. He tallied three goals during the month, which tied for the NCHC rookie lead, while his 0.43 goals per game were tops among NCHC freshmen. The draft-eligible forward also chipped in two assists, as his five points also tied for the NCHC rookie scoring lead in January. Ward fired 13 shots on goal and posted a +3 plus/minus, while blocking three shots during the first month of 2019.

Ward opened 2019 strong, with three points in a sweep at Wisconsin Jan. 4-5. In the opener, he scored the game-winning goal and also set up the go-ahead goal in a 6-3 win. The next night, he scored DU’s first goal in a comeback overtime victory, earning him NCHC Rookie of the Week honors. After being held scoreless against Omaha, Ward notched a goal and an assist on Denver’s first two tallies in a 4-4 overtime tie with rival Colorado College on Jan. 19.

On the season, Ward has five goals and seven assists for 12 points. He is now a candidate for HCA National Rookie of the Month, which will be announced next Tuesday.

GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH

Hunter Shepard, Minnesota Duluth
Junior Goaltender
Cohasset, Minn.

Shepard continued his strong season in net, backstopping the Bulldogs to a 5-1-0 record this month for an .833 win percentage, which was tops in the NCHC in January. He also led the conference with a 1.34 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage during the first month of 2019. His 1.34 GAA ranked third nationally in January, while his .944 save percentage ranked fifth in the country. Shepard recorded two shutouts, tying for the NCAA lead, while all other NCHC goaltenders combined for only two shutouts in January. He allowed more than two goals only once in his six games, which came in his only loss of the month to top-ranked St. Cloud State, while allowing only three power play goals in 23 opportunities in January.

Shepard opened 2019 with a 30-save performance in a 3-1 win over No. 1 St. Cloud State, earning him First Star of the Game, before making 18 stops in his only loss, a 4-2 defeat, in the series finale. The following weekend he recorded back-to-back shutouts in a sweep at Miami, compiling 23 saves on Jan. 18 and 17 saves the next night to complete the double whitewash. Shepard was Third Star in the series opener and First Star of the Game on Jan. 19, while he garnered NCHC Goaltender of the Week and NCAA Third Star of the Week for his two blankings. He then closed out January giving up only three goals in a sweep of Omaha, stopping 15 shots in the opener Jan. 25, while making a season-high 33 saves in a 3-1 win in the series finale to earn First Star of the Game.

Shepard totaled 136 saves during the month with eight goals allowed (five even strength). On the season, he leads the NCHC with a 1.72 GAA, four shutouts and 16 wins (16-6-2), while his .925 save percentage ranks third in the conference.

Shepard is now a candidate for HCA National Goaltender of the Month, which will be announced next Tuesday. Other nominees for NCHC Goaltender of the Month included Western Michigan senior Trevor Gorsuch and Denver freshman Filip Larsson.

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