COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – St. Cloud State and Colorado College captured the NCHC’s February monthly awards, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference announced Thursday, with a pair of Huskies earning two of the three honors. SCSU senior forward Patrick Newell garnered NCHC Player of the Month for February, while his sophomore teammate, Dávid Hrenák, garnered Goaltender of the Month and CC freshman forward Ben Copeland corralled NCHC Rookie of the Month.
This is the second career NCHC monthly honor for both Hrenák and Copeland, and the first for Newell. Copeland was also the NCHC Rookie of the Month this past December, while Hrenák was the NCHC Rookie of the Month last February.
PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Patrick Newell, St. Cloud State
Senior Forward
Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Newell led the top-ranked Huskies to an unbeaten February and the Penrose Cup as NCHC regular-season champions, totaling 10 points in six games to help SCSU go 5-0-1 during the month. His 10 points and 1.67 points per game both led the NCHC, while he tied for fourth in the conference with four February goals and tied for second with six assists. Newell notched points in four games, including three multi-point outings, while firing 23 shots on goal and leading the entire NCAA with a +11 plus/minus during the past month.
Newell opened February with three points in a sweep of Miami. On Feb. 1, he notched the final goal in a 5-1 victory, while a night later he dished out two assists, including on the game-winner, to cap the sweep by the same score. He was named Third Star of the Game on Feb. 2. The following weekend, Newell notched a career-high four points in a 5-4 overtime win against Colorado College on Feb. 9. He scored the game-tying goal late and the game-winner in overtime, while also dishing out two assists against CC to earn First Star of the Game and NCHC Offensive Player of the Week.
After being held off the scoreboard in a 4-1 win Feb. 22 at Omaha, Newell bounced back with a three-point effort the next night to complete the sweep of the Mavericks and secure SCSU’s second straight Penrose Cup. He scored the final goal in the 5-0 shutout Feb. 23 and also doled out a pair of helpers to close out his month.
On the season, Newell leads St. Cloud State with both 16 goals and 35 points, while chipping in 19 assists to go with his team-best +25 plus/minus. His 35 points lead the NCHC, as well.
Newell is now eligible for Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) National Player of the Month, which will be announced next Wednesday. Other nominees for NCHC Player of the Month included Colorado College senior forward Trey Bradley.
GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH
Dávid Hrenák, St. Cloud State
Sophomore Goaltender
Povazska Bystrica, Slovakia
Hrenák continued his strong sophomore season, backstopping the Huskies to the Penrose Cup while posting a 4-0-1 record in net in six starts. The L.A. Kings draft pick compiled a .930 save percentage during the month, which ranked third in the NCHC, while his 1.61 goals-against average was second in the conference and ninth nationally in February. Hrenák racked up 120 saves in his six appearances during the month, posting one shutout, while his .900 win percentage led the NCHC and ranked second nationally in February.
Hrenák opened his month with back-to-back wins, allowing only one goal in each game of a sweep of Miami Feb. 1-2, compiling 36 saves in the series. The next weekend, he turned aside 23 shots in a 2-2 overtime tie against Colorado College on Feb. 8. He then closed out February by surrendering only one goal in a sweep at Omaha to clinch SCSU’s second straight Penrose Cup. In a 4-1 win on Feb. 22, Hrenák made 22 saves, while the next night he stopped all 30 shots that came his way to record his seventh career shutout in a 5-0 win, earning First Star of the Game. He also claimed NCHC Goaltender of the Week for his efforts on the final weekend of February.
Hrenák is now 18-3-2 on the season, with his .826 win percentage tops in the nation, while he carries a .909 save percentage and a 2.06 GAA on the campaign. His shutout to close February gave him four on the season, which is second in the NCHC.
Hrenák is now eligible for Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) National Goaltender of the Month, which will be announced next Wednesday. Other nominees for NCHC Goaltender of the Month included Denver sophomore Devin Cooley.
Rookie of the Month
Ben Copeland, Colorado College
Freshman Forward
Edina, Minn.
Copeland picked up his second NCHC monthly honor of the season after compiling six points in seven February games, to tie for the NCHC rooking scoring lead during the month. He more than doubled his season goal total in February, potting five goals to tie for the NCHC rookie lead during the month and tie for third nationally among freshmen, after entering with four goals all season. The draft-eligible forward notched a point in three games, while recording a hat trick and a game-winning goal during the month. He also put 16 shots on goal and posted a +3 plus/minus in February with two blocked shots.
Copeland notched his first point of February with an assist on Feb. 8 in a 2-2 overtime tie at St. Cloud State. He then did the rest of his damage against Western Michigan on Feb. 22-23. In the series opener, Copeland tallied CC’s final goal in an eventual 5-4 loss. The next night, he exploded for four goals in an 8-2 beatdown, including scoring the game-winner, as he became only the second NCHC player ever to score four goals in a conference game and only the second Division I men’s player in the country to score four goals in a game this season. Copeland was named First Star of the Game Feb. 23 and also captured NCHC Offensive Player of the Week and NCAA Second Star of the Week for his efforts.
On the season, Copeland now has nine goals and nine assists for 18 points in 32 games, tying for the CC rookie scoring lead.
Copeland is now eligible for Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) National Rookie of the Month, which will be announced next Wednesday. Other nominees for NCHC Rookie of the Month included Denver freshman goaltender Filip Larsson and Omaha freshman forward Taylor Ward.
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