COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – With all NCHC games in November completed, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) announced its monthly award winners for November on Tuesday, with two schools picking up the honors. Garnering the NCHC’s second monthly awards of the season are:

• Player – Zeev Buium, Denver, Fr., Defenseman
• Goaltender – Cameron Rowe, Western Michigan, Sr.
• Rookie – Miko Matikka, Denver, Forward

These are the first career NCHC monthly honors for Buium, Rowe and Matikka. Buium becomes only the second freshman ever to win NCHC Player of the Month, joining former North Dakota standout Brock Boeser, who won it for March/April in 2016. Buium is also the second straight Pioneer to win NCHC Player of the Month after junior forward Massimo Rizzo in October, while Matikka is also the second straight Pioneer to win Rookie of the Month after defenseman Boston Buckberger won it for October.
 
All three NCHC monthly honorees – Buium, Rowe and Matikka – are now eligible for Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) November National Player, Goaltender and Rookie of the Month, respectively, with Buium also eligible for National Rookie of the Month. HCA November national monthly honors are scheduled to be announced on Friday, Dec. 1.
 
PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Zeev Buium, Denver
Freshman Defenseman
San Diego, Calif.
 
Buium was dominant at both ends of the ice, helping Denver to a 6-2-0 record in November. He led all NCHC players in points (14), points-per-game (1.75), assists (11) and plus/minus (+13) during the month. Along with his 11 helpers, the 17-year-old scored three goals in November and had three multi-point outings. Buium tallied at least a point in all eight games in November for a career-long eight-game point streak, tying for the longest by a DU freshman defenseman since 2002 (with current junior Sean Behrens).
 
Buium dished out an assist each night in a sweep of rival Colorado College to start the month on Nov. 3-4. He scored his first goal of the month on Nov. 10 at Arizona State, before handing out two helpers in an 8-4 win the next night. The draft-eligible prospect had a four-point weekend in a split with Omaha Nov. 17-19, including a then-career-high three points (1g/2a) in an 8-4 victory in the opener Nov. 17. Buium saved his best for the last weekend of November, tallying five points in a 14-0 sweep of Yale to earn NCHC Defenseman of the Week. He scored a goal in a 5-0 win on Nov. 24, then doled out a career-high four assists and points in a 9-0 win a night later when he was +5. The four-assist game was the first by a DU freshman defenseman since 2002 and only the third by any NCAA freshman blue liner since 2016.
 
Along with his offense, Buium blocked three shots during the month and played on a penalty kill unit that was 23-for-27 (85.2 percent) in November. One of his goals came on the power play, helping DU post a 28.1 percent success rate on the man advantage in the month.
 
On the season, Buium leads all NCHC defensemen with 14 assists and 18 points, while adding four goals, which ties for the NCHC blue liner lead. His +16 plus/minus also leads all NCHC defensemen and is third overall in the NCHC.
 
GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH
Cameron Rowe, Western Michigan
Senior Goaltender
Wilmette, Ill.
 
Rowe was a rock in net for the Broncos in November, compiling a 5-3-0 record while playing nearly every minute during the month. The senior led all NCHC netminders in November in save percentage (.938), total saves (196) and goals-against average (1.64). He also tied for the NCHC lead with two shutouts during the month. Rowe did not give up more than three goals in any game in November and held opponents to one or less in each of his last four games.
 
Rowe made a season-high 38 saves on Nov. 4 in a 3-2 overtime defeat at Omaha. He then really picked up his game over the final two weekends in November, conceding only two goals over WMU’s final four games. After a 25-save outing in a 3-1 win on Nov. 17 at Colorado College, Rowe made 23 more saves in the series finale for his first shutout of the season, a 4-0 victory. He earned NCHC Goaltender of the Week for his efforts at CC. The final weekend in November was similar for Rowe, making 21 saves in a 5-1 win over St. Lawrence on Nov. 24, before logging his second shutout of the month a night later with a 30-save performance in a 4-0 win.
 
With his strong November, Rowe upped his season save percentage to .922 and lowered his season GAA to 2.00, both of which rank second in the NCHC. He is now 8-3-1 on the season in net.
 
ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
Miko Matikka, Denver
Freshman Forward
Helsinki, Finland
 
Matikka erupted in November, racking up seven goals and 10 points in eight games, after going without a point the entire month of October. The Arizona Coyotes draft pick had a point in every game in November and currently is riding a career-long eight-game point streak. He also had a six-game goal streak in November, which was Denver’s longest since Dylan Gambrell in 2016. Matikka’s seven goals tied for the NCHC lead in November and led all NCHC rookies, while his 10 points were second among NCHC freshmen this month behind only teammate Zeev Buium. Two of the Finn’s goals were game-winners, tying for the NCHC lead in November.
 
Matikka recorded his first collegiate point, an assist, on Nov. 3 in a win over rival Colorado College. He then scored his first career goal the next night, which came on the power play and served as the game-winner in a 5-1 victory. Matikka burst onto the season the following weekend with a three-goal outing at Arizona State on Nov. 10-11. He tallied his first multi-goal game in the opener at ASU, a 6-5 overtime loss, before scoring again in a win the next night. Matikka kept his goal streak going with a goal each night in a split with Omaha Nov. 17-19, while also adding an assist in the series opener. He tallied the game’s opening goal on Nov. 24 in a 5-0 win over Yale, with his goal the game-winner, but saw his goal streak end on Nov. 25, as he managed only an assist in a 9-0 victory against the Bulldogs.
 
Matikka finished November with a +10 plus/minus, which tied for third in the NCHC and second among rookies behind Buium. He was also twice named NCHC Rookie of the Week in November, earning it back-to-back for his outings at Arizona State (Nov. 10-11) and against Omaha (Nov. 17-19). Matikka now has seven goals, three assists and 10 points in 14 games this season, with the seven goals tops among NCHC rookies.
 
OTHER NOMINEES:
 
Player of the Month
Jackson Blake, North Dakota, So., F
Carter King, Denver, Jr., F
Dylan Wendt, Western Michigan, Jr., F
 
Goaltender of the Month
Dominic Basse, St. Cloud State, Sr.
Freddie Halyk, Denver, Fr.
Ludvig Persson, North Dakota, Sr.
 
Rookie of the Month
Alex Bump, Western Michigan, F