COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – With the 2022-23 National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) season complete, the NCHC announced its final monthly award winners for the year on Friday with three teams represented among the March honorees. Western Michigan sophomore forward Max Sasson closed out his college career by being named NCHC Player of the Month for March, while St. Cloud State senior Jaxon Castor is the NCHC Goaltender of the Month and Colorado College freshman netminder Kaidan Mbereko is the NCHC Rookie of the Month for March.
 
This is Sasson’s first NCHC Player of the Month honor but second career NCHC monthly award, earning Rookie of the Month for January last season. Mbereko picked up his third monthly award of the season after earning Goaltender of the Month in November and December. Castor gloved his first career NCHC monthly honor, while he’s the second SCSU netminder along with Dominic Basse (October) to win Goalie of the Month this season.
 
PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Max Sasson, Western Michigan
Sophomore Forward
Birmingham, Mich.
 
Sasson finished his season and college career strong, averaging 2.00 points per game in March while leading the NCHC and tying for fourth nationally with 10 points in the month. Now a member of the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL, Sasson tallied six goals in March to lead the NCHC and rank fourth in the NCAA, while dishing out four assists. He tallied three multi-point games in March with at least a point in four of WMU’s five contests. He also scored at least one goal in three of the five games.
 
Sasson opened March with a bang, racking up seven points in a sweep of Miami to earn the final NCHC Forward of the Week honor. On Friday, March 3, he recorded his first and only collegiate hat trick in a 5-0 win, while tying a career high with four points. The next night, he scored two late goals to tie the game, before setting up the game-winner in overtime for a three-point regular-season finale in a 5-4 win. Sasson had a hand in all three of the Broncos’ goals against Colorado College in the NCHC Quarterfinals. He assisted on their lone goal March 10, before scoring a goal and assisting on another in a 3-2 loss on March 11.
 
Sasson posted a +3 plus/minus in March, before signing a two-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks on March 26. He finished his sophomore season with 42 points, good for third on WMU, with 15 goals and 27 assists in 38 games. Sasson totaled 24 goals and 64 points in 75 career games as a Bronco.
 
GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH
Jaxon Castor, St. Cloud State
Senior Goaltender
Phoenix, Ariz.
 
Castor took his game to another level in March, backstopping St. Cloud State to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship and an NCAA Regional Final. In his six starts this month, he posted a 4-2-0 record, while compiling a 1.67 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage, both of which ranked second in the NCHC in March. Castor racked up 147 saves this month, which were the most in the NCHC, while he was the only NCHC goalie with two shutouts in March.
 
Castor earned both Frozen Faceoff All-Tournament Team and NCAA Fargo Regional All-Tournament Team for his postseason efforts. He opened his postseason with a 26-save performance in Game 3 of the NCHC Quarterfinals on March 12 against Minnesota Duluth, giving up only one goal in a 3-1 win that advanced SCSU to the Frozen Faceoff. At Xcel Energy Center, Castor allowed two goals total, making 23 saves in an overtime win against North Dakota in the semifinals on March 17, before blanking Colorado College in the Frozen Faceoff championship with a 17-save showing. He recorded a second straight whitewash in the Fargo Regional semifinals, making 34 saves in a 4-0 win over No. 10 Minnesota State. Castor closed March with 26 stops and three goals allowed in a NCAA Tournament regional final loss to No. 1 Minnesota.
 
Castor finished the season with a 14-8-1 record, while compiling a 2.02 GAA and a .924 save percentage with four shutouts. His 2.02 GAA was the second-best mark in a single season in SCSU program history, while his four shutouts rank third all-time at SCSU and his save percentage fifth. Nationally, Castor ranks fifth this season in GAA and eighth with his .924 save percentage.

ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
Kaidan Mbereko, Colorado College
Freshman Goaltender
Aspen, Colo.
 
Mbereko completed his freshman campaign strong, backstopping Colorado College to a playoff upset on the road and the Frozen Faceoff championship game. He posted a 3-1-0 record in five starts in March, including a career-best three-game winning streak, while leading the NCHC with both a .942 save percentage and a 1.57 GAA in the month. Mbereko compiled 114 saves in March with one shutout.
 
Mbereko started his postseason run with 25 saves in a 3-1 win at No. 7 Western Michigan to open the NCHC Quarterfinals on March 10. A night later, he made 28 saves in a 3-2 overtime win at WMU to give CC its first road playoff sweep in program history. Mbereko then finished his season with back-to-back 23-save outings at the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. In the semifinals on March 17, he blanked rival and No. 3 Denver for CC’s first win over DU in 12 tries, a 1 -0 victory. In the championship game a night later against No. 7 St. Cloud State, the Tigers run came to an end with a 3-0 defeat.
 
Mbereko finished his freshman season with a 9-16-2 record in 30 games, while leading the NCHC and ranking fifth nationally with a .925 save percentage. He posted a 2.30 GAA on the year, while his four shutouts this season tied for the NCHC lead. Mbereko was named to the NCHC All-Rookie Team and Second-Team All-NCHC this season, as well.
 
The Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) national players of the month for March/April will be announced after the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four in April.
 
OTHER NOMINEES:
 
Player of the Month
Hunter McKown, Jr., F, Colorado College
Veeti Miettinen, Jr., F, St. Cloud State
 
Goaltender of the Month
Matt Davis, So., Denver
Kaidan Mbereko, Fr., Colorado College
 
Rookie of the Month
Dylan James, F, North Dakota
Tristan Lemyre, F, Denver
Ryan McAllister, F, Western Michigan
Cooper Wylie, D, St. Cloud State