COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Three teams are represented among the NCHC’s February Players of the Month, as the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) announced its penultimate monthly award winners on Tuesday. All three honorees are underclassmen for the third straight month with North Dakota sophomore forward Jackson Blake being named February Player of the Month, Colorado College sophomore Kaidan Mbereko gloving his third straight Goaltender of the Month, and Western Michigan freshman forward Alex Bump garnering Rookie of the Month.
 
This is Blake’s first NCHC Player of the Month honor, but third career monthly award after twice being named Rookie of the Month last year. Mbereko becomes only the second NCHC player in history to win three straight monthly honors, joining former North Dakota goalie Adam Scheel, who won three straight Goaltender of the Month awards from January through March/April of 2021. Mbereko has now been tabbed NCHC Goalie of the Month five times in his career already, plus Rookie of the Month once. This is Bump’s first NCHC monthly honor, while he’s only the second forward to capture NCHC Rookie of the Month this season.
 
All three NCHC monthly honorees – Blake, Mbereko and Bump – are now eligible for Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) February National Player, Goaltender and Rookie of the Month, respectively. HCA February national monthly honors are scheduled to be announced next week on Wednesday, March 6.
 
PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Jackson Blake, North Dakota
Sophomore Forward
Eden Prairie, Minn.
 
Blake was a force in February, leading the NCHC with 13 points in six games during the month, four more points than any other player. The Carolina Hurricanes draft pick recorded four multi-point games in February and had a point in five of six games during the month, while averaging 2.17 points per game. Both goals Blake scored in February were game-winners, while he doled out 11 assists, which is five more than anyone else in the conference during the month.
 
Blake was twice named NCHC Forward of the Week in February, with his first accolade coming after a five-point weekend in a sweep at Miami on Feb. 2-3. He opened the series with a three-point game, including scoring the overtime game-winning goal in a 5-4 victory, then dished out two more assists in the finale. Blake then ended his month with a seven-point weekend in a sweep of Minnesota Duluth to again claim NCHC Forward of the Week. The sophomore tallied a career-high five points in a 6-0 win on Feb. 23, scoring the game’s first goal early, which was the game-winner, while handing out four assists. In his February finale, Blake doled out another pair of primary apples, with five of his six assists against UMD being primary.
 
Blake finished with a +6 plus/minus in February, while leading the Fighting Hawks to a 4-2-0 record during the month. He now has 17 points over his last eight games, while his 47 points overall (18g/29a) on the season tie for the NCHC lead. Blake has 32 points in conference play (20 games), only three points shy of tying the NCHC single-season, conference-only points record of 35.
 
GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH
Kaidan Mbereko, Colorado College
Sophomore Goaltender
Aspen, Colo.
 
Mbereko continued his stellar play to nab his third straight Goaltender of the Month award, while backstopping CC to a 3-2-1 record in February. The sophomore led the NCHC with a .939 save percentage and 168 saves during the month, averaging 28.00 saves per game. His 1.79 goals-against average was second in the NCHC in February, while he allowed two goals or fewer in five of his six starts and no more than three in any game, with all six games coming against ranked competition.
 
Mbereko eased into February with back-to-back 22-save showings in a split against then-No. 16 St. Cloud State, dropping a 2-1 overtime decision on Feb. 2 and earning a 5-3 win the next night. Two weekends later, Mbereko was even better, totaling 66 saves and surrendering only three goals in a sweep of then-No. 2 North Dakota to earn NCHC Goaltender of the Week. The Colorado native made 23 saves in a 7-1 win on Feb. 16, before making a career-high 43 stops against UND in a 6-2 victory a night later. Mbereko closed February with a bang as well, giving up only three goals in a series at then-No. 19 Omaha, while racking up 58 saves, including 41 stops in a 1-1 tie to close the series Feb. 24.
 
On the season, Mbereko leads the NCHC with a .920 save percentage, which ties for 11th nationally, while ranking second in the NCHC with a 2.37 GAA. His 814 saves on the year are also tops in the NCHC. Mbereko has compiled an 18-10-2 record in net this year, with the 18 wins tied for second in the conference.
 
ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
Alex Bump, Western Michigan
Freshman Forward
Prior Lake, Minn.
 
Bump had a fantastic February, tying for the NCHC lead with five goals and ranking second with nine points, which led all NCHC rookies during the month. The Philadelphia Flyers draft pick recorded points in five of his six games (his first five), including a pair of three-point games, to help the Broncos to a 3-3-0 record in February. He also had two multi-goal games in the month. Bump averaged 1.50 points per game in February, second in the NCHC, while dishing out four assists.
 
Bump opened February with two points in a split at then-No. 5 Denver, including a goal in a 7-2 win on Feb. 3. The following weekend, the Minnesota native posted four points in a split with then-No. 19 Omaha, including tying a career high with both two goals and three points in a 6-1 victory to open the series Feb. 9. That earned him NCHC Rookie of the Week honors. Bump then tallied another two-goal, three-point game in a 4-3 win at then-No. 15 St. Cloud State on Feb. 23, including scoring the overtime game-winner for his second career game-winning goal. Bump’s eight-game point streak, which dated back to Jan. 20, came to a close in the February finale as he was held scoreless against SCSU on Feb. 24.
 
Bump has now tallied two goals and three points in a game three times this season, with two coming in February. He finished the month with a +3 plus/minus, while firing 24 shots on goal and blocking two shots. On the season, Bump now has 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points in 30 games, with the 27 points second among NCHC rookies.
 
OTHER NOMINEES:
 
Player of the Month
Jared Wright, Denver, So., Forward
 
Goaltender of the Month
Simon Latkoczy, Omaha
 
Rookie of the Month
Sam Harris, Denver, Forward
Jake Livanavage, North Dakota, Defenseman
Zaccharya Wisdom, Colorado College, Forward