COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – For the second straight month, a National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) blueliner has been named a National Defenseman of the Month, as North Dakota junior
Jake Livanavage was selected the National Defender of the Month for December by the
Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) on Thursday. Denver junior defenseman Eric Pohlkamp earned
the national honor for November.
Livanavage (Phoenix, Ariz.) was named the
NCHC Defenseman of the Month on Monday after helping lead North Dakota to a perfect 4-0 record in December, while leading all NCHC defensemen with five points and tying for fourth nationally. His 1.25 points per game were also tops among NCHC blueliners in December and tied for fourth among NCAA rearguards. The UND assistant captain recorded a point in all four games last month.
Livanavage tied for the NCHC defenseman lead with both two goals and three assists in December, while his two tallies tied for second among NCAA blueliners last month. His +4 plus/minus tied for first among NCHC defensemen in December, while he also blocked five shots during the month and put six shots on goal.
Livanavage opened December with a three-point weekend in a sweep at St. Cloud State on Dec. 5-6. He dished out an assist in the first game, before scoring two goals in a 4-2 victory the next night, including the short-handed game-winner. That earned him NCHC Defenseman of the Week honors. The following weekend, Livanavage handed out an assist in both games of a sweep of Omaha on Dec. 12-13.
Livanavage finished December averaging 25:16 time on ice, which was sixth nationally among blueliners last month. In addition to his performance with North Dakota, he also helped the U.S. Collegiate Selects earn a silver medal in their debut at the Spengler Cup at the end of December. He recorded an assist in four games while logging heavy minutes for the college all-star team in Switzerland.
In NCAA play this season, Livanavage is now fourth among NCHC defensemen with 18 points (3g/15a) in 20 games.
In addition to Livanavage being honored for December, Augustana junior Brett Meerman and Maine freshman Justin Poirier shared HCA Men’s Forward of the Month honors, Michigan freshman Jack Ivankovic was tabbed Goaltender of the Month, and Michigan State forward Anthony Romani garnered HCA Rookie of the Month on the men’s side.
December marks the third HCA national monthly honor won by an NCHC player this season. Along with Livanavage and Pohlkamp, Minnesota Duluth sophomore forward Max Plante garnered
HCA National Co-Forward of the Month for October.
Livanavage and No. 4 North Dakota are back in NCHC action this weekend with a two-game set at Colorado College on Friday and Saturday. Both games can be seen on
NCHC.tv.
2025-26 HCA National Monthly Award Winners from the NCHC
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