Ruck Wins Top Rookie; Ellis Chosen as Best Goaltender
Nolan Stevens - Northeastern
Sophomore Forward; Sea Isle City, New Jersey
Stevens paced Hockey East and finished second in the NCAA
during the month of February, totaling 14 points on six goals
and eight assists. He potted three power-play goals and a trio
of game-winning goals, also the most in the country during the
month, as he helped Northeastern to a 7-1-1 record to earn the
No. 6 seed in the Hockey East Tournament. He picked up a point
in seven of the nine games in which he appeared, registering five
multi-point outings.
Runner-up: Ryan Fitzgerald, BC (Jr., F; North Reading, Mass.)
Ryan Ruck - Northeastern
Goaltender; Coto de Caza, California
Ruck backboned Northeastern to a 7-1-1 record in February,
starting each game in net for the Huskies. He tied for the most
wins in the month among all NCAA goaltenders and carried a
1.57 goals against average and .938 save percentage, ranking
him fourth and 10th in the country, respectively. He allowed two
goals or fewer in eight of his nine appearances, including games
against nationally ranked teams Boston University, UMass Lowell
and Harvard.
Runner-up: Nick Master, UML (Fr., F; Broomall, Pa.)
Nick Ellis - Providence
Junior; Millersville, Maryland
Ellis led all goaltenders in the NCAA during February with an
unblemished 7-0-0 record for the Friars, while topping all college
goaltenders with a 1.23 goals against average and .952
save percentage. The junior netminder surrendered just eight
goals, stopping 158 of 166 shots he faced. On the year, Ellis has
allowed two goals or fewer in 23 of 32 starts, including all seven
games in February.
Runner-up: Kevin Boyle, UML (Sr., G; Manalapan, N.J.)