Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Bjork Named Warrior Hockey Player of the Month
Grasso Garners Top Rookie; Oettinger, Lekkas Split Best Goaltender Honors
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Junior Forward; Mequon, Wisconsin
Anders Bjork netted seven goals and chipped in nine assists in the month of October in eight games, averaging 2.00 points per game. His 16 points and nine assists tied for the national lead among all skaters, while his seven strikes ranked fourth overall. Nine assists and 16 points were also good to lead all Hockey East skaters in the first month of the 2016-17 season. Two of his markers proved to be game-winning tallies, while he posted four multi-point games and was held pointless in just one of Notre Dame's eight contests.
Runner-up: Joe Gambardella, UML (Sr., F; Staten Island, N.Y.)
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Forward; Ankeny, Iowa
Patrick Grasso lead all Hockey East rookies in scoring over October, tallying 10 points on eight goals and two assists in just six outings. He paces all NCAA freshmen with eight goals, five power-play goals, six power-play points and 1.67 points per game. Three of his goals came within 3:56 on Oct. 29, a game in which the rookie forward scored four goals becoming the first Wildcat to record four markers in a game since 2012.
Runner-up: Joe Woll, BC (Fr., G; Dardenne Prairie, Mo.)
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Freshman; Lakeville, Minnesota
Oettinger leads all Hockey East goaltenders and NCAA rookie netminders with a 1.42 goals against average and .947 save percentage. Both of those numbers rank fifth overall in the country. In five starts for the Terriers, he allowed just seven goals, including shutouts of Sacred Heart and then-No. 3 Quinnipiac on back-to-back nights. He also stopped a career-high 31 shots in a 4-3 loss at Denver.
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Freshman; Elburn, Illinois
Vermont's rookie netminder started his collegiate career off with a 3-0-1 record in his first four appearances, all against ranked opponents. On the road at then-No. 20 Omaha, Lekkas stopped 32 shots in a 4-4 draw in his first start, before saving each of the 21 shots he faced over 55:53 of relief to earn his first win, 5-2, the next night. He registered his first career shutout in his next start, shutting down then-No. 11 Michigan, 3-0. Two days later, he topped defending Hockey East champion Northeastern, ranked 16th in the nation.
Runner-up: Tyler Wall, UML (Fr., G; Leamington, Ont.)