The Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) has announced a “Watch List” for the Mike Richter Award, given annually to the top netminder in NCAA Division I men’s hockey and five student-athletes from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) have been selected. Noah Giesbrecht (Ferris State), Beni Halasz (Northern Michigan), Blake Pietila (Michigan Tech), Mattias Sholl (Bemidji State) and Christian Stoever (Bowling Green) have been named to the group of 41 vying for the nation’s top netminder honor.
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Below are the five CCHA goaltenders named to the watch list (for a complete list click here):
Noah Giesbrecht, So., Ferris State (White Rock, B.C.)
Giesbrecht has appeared in 13 games for Ferris State this season, including 11 as a starter. He has a 6-4-0 record with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage, stopping a total of 352 shots over 696:09 minutes of action. Producing five games of 30 or more saves, he recorded a season-high 45 stops in a 4-2 victory over then-No. 11 Michigan State in the Great Lakes Invitational semifinals on December 27. He has allowed two or fewer goals in seven of his 11 starts.
Beni Halasz, Fr., Northern Michigan (Budapest, Hungary)
The first Hungarian goaltender in NCAA Division I hockey history, Halasz has played in 19 games for Northern Michigan this season, including 17 as a starter. He is 9-8-0 with a 2.40 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. On November 11, he stopped all 25 Bemidji State shots for his first collegiate shutout. A two-time CCHA Rookie of the Month, he has made 418 total saves in 1000:58 minutes. Three of his starts have seen him turn away 30 or more shots, including a career-best 44 saves at Michigan Tech on December 3.
Blake Pietila, Sr., Michigan Tech (Howell, Mich.)
Pietila has started 21 games for No. 13 Michigan Tech so far season, posting a 13-6-2 record with a 2.17 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage and a nation-leading four shutouts. He ranks 13th in the country in winning percentage (.667) and 16th in both goals-against average and save percentage. Named the Desert Hockey Classic Most Valuable Player after leading the Huskies to a victory over then-No. 6 Boston University in the championship game, he has made a total of 525 saves this season in 1214:14 minutes. The two-time Richter Award Finalist has seven games of 30 or more saves, including a season-best 43 in a 2-2 tie with then-No. 10 Minnesota State on November 26.
Mattias Sholl, So., Bemidji State (Hermosa Beach, Calif.)
Sholl has started 15 of the Beavers’ 20 games so far this season, posting a 7-3-5 record while leading the league in both goals-against average (1.88) and save percentage (.926). The CCHA Goaltender of the Month in December, he has a 1.94 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage in 11 conference games, going 6-2-3. Recording at least 20 saves in 10 games and 30 or more in four contests, he ranks sixth nationally in SV% and seventh in GAA. For the season, he has made a total of 270 saves in 679:51 minutes.
Christian Stoever, So., Bowling Green (Northville, Mich.)
Stoever has appeared in 19 games for the Falcons so far this season, including 18 as starter. Posting an 8-10-0 record with a 2.99 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage, he has one shutout to his credit. In 13 CCHA contests, he is 6-7-0 with a 2.60 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage, earning the conference’ Goaltender of the Month in November. He has made 30 or more saves in 10 games, including a season-high 43 against then-No. 16 Minnesota State on December 9. On the season, he has made a CCHA-high 397 saves, ranking seventh nationally, over 1064:40 minutes.
The Mike Richter Award has been awarded every year since 2014. This year’s field includes student-athletes from the United States (18), Canada (13), and Sweden (6), along with one each from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia and Russia. Of the U.S. goalies, Michigan and Pennsylvania lead the way with four each. Of the goalies from Canada, the leading provinces were Alberta and Quebec with three each. There are five freshmen, 10 sophomores, 8 juniors, 14 seniors and four graduate students among those recognized.
A committee of voters — made up of a cross section of coaches, administrators, scouts and media — will pare this list down to approximately 15 names within the next three weeks and then ultimately choose the winner who will be announced in April during the NCAA Frozen Four.
Past Richter Award Recipients: 2014 - Connor Hellebuyck, UMass Lowell; 2015 - Zane McIntyre, North Dakota; 2016 - Thatcher Demko, Boston College; 2017 - Tanner Jaillet, Denver; 2018 - Cale Morris, Notre Dame; 2019 - Cayden Primeau, Northeastern; 2020 - Jeremy Swayman, Maine; 2021 - Jack LaFontaine, Minnesota; 2022 - Devon Levi, Northeastern.
For more information, contact:
Perry Laskaris
Director of Strategic Communications & Brand Advancement
Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA)
Laskaris@ccha.com
(651) 308-1065