The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) has announced its Players of the Month for October and four student-athletes from four different programs have been recognized. Jared Westcott (Lake Superior State) and Kyle Looft (Bemidji State) were named the Forward and Defenseman of the Month, respectively, while Jake Sibell (St. Thomas) was the Goaltender of the Month and Tanner Latsch (Northern Michigan) was the Rookie of the Month. 

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CCHA Forward of the Month: Jared Westcott, Sr., Lake Superior State (Imperial, Mo.) 

Westcott led the Lakers to a 3-3-0 month, recording five goals and three assists for eight points in six games. The CCHA leader in multi-point contests (3), he was second in points, power-play goals (2), game-winning goals (2), plus-minus (+5) and shooting percentage (38.5%). Highlighting his efforts was a road hat trick against St. Lawrence – the first by a Lakers skater since 2021 – that led the team to a 5-2 victory. Closing out the month on a five-game point streak, he has been even or better in plus-minus in each of Lake Superior State’s games since the season opener. 

CCHA Defenseman of the Month: Kyle Looft, 5th, Bemidji State (Mankato, Minn.) 
 
Looft anchored Bemidji State’s blue line throughout October, registering five points (2 goals, 3 assists) at the offensive end, while contributing 15 blocked shots defensively, which was good for second among CCHA skaters. Fourth in plus-minus (+4), his two power-play tallies were second in the league. Third in points from defensemen, he had 11 shots on goal and contributed a three-point outing against nationally-ranked Minnesota Duluth on October 21. He was +3 with an assist in Bemidji State’s conference-opening sweep against St. Thomas last weekend. 
 
CCHA Goaltender of the Month: Jake Sibell, Jr., St. Thomas (Isanti, Minn.) 

Sibell led all conference netminders with a 1.36 goals-against average and was second with a .941 save percentage in three starts during October. Posting a 1-2-0 record, he surrendered just two goals (1 power play) to then-No. 1 Minnesota in a 3-0 defeat on October 14, before turning away 15 in a 3-1 victory over Lindenwood on October 21. He closed out the month by stopping 27-of-28 shots in a 2-0 loss at Bemidji State on Saturday. Nationally, he ranks sixth in goals-against average and 10th in save percentage.

CCHA Rookie of the Week: Tanner Latsch, R-Fr., Northern Michigan (Twin Lake, Mich.) 
 
Latsch exploded on the scene with a hat trick in his first collegiate game and finished the month with seven goals and one assist for eight points in five games during the month of October. A runner-up for Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) Rookie of the Month, he was second in rookie scoring in both goals and points. The national leader in power play tallies (6) and hat tricks (1) among all skaters, he was second in goals per game (1.40) and shooting percentage (50.0%). He collected at least one point in each of his first four appearances and has totaled 14 shots on goal and is a –4 with one block at the defensive end.


For more information, contact: 

Perry Laskaris 
Director of Strategic Communications & Brand Advancement 
Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) 
Laskaris@ccha.com 
(651) 308-1065 
 

2023-24 CCHA Monthly Awards
 
Forward:
October, 2023: Jared Westcott (LSSU)

Defenseman:
October, 2023: Kyle Looft (BSU)

Goaltender:
October, 2023: Jake Sibell (UST)

Rookie:
October, 2023: Tanner Latsch (NMU)

* = Times earned award this year