The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) has announced its Players of the Month for February and four student-athletes from three different programs have been recognized. Andre Ghantous (Northern Michigan) earned Forward of the Month, while Simon Kjellberg (Northern Michigan) was the Defenseman of the Month. Blake Pietila (Michigan Tech) collected his third Goaltender of the Month honor this season and Lleyton Roed (Bemidji State) earned his second straight Rookie of the Month honor. 

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CCHA Forward of the Month: Andre Ghantous, Sr., Northern Michigan (Glendale, Calif.) 
 
Ghantous led all CCHA skaters with 11 points in eight February contests, scoring a league-best seven goals with four assists, while posting a +4 rating. Helping the Wildcats to a 6-2-0 record in the month, he had three power-play goals, 23 shots and four blocked shots at the defensive end. Picking up at least one point in seven games, he closed out the month with a four-game point streak in which he collected five goals and three assists for eight points. His month was highlighted by a three-point game (2 goals, 1 assist) in an 8-3 victory over Ferris State on February 18. 

CCHA Defenseman of the Month: Simon Kjellberg, Jr., Northern Michigan (Stockholm, Sweden) 

Kjellberg posted two goals and five assists for seven points to lead all conference blueliners in February. He helped Northern Michigan to a 6-2-0 month, including a 6-1-0 mark in games in which he dressed, with a +3 rating, one game-winning goal and one power-play tally. He took eight shots, while blocking 10 at the defensive end and had a point in all but one game. Closing out February on a four-game point streak (2 goals, 3 assists), he had a two-point game (1 goal, 1 assist) in the Wildcats’ 9-2 win against Ferris State on February 17. 

CCHA Goaltender of the Month: Blake Pietila, Sr., Michigan Tech (Howell, Mich.) 
 
Pietila led the No. 11 Huskies to a 4-2-0 record in February, posting league-bests in goals-against average (2.01), save percentage (.935) and shutouts (2), making 174 stops in 358:26 minutes. His month was highlighted by recording 35 saves – for his nation-leading ninth shutout – at then-No. 12 Minnesota on February 24, leading Michigan Tech to a 2-0 victory. For the month, he had three games of 30 or more saves, including a high of 37 in a 3-2 victory at Bemidji State on February 4.

CCHA Rookie of the Week: Lleyton Roed, Fr., Bemidji State (White Bear Lake, Minn.) 
 
Roed collected his second straight Rookie of the Month honor after leading all CCHA freshmen with 10 points on five goals and five assists, with a +3 rating. Second among all skaters in points and assists, he was third in goals and power-play goals (2), as well as fifth in shots (24). He had three multi-point games during the month, including a career-high four points in a 7-2 victory at St. Thomas on February 25, scoring two goals and assisting on two more.


For more information, contact: 

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

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2022-23 CCHA Monthly Awards
 
Forward:
February 2023: Andre Ghantous (NMU)
January 2023: Austen Swankler (BGSU)**
December 2022: Austen Swankler (BGSU)
November, 2022: David Silye (MSU)
October, 2022: AJ Vanderbeck (NMU)

Defenseman:
February 2023: Simon Kjellberg (NMU)
January 2023: Akito Hirose (MSU)
December 2022: Will Zmolek (BSU)
November, 2022: Brett Thorne (MTU)
October, 2022: Jake Livingstone (MSU)

Goaltender:
February 2023: Blake Pietila (MTU)***
January 2023: Blake Pietila (MTU)**
December 2022: Mattias Sholl (BSU)
November, 2022: Christian Stoever (BGSU)
October, 2022: Blake Pietila (MTU)

Rookie:
February 2023: Lleyton Roed (BSU)**
January 2023: Lleyton Roed (BSU)
December 2022: Christian Fitzgerald (MSU)
November, 2022: Beni Halasz (NMU)**
October, 2022: Beni Halasz (NMU)

* = Times earned award this year