The Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) has announced a “Watch List” for the Tim Taylor Award, given annually to the top first-year player in NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey and four student-athletes from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) have been selected. Luigi Benincasa (Ferris State), Isaac Gordon (Michigan Tech), Evan Murr (Minnesota State) and Chase Pietila (Michigan Tech) have been named to the group of 32 vying for the honor.
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Below are the four CCHA student-athletes named to the watch list:
Luigi Benincasa, Forward, Ferris State (Edmonton, Alb.)
Benincasa has four goals and 14 assists for 18 points in 24 games for the Bulldogs so far this season. Third in rookie scoring in the conference, he ranks fourth among all CCHA skaters in assists, fifth in assists per game (0.58) and eighth in multi-point games (5). He has compiled a +4 rating, which is third-best on Ferris State, and has 50 shots on goal. His season has been highlighted by a season-high three points (1 goal, 2 assists) in a 5-3 victory over Bemidji State on January 6. A three-time CCHA Rookie of the Week, he earned Rookie of the Month honors for January.
Isaac Gordon, Forward, Michigan Tech (Landmark, Man.)
The CCHA rookie leader in goals (13) and points (23), Gordon ranks second and sixth overall, respectively, in those categories. Third among all conference skaters in shooting percentage (.200), he has three multi-point games and one hat trick so far this season. Carrying a +6 rating, he has three power-play tallies and one game-winner with 65 shots on goal. The league's Rookie of the Month for November, he has been the league's Rookie of the Week three times.
Evan Murr, Defenseman, Minnesota State (Stillwater, Minn.)
Murr is tied for the CCHA lead in blueline scoring with five goals and 14 assists for 19 points in 26 games. Fourth in among all skaters in assists and plus-minus (+9), his four multi-point games are second among conference defensemen and first by a rookie. For the season, he has 61 shots on goal and 23 blocks defensively. His season has been highlighted by tallying a goal and an assist, including the overtime-winner in a 3-2 victory at Ferris State on November 11. A two-time CCHA Defenseman of the Week and one-time Rookie of the Week recipient, he was the league's Defenseman of the Month in January.
Chase Pietila, Defenseman, Michigan Tech (Howell, Mich.)
Pietila has anchored the Tech blueline with a league-best 16 assists for 16 points in 27 games this season. Fourth among all CCHA defensemen in points despite having yet to find the back of the net himself, he is fifth in the league in blocked shots (40) and is even for the year in plus-minus. He has two multi-point games so far this season, including a three-helper game against Augustana on November 4, which the Huskies won, 4-3. A two-time CCHA Defenseman of the Week, he has Rookie of the Week honor thus far.
The Tim Taylor Award has been awarded every year since 2007. 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.
For more information, contact:
Perry Laskaris
Director of Strategic Communications & Brand Advancement
Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA)
Laskaris@ccha.com
(651) 308-1065