Over the past week, nine former BCHL players were honoured with weekly and monthly awards in the NCAA, including a Vernon Vipers alumnus who was named conference Player of the Month, Forward of the Week and National Player of the Month.
We recap it all in this week’s NCAA Roundup, presented by Johnston Meier Insurance.
National Collegiate Hockey Conference
Brett Stapley – Senior – University of Denver (Vernon Vipers)
Hockey Commissioner’s Association National Player of the Month (December)- NCHC Player of the Month (December)
- NCHC Forward of the Week (Jan. 3)
Stapley cleaned up the awards this week, earning the national Player of the Month award along with two conference honours.
He compiled nine points in five games in December to lead all NCHC players in scoring, helping Denver to a 4-1-0 record. The Montreal Canadiens draft pick potted five goals in the month, again leading NCHC skaters, while dishing out four assists. Stapley recorded three multi-point games in December and had a point in four of his five games.
Stapley played three seasons with the Vipers from 2015 to 2018. He played in 154 regular-season games over his career, collecting 121 points on 47 goals and 74 assists.
Atlantic Hockey Player of the Month
Willie Reim – Junior – Air Force Academy (West Kelowna Warriors)
Reim averaged two points per game for the Falcons in December. The junior forward had three goals and one assist in two games against Canisius Dec. 3 and 4 as Air Force took five of six points heading into the holiday break. The North Oaks, Minn., native also had a team-high 11 shots on goal and blocked two shots. In game one against the Golden Griffins, Reim matched career highs with two goals and three points.
The 22-year-old played two seasons with the West Kelowna Warriors from 2017 to 2019. He finished in the top-20 in league scoring his final year when he notched 58 points in 57 games.
Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Month
Evan DeBrouwer – Graduate – Bentley University (Nanaimo/Prince George)
DeBrouwer opened December by winning Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week honors on Dec. 6. The Blenheim, Ont., native backstopped Bentley to a sweep of Mercyhurst Dec. 3 and 4 by scores of 4-3 and 3-1. He posted a .944 save percentage in the two wins and surrendered only one even-strength goal in the series. DeBrouwer made a season-high 35 saves in the second game against the Lakers. During Bentley’s five-game winning streak to end 2021, DeBrouwer posted a .961 save percentage and 1.20 goals against average.
The 24-year-old played two years in the BCHL split between the Clippers and the Spruce Kings. In 2017-18 with Prince George, he posted a .920 save percentage, a 2.24 goals-against average and three shutouts, all top-five marks in the league, and led his team all the way to the Fred Page Cup Final.
Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Month
Danny Pearson – Freshman – Bentley University (Coquitlam Express)
In two December contests, Pearson scored two goals, both on the power play, and blocked one shot for the Falcons. The Vancouver, B.C., native lit the lamp twice on Dec. 3 to help Bentley to a 4-3 win over Mercyhurst. The effort was his second-straight two-goal outing.
Pearson was a member of the Coquitlam Express for three years from 2018 to 2021, finishing his final year as captain of the team. He put up 60 points in 103 regular-season games over his BCHL career.
Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Zak Galambos – Junior – American International College (Wenatchee Wild)
Galambos had a monster weekend for the Yellow Jackets at both ends of the rink. The Walnut Creek, Calif. native notched a pair of power-play assists in Saturday’s victory over Air Force and setup the deciding tally against the Falcons on Sunday with a breakout pass, before rushing end-to-end and finding his teammate open in the slot for the winner.
The 24-year-old spent the 2017-18 season in Wenatchee where he put up 28 points in 41 regular-season games. In the playoffs, he outperformed his regular-season pace and notched 15 points in 20 games en route to a Fred Page Cup championship.
CCHA Defenceman of the Month
Jake Livingstone – Sophomore – Minnesota State University (Langley Rivermen)
Livingstone recorded three points (two goals, one assist) in five games for the Mavericks in December. He recorded a plus-3 rating, seven shots on goal and two blocked shots. Livingstone also scored the game-winning goal for Minnesota State, as well as an assist, in a 3-1 home victory over Michigan Tech on Dec. 4.
The Creston, B.C. native played four seasons in the BCHL with the Langley Rivermen. Over his 185 regular-season games, Livingstone notched 104 points. In his final year in the league in 2019-20, he finished as the BCHL’s second-highest scoring blueliner with 49 points in 52 games and was named a Second-Team All-Star and a finalist for the league’s Top Defenceman award.
ECAC Hockey Goalie of the Month
Yaniv Perets – Sophomore – Quinnipiac University (Penticton Vees)
Perets earns his second consecutive Goalie of the Month honour after allowing just one goal in three games in December. He posted shutouts in consecutive appearances to start the month, recording 18 and 13 saves against RPI and Union, respectively. He closed out the month by allowing just one goal in a 4-1 win over Long Island on Dec. 10. He lowered his NCAA-leading goals-against average to 0.87 and improved his save percentage to .947.
Perets played the 2019-20 season with the Penticton Vees, posting the third-best goals-against average in the league at 2.19, the second-most shutouts with five and a .918 save percentage.
ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week
Jack Watson – Freshman – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Coquitlam Express)
In just his second collegiate start, Watson earned his first win for RPI, leading the Engineers to a 3-2 victory over Vermont on Thursday. The freshman faced 31 shots in the game, turning aside 29 of them, including 12 each in the second and third periods. Watson finished the contest with a .935 save percentage.
The Toronto, Ont. native played the 2019-20 season with the Coquitlam Express, going 13-4-0 in 17 games and finishing the campaign with a .911 save percentage, a 2.51 goals-against average and one shutout.
Hockey East Rookie of the Month
Matt Crasa – Freshman – UMass-Lowell (Cowichan Valley Capitals)
Crasa finished the month of December with four goals and two assists for six points in five games played. His 1.20 points per game was tops among all league rookies in December. He ended the the month with a plus-6 rating and currently leads all River Hawk freshmen in scoring with 12 points, which is tied for third among all Hockey East first-years.
The 20-year-old New York native played the 2019-20 campaign with the Cowichan Valley Capitals and led the team in goals with 25. He also finished third in team scoring with 44 points in 51 games.
