NCAA conferences handed out their first monthly awards of the 2023-24 season, along with weekly honours as well. Nine different BCHL alums received awards with one in particular being honoured three times with his conference’s Forward of the Week and Player of the Month, as well as the national co-Player of the Month.
Hockey Commissioner’s Association co-Player of the Month/NCHC Player of the Month/NCHC Forward of the Week
Massimo Rizzo (F) – Junior – University of Denver (Penticton, Coquitlam, Chilliwack)
Rizzo started his junior campaign on fire, tallying points in all six games Denver played in October, including five multi-point games. His 14 points and nine assists in the first month tied for third nationally and ranked first in the NCHC. Rizzo’s 2.33 points per game are also third in the NCAA, while his five goals tie for third in the NCHC. He logged a +10 plus/minus in October, which tied for first nationally.
The 22-year-old from Burnaby, B.C. started his BCHL career with the Penticton Vees where he played for two years. He moved on to the Coquitlam Express the following season and joined the Chilliwack Chiefs during his final year, but missed the pod season due to injury. He notched 123 points in 132 games over his career in the league.
Atlantic Hockey Player of the Month/Player of the Week
Braeden Tuck (F) – Graduate – Sacred Heart University (Trail Smoke Eaters)
Tuck tallied nine points on three goals and six assists across seven games in October. The Calgary, Alta. native recorded a point in six of SHU’s seven games in October and closed out the month on a five-game point-scoring streak that included three consecutive multi-point games from Oct. 21 to 28.
Tuck played three seasons in Trail, including one as captain, and ended his BCHL career with 108 points in 165 regular-season games, adding another 27 in 38 playoff games.
Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Month/Goaltender of the Week
Tommy Scarfone (G) – Junior – Rochester Institute of Technology (Surrey Eagles)
Scarfone was named Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week on two occasions in October, recognized after making 36 saves in a 3-0 shutout of Notre Dame and again after backstopping a two-game sweep at Holy Cross, including a 40-save showing in a 3-2 win. The Montreal, Que. native compiled a 1.98 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage, including a 1.97 GAA and a .940 save percentage in three conference games after only allowing six goals on 100 shots against Atlantic Hockey foes Sacred Heart and Holy Cross.
Scarfone played for the Surrey Eagles for two seasons from 2019 to 2021. He finished his BCHL stint with a career save percentage of .922 and a goals-against average of 2.50. During the shortened 2020-21 pod season, he backstopped the Eagles to first place in the Coquitlam Pod.
Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Hunter Sansbury (D) – Junior – Sacred Heart University (Salmon Arm Silverbacks)
Sansbury collected eight blocked shots and five shots on goal last weekend as SHU split with Niagara at home. The Lomita, Calif. native blocked four shots in each game to key a defensive effort which saw the Pioneers block 17 in total on Friday night and 19 more on Saturday. He matched his career high both nights and has now blocked four shots on nine different occasions.
The 22-year-old spent two seasons with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks, totaling 37 points in 74 career games.
Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Month
Jack Stockfish (F) – Freshman – College of the Holy Cross (Prince George Spruce Kings)
Stockfish scored his first two career goals for the Crusaders in October. He potted the game-winner against Connecticut on Oct. 14 and netted a power-play tally against RIT on Oct. 28 to close out the month. The North Bay, Ont. native won a team-high 57 faceoffs during the month, including 14 in his first collegiate game on Oct. 8 against Long Island.
Stockfish played the 2022-23 campaign with the Prince George Spruce Kings and put up 14 goals, 18 assists and 32 points in in 47 regular-season games.
ECAC Forward of the Month
Jacob Quillan (F) – Junior – Quinnipiac University (Penticton Vees)
Quillan tallied two goals and assisted on eight more in the seven October games he played for the Bobcats. With an impressive average of 1.14 points per game, the junior forward has not only emerged as the top point-scorer for Quinnipiac, but also leads in the assists category as well.
The Dartmouth, N.S. product played the 2020-21 pod season with the Penticton Vees and was the team’s second-leading scorer with 27 points in 20 games after putting up 13 goals and 14 assists. He also scored the overtime game-winning goal for Quinnipiac in the national championship game last season.
ECAC Hockey Defender of the Week
Rhys Bentham (D) – Freshman – Yale University (Cranbrook Bucks)
Bentham scored his first goal of the season, and first of his college career, which happened to be the game-winning goal in overtime during the Bulldogs’ matchup at Brown. Yale started overtime on the penalty kill, but successfully held off the Bears, allowing Bentham to execute a backhand shot into the back of the net with just one minute remaining.
The Calgary, Alta. product played the previous three seasons with the Cranbrook Bucks, the past two as team captain. In 2022-23, he led the Bucks in points by defencemen with 38 in 48 games, tied for eighth overall among BCHL blueliners, and was named a Second-Team All-Star at year’s end.
Big Ten 1st Star of the Week
Logan Terness (G) – Junior – Ohio State University (Trail Smoke Eaters)
Terness stopped 64 of 66 shots last week (.967 save percentage) and helped Ohio State finish 9-for-9 on the penalty kill in a road series against the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He made 34 saves on 36 shots and did not allow a goal in a seven-round shootout in Ohio State’s extra time win on Oct. 27, then closed the series with a 30-save shutout, recording a 0.96 goals-against average for the weekend.
Terness played two seasons with the Trail Smoke Eaters from 2019 to 2021. In his first year in the league, he posted a 27-10-4 record with a .932 save percentage, good enough for third best in the BCHL. He was voted as the league’s Rookie of the Year at the conclusion of the season.
CCHA Defenceman of the Week
Josh Zinger (D) – Sophomore – Northern Michigan University (Salmon Arm Silverbacks)
Zinger led all conference blueliners with two points on a goal and an assist last week, while registering a +1 rating. Helping the Wildcats to a 1-1-0 start to their CCHA schedule, he had a hand in two of NMU’s four goals on Saturday in a 4-1 victory over Ferris State. He had five shots on goal for the weekend.
The 22-year-old from Red Deer, Alta. played 13 games for the Salmon Arm Silverbacks to start the 2019-20 season and had two goals and an assist before being traded to the Fort McMurray Oil Barons of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
