The Central Collegiate Hockey Association announced today that sophomore forward Zac Dalpe of Ohio State has been named the RBC Financial Group CCHA Player of the Month for January.
This is the first time Dalpe has earned the honor in his career. A 19-year-old from Paris, Ontario, Dalpe led the Buckeyes to a 4-1-1 record in January while averaging 1.33 points per game, which tied for the conference lead. He also shared the league lead with five goals in January and added three assists for eight points.
Dalpe leads the Buckeyes with a career-best 15 goals and 27 points on the season, along with six power-play goals and a +11 mark. He is second in the CCHA in scoring in league games only with 24 points (13g, 11a), ranking first with a 1.20 points per game average.
Half of Dalpe’s points originated from a Buckeye power play that operated at a conference-best 28.9 percent success rate in the month of January. He also helped the Buckeyes build a 2-1-1 record against teams ranked in the Top 10 nationally.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound sophomore began the month with a four-point effort in a series sweep of Bowling Green Jan. 8-9 including two goals in the second game. His third-period power-play goal gave OSU a 2-1 advantage in a Jan. 23 road victory over No. 10 Michigan State, 4-2. Dalpe registered a 2-1-3 scoring line in the final weekend of January as the Buckeyes took four of six points from No. 10 Ferris State.
Special mention for RBC Financial Group CCHA Player of the Month honors goes to Ferris State senior forward Blair Riley, Miami sophomore goaltender Connor Knapp, Michigan junior forward Carl Hagelin, Michigan State junior forward Corey Tropp, Northern Michigan junior forward Greger Hanson and Notre Dame senior defenseman Kyle Lawson.
