Weissbach, Roy, Bronte, Kaltounkova, LaFontaine, Bench named HCA award winners for November

From left, Linus Weissbach, Gaby Roy, Tyrone Bronte, Kalty Kaltounkova, Jack LaFontaine, Lauren Bench.

Six players have taken home Hockey Commissioners Association monthly awards for their November performances.

Men’s Player of the Month: Linus Weissbach, Sr., F, Wisconsin
Weissbach went for five goals and 10 points in eight games for the Badgers in November. He had four multi-point games in that stretch and had 19 shots on goal as Wisconsin went 4-4 in Big Ten play.

Women’s Player of the Month: Gaby Roy, Fr., F, Boston College
Roy led all national women’s players with seven points (tied) and four goals in the month of November and was the only women’s player to record a hat trick in the season’s opening month. Roy started her career with a four-goal game in Boston College’s 6-2 season-opening win at New Hampshire and finished her first month of play with four goals and seven points in four games.

Men’s Rookie of the Month: Tyrone Bronte, Fr., F, Alabama Huntsville
Bronte averaged 1.5 points per game for the Chargers, going for three assists in two non-league games at Robert Morris. For his efforts, he earned WCHA Rookie of the Week honors.

Women’s Rookie of the Month: Kalty Kaltounkova, Fr., F, Colgate
Kaltounkova has started off strong with a point per game through her first four games, including two goals in a 3-1 win over then-No. 5 Clarkson.

Men’s Goaltender of the Month: Jack LaFontaine, Sr., G, Minnesota
LaFontaine backstopped Minnesota to two Big Ten sweeps (Penn State and Ohio State) in November. He enjoyed a GAA of 1.00 and a save percentage of .961 in stopping 98 of 102 shots. His 4-0 record included a 2-0 shutout over Ohio State to finish the month.

Women’s Goaltender of the Month: Lauren Bench, Sr., G, Minnesota
Bench led the Gophers to a 3-1-0 record during the month of November. She earned back-to-back WCHA Goaltender of the Week awards after backstopping the Gophers to a season-opening series split against Ohio State, including a 36-save shutout in her Gopher debut, and combining for 57 saves on 60 shots in a road sweep over Minnesota Duluth. Bench led WCHA goaltenders with a .962 save percentage, 1.26 GAA, 126 saves, 131 shots faced, three wins, and a .750 winning percentage.