As the month of December nears so too does the midway point of the Division 1 college hockey season. It’s been an interesting one around these parts as Providence, UMass, and Quinnipiac have emerged as the region’s best teams. Typical powers like Boston College and Boston University have struggled to find to find consistency.
Although some of the best teams have changed, the region still has seen some of the best players in the country skate through its rinks.
As we did in October, we present 10 players “in the spotlight” for their efforts over the last few weeks:
Tristan Crozier
Brown / Fr. / F / Calgary, Alberta
Crozier has enjoyed a hot start to his career in East Providence, having recorded points in five straight games and six of his first seven. No Brown player has had a multi-point game this season, but the reigning Most Valuable Forward for the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers has been consistent as a top-six forward for coach Brendan Whittet’s club right off the bat. Crozier scored his third goal of the season in the Bears’ second-to-last game on Nov. 10 against Harvard.
Dante Fabbro
Boston University / Jr. / D / New Westminster, B.C.
Fabbro is the third-leading scorer among Hockey East defensemen with 12 points, eight of which have come in November. The steady blue liner opened the month with four consecutive multi-point games, including a two-goal effort in a Nov. 3 win over Northeastern. He has recorded a pair of assists in three games since that streak ended, helping to set up Ty Amonte’s (Norwell, Mass.) lone goal Saturday against Union in the Friendship Four. Fabbro is a reigning Hockey East Second Team All-Star and should be in contention for those honors again.
Tobias Fladeby
American International / Soph. / F / Asker, Norway
It’s only been 14 games, but Fladeby has already enjoyed what could be considered a breakout season for the Yellow Jackets. The Norwegian right winger has five goals in the last three games, including game-winners in two-goal efforts against Air Force and Holy Cross; the most recent came on Tuesday night. He has a team-leading eight goals and nine total points on the season after only a seven-point freshman season.
Johnathan Kovacevic
Merrimack / Jr. / D / Grimsby, Ontario
Kovacevic is anchoring the Warriors from the back again as a junior as his seven assists and nine points rank second to classmate Tyler Irvine on the team. The Winnipeg prospect has recorded seven of his points on the power play, which ranks third among Hockey East defensemen. He has marked the scoresheet in five of his last 10 games, including two-point night with a goal and an assist Nov. 17 at Providence.
Austin Magera
Sacred Heart / Fr. / F / Suwanee, Ga.
Magera’s first collegiate goal was the game-winner in SHU’s first win of the season on Nov. 2 at Bentley. Since then, the freshman from Georgia has recorded points (all assists) in six of the last eight games. He then assisted Austin McIlmurray’s winning goal a week later at Army West Point. The Pioneers managed just one Atlantic Hockey point out of four last weekend at Canisius, but Magera had an assist in both games and four total shots on goal. All six of Magera’s points have come in November, making him the team’s lead scorer this month.
Andrew Shortridge
Quinnipiac / Jr. / G / Anchorage, Alaska
Shortridge has primarily sat behind sophomore Keith Petruzzelli (Wilbraham, Mass.) on the Bobcats’ goaltending depth chart, but he’s been one goaltenders in the country through his three November starts. He needed to log just 12 saves en route to his first shutout of the season on Nov. 9 against RPI and has posted wins over the last two weekends to move to 4-0. He made a season-high 33 stops Friday night at Maine, moving his save percentage to .946 for the year.
Connor Sodergren
UMass Lowell / Soph. / F / Tewksbury, Mass.
Sodergren has been held off the scoresheet in his last three games, but the local River Hawk recorded five assists in as many outings to begin November. He has seven points through 14 games this season after collecting 10 in 33 games as a first-year collegian. The former St. Paul’s School captain has contributed to a pair of game-winning goals, including one in a three-point effort Nov. 16 at Connecticut.
Sam Tucker
Yale / Sr. / G / Wilton, Conn.
Tucker has started his senior season on a positive note as the other ECAC team in Connecticut has also split its netminders through seven games. The Choate product earned his second win in three starts with a season-high 34 saves in Saturday’s Friendship Four game against UConn. He made 25 on 26 shots Nov. 10 against Dartmouth after nabbing the Elis’ second ECAC road win of the year with 27 saves a week earlier at Colgate. Tucker sports a 2.01 goals against and .935 save percentage for the season.
Josh Wilkins
Providence / Jr. / F / Raleigh, N.C.
The Friars lost their top two scorers in Erik Foley (Mansfield, Mass.) and Brian Pinho (North Andover, Mass.) after last season, but several members of the “supporting cast” have joined freshman Jack Dugan in making up for their production. Wilkins has been an assist machine through the first 13 games, as 11 of his 15 points have been helpers. He enters this weekend with points in five straight games and nine of the last 10 for Providence.
Connor Yau
Dartmouth / Sr. / D / Algonquin, Ill.
Yau, who has played in 98 career games for the Big Green, is off to a five-point start through his first six outings as a senior. He has recorded assists in four of his last five games, including two in a Nov. 3 win over Quinnipiac and one in each of Dartmouth’s last two games against Yale and Vermont. The assistant captain leads his team with a plus-6 rating on the season.
