Men's Ice Hockey ECAC Hockey

Graf, Walton, Zetterquist, Lipkin Honored with Monthly Awards

CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. — ECAC Hockey has announced its men’s award winners for the month of December: Collin Graf (Quinnipiac), Pito Walton (Princeton), Emil Zetterquist (St. Lawrence), and Sam Lipkin (Quinnipiac). 

Forward of the Month

Collin Graf (So., Quinnipiac) had a huge end to the first half of the season. He entered the month on a five-game point streak dating back to November 12 and kept up the offensive production through all of December, scoring 12 points in just five games and finishing the month with a +10 rating. One of Graf’s most impressive performances came against Union on December 12, where he scored the Bobcats’ seventh goal of the game and assisted on four other tallies for five points in a single contest.

Defender of the Month

Pito Walton (Sr., Princeton) was solid and steady from the blue line for the Tigers during the month of December. Putting up two goals, including a power play tally, and adding six helpers, Walton helped the team to a 4-2-0 record over the course of the month. His most offensively-productive performance came on December 10 against Rensselaer, when Walton assisted on three goals, including short-handed, even strength, and power play tallies by his teammates. The Tigers would beat the Engineers 6-5.

Goaltender of the Month

Emil Zetterquist (Gr., St. Lawrence) made 166 saves in six games over the course of December to earn ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Month. Zetterquist finished the six-game stretch with a 4-2-0 record and earned his first shutout of the season in a 4-0 win against Brown at Appleton. His best performance was easily the Saints’ contest against Nebraska Omaha out west on December 30, when Zetterquist helped ring in the new year early with a season-high 36 saves and a 2-1 win.

Rookie of the Month

Sam Lipkin (Fr., Quinnipiac) played just four games during December but was nevertheless on fire, tallying a point in each of December’s contests and recording multi-point performances in three of the month’s four games. Lipkin’s most prolific game came against Union on December 10, when he opened the scoring, then assisted on the power play game-winner and three other goals by his teammates to finish the night with a career best in single-game points. 

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