BEMIDJI – December was a productive month for the Bemidji State men’s hockey team.
That stretch garnered even more notoriety on Wednesday, as Mattias Sholl and Will Zmolek were named CCHA Players of the Month for the final month of 2022.
Sholl, a native of Hermosa Beach, Calif., was named Goaltender of the Month after posting a 4-1-1 record during December and leading the CCHA with a 2.26 goals against average and .915 save percentage. He recorded the most wins among conference goaltenders during the month and made a total of 150 saves over 371:21 of action, including two games of 30 or more saves. He capped his December by stopping 65-of-69 shots at then-No. 16 Minnesota State for the Beavers’ first road sweep of the Mavericks since 2006.
Zmolek, a native of Rochester, was named Defenseman of the Month. He earned his first career CCHA monthly award after helping the Beavers to a 4-1-1 month of December and leading all CCHA defensemen with six points off one goal and five assists. During the month, he also held a four-game point streak that included back-to-back multi-point efforts. He also blocked 15 shots defensively – the fourth-highest total among conference skaters – and held a +2 rating on the ice.
Joining Zmolek and Sholl were Bowling Green's Austen Swankler as CCHA Forward of the Month and Minnesota State's Christian Fitzgerald as Rookie of the Month.
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Bemidji State returns to regular season action this weekend for a home-and-home series with nonconference opponent Minnesota Duluth. The Beavers first host the Bulldogs at 7:07 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 6, at the Sanford Center, then travel east to Duluth for game two at 6:07 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 7.
