Farmington Hills, MI - Alaska Nanooks freshman right wing Andy Taranto (Woodridge, IL, Fargo (USHL)) has been named the Hockey Commissioner's Association National Rookie of the Month for February. This is the second time he has earned the honor this season.
A 6-foot, 213-pound forward for the No. 13/14 Alaska, Taranto helped lead the Nanooks to an unbeaten February (6-0-2) with a 7-7-14 scoring line, including two hat tricks. He finished the season ranked first in the CCHA and third nationally in scoring among freshmen (16-23-39), which is also good for fourth overall in the conference. The Chicago native posted a +12 rating during Feburary with four multiple-point games. Taranto helped Alaska earn the right to host the fourth CCHA playoff series at Fairbanks in Nanooks history.
Taranto, who led the USHL in goals last season with 34 for the Fargo Force, was named CCHA Rookie of the Week on March 1 and Feb. 25 after registering five points each weekend to lead Alaska to a pair of series sweeps. He tallied a goal and four assists, including helpers on both game-winning goals, as the Nanooks took two from Lake Superior (Feb. 19-20). Taranto followed up that performance with a 3-1-4 line in a victory over Alaska-Anchorage, 7-4 (Feb. 26). His first hat trick lifted the Nanooks to a 4-1 win during a visit to Ohio State (Feb. 12).
Yale junior forward Broc Little is the Hockey Commissioners' Association National Division I Player of the Month for February.
During the month of February, Little registered 10 goals and six assists for 16 points to lead the No. 6 Bulldogs to a 7-1-0 record and a first-place finish in ECAC Hockey (15-5-2). He also recorded six multiple-point games and three multiple-goal games in eight February contests. Little currently leads the nation in goals (25), goals-per-game (.82) and game-winnners (7). He was named first-team All-ECAC Hockey after finishing the regular season with 31 points in league play, which was good for third place.
Little, a Rindge, N.H., native, who played at Cushing Academy before joining the Bulldogs, registered a seven-point weekend in the pair of home wins over St. Lawrence (Feb. 19) and Clarkson (Feb. 20). He opened his current four-game scoring streak with two assists and an empty-net goal as Yale took down the Saints, 7-5, and followed that performance with three goals, including the overtime game-winner, and an assist as the Bulldogs came back from a 4-1 deficit to beat the Golden Knights, 5-4. Little's other multiple-point efforts came in wins over Dartmouth on Feb. 5 (2-0-2), Harvard on Feb. 6 (1-1-2), Colgate on Feb. 12 (2-0-2) and Princeton Feb. 26 (1-1-2).
