WAKEFIELD, Mass. – Robert Morris senior forward Greg Gibson has been selected as the Hockey Commissioners Association Player of the Month for October.
Gibson has gotten off to a fast start in 2015-16, tallying a point in each of Robert Morris' first six games and multiple points in five of the six games. He has a team and conference-leading 13 points, which have come from six goals and seven assists. Those totals not only have Gibson sitting in the top two amongst Atlantic Hockey skaters in each category, but they also place the Burlington, Ontario native in the top-10 nationally as well. Gibson ranks tied for first in points, tied for third in goals, and tied for fourth in assists.
His performance in the early going has Robert Morris off to a 3-1-2 start and 2-0-2 mark in Atlantic Hockey play. He recorded five goals, including his first career hat trick, in a 1-0-1 weekend at Niagara. For his efforts against the Purple Eagles, he was named the Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week. Then a week later, he notched another five-point weekend, all coming on assists, as Robert Morris went 1-1-0 at then-No. 10 Michigan. The Colonials' 4-0 win over Michigan on October 31 was Robert Morris' first win over a top-10 ranked team since December 2012.
The HCA National Rookie of the Month for October is Max Letunov from the University of Connecticut. Letunov, a 6-4, 170-pound forward, began his collegiate rookie campaign by collecting 11 points in the month of October, good enough to lead his UConn squad in scoring. On the month, he potted five goals and dished out six assists to rank fifth overall in Hockey East. In conference play, Letunov tallied a pair of goals to go along with three assists, putting him third in league point production.
The Moscow, Russia native netted a hat trick in his first contest as a Husky, a 5-2 road victory at Alabama Huntsville. He went on to register at least one point in five of his first six games in the NCAA, including four multi-point efforts. Letunov proved to be an effective play maker on the UConn power play, registering five assists, including three power-play helpers in a 5-2 win over Boston University on October 27.
Letunov has helped UConn to a 3-4-0 start, including the 5-2 win over then- No. 7 BU. On October 25, the rookie forward scored two power-play goals that accounted for all of UConn's offense in a 4-2 setback at the hands of the Terriers.
Currently, Letunov sits in sixth in the NCAA in scoring with five goals and six assists for 11 points. He is also tied for the national lead in power-play assists with five. His production has primed the Huskies for the conference-heavy play of November and December.