WAKEFIELD, Mass. - Harvard's Kristin Della Rovere (Caledon East, Ont.) has been named the Women's Hockey Commissioners Association National Player of the Month after leading the Crimson to a perfect 3-0-0 record in December. The sophomore's seven points this month ranked second in the nation by just one point, while her six goals paced all NCAA skaters. Even more impressive, three of her six goals were game-winners, including one that came in overtime against Brown on December 7.
Della Rovere began the month with a bang, registering her second hat trick of the season in a 4-2 win at Yale on December 6. All three of her goals were even-strength, making it the first natural hat trick for a Harvard skater since 2012. She followed that performance up with a two point (1G, 1A) outing the following day against Brown, before burying two more goals to close out the month in an impressive 7-1 win over then No. 8-ranked Boston College on December 31.
RIT forward Christa Stefanopoulos (Pierrefonds, Que.) is the WHCA's National Rookie of the Month following her breakout month of December.
An injury forced Stefanopoulos to miss the first two games of the final month of 2019, but she made an immediate impact in her return, scoring five points in two games and helping the Tigers snap a five-game winless streak. The five points was one more than her total through November and led all rookie skaters in College Hockey America.
The Pierrefonds, Quebec native had a goal and an assist in RIT's 3-2 comefrom- behind, overtime victory against LIU on December 14. Her goal in that game started the RIT comeback after trailing 2-0 in the second period. The following day, Stefanopoulos scored two goals in the third period, including the game-winner, while adding another assist to end RIT's 2019 calendar year with a win.
Boston University's Corinne Schroeder (Elm Creek, Man.) has been named the WCHA's National Goaltender of the Month after claiming Hockey East Goaltender of the Month in December 2019, the second time she has been so honored by her conference this season.
Schroeder won both of her two starts in December, allowing just one goal in a weekend sweep of then-No. 8 Boston College. She led all NCAA goaltenders who made at least two December starts with a .979 save percentage, stopping 46 of the 47 shots she faced and not allowing an even-strength marker.
Schroeder made 21 saves for her second shutout of the season on Dec. 6 before making 25 saves in a 2-1 road win the next day. She picked up Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week accolades on December 9.
