College hockey NCHC and CCHA POW

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) has announced its Players of the Week for December 5-7 and four student-athletes from three different programs have been recognized. Caiden Gault (Northern Michigan) was named Forward of the Week, while Breck McKinley (Bowling Green) garnered Defenseman of the Week honors. Carsen Musser (St. Thomas) and Nathan Pilling (St. Thomas) were the league’s Goaltender and Rookie of the Week, respectively.

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CCHA Forward of the Week: Caiden Gault, Sr., Northern Michigan (Oakbank, Man.) 

Gault led the Wildcats to their first win of the year and a four-point road weekend against Bowling Green, scoring a league-high three goals, including a power-play tally. Finishing at +1 for the weekend with nine shots on goal, he scored once in Northern Michigan’s 3-2 victory on Friday night, before netting a pair in a 4-3 overtime loss on Saturday night.

CCHA Defenseman of the Week: Breck McKinley, Jr., Bowling Green (St. Albert, Alta.) 

McKinley scored a goal – his first of the season – and dished out two assists in helping Bowling Green salvage a split with Northern Michigan last week. Producing a +3 for the series, he had seven shots on goal and his overtime tally on Saturday night was the difference in a 4-3 Falcons victory. He also had two assists in the contest, including setting up the tying goal with 1:15 left in reguation. He averaged 25:59 of ice time in the two games, which was fourth-most among CCHA skaters.

CCHA Goaltender of the Week: Carsen Musser, So., St. Thomas (Fairmont, Minn.) 

Musser helped the Tommies to a split with Lake Superior State last weekend, stopping 27-of-28 shots in a 4-1 victory on Saturday night. His 1.00 goals against average and .964 save percentage were tops among the league’s netminders.

CCHA Rookie of the Week: Nathan Pilling, Fr., St. Thomas (Calgary, Alta.) 

Pilling paced the nation’s rookies with five points last week, scoring a goal with four assists in a series split with Lake Superior State. Producing a +3 rating, he won 52.4% (22-of-42) of his face-offs and recorded four shots and one block across 20:49 minutes of average ice time. On Friday, he had a goal and an assist in a 5-3 loss to the Lakers. He then helped set up three of the Tommies four tallies in a 4-1 win on Saturday.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Players of the Week presented by KJ Branding for the week of Dec. 1-7, 2025 all came up clutch in leading their teams to victories over the weekend. Three teams are represented among the KJ Branding NCHC Week 10 honorees, which consists of two juniors and two freshmen:

• Forward – William Whitelaw, Western Michigan, Jr.
• Defenseman – Jake Livanavage, North Dakota, Jr.
• Goaltender – Quentin Miller, Denver, Fr.
• Rookie – Kyle Chyzowski, Denver, F

These are the first career NCHC honors for both Whitelaw and Chyzowski. Livanavage garnered his sixth career Defenseman of the Week nod but first this season. Miller, meanwhile, gloved his second Goaltender of the Week award this season (both in the last four weeks) and his third NCHC weekly honor of the year (Rookie of the Week once).

FORWARD OF THE WEEK

William Whitelaw, Western Michigan
Junior Forward
Rosemount, Minn.

Whitelaw came up huge for the Broncos on Saturday night, leading No. 7/8 Western Michigan to an overtime win over then-No. 4 Minnesota Duluth. The Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick book-ended the scoring for the Broncos in the series finale for his second multi-goal game this season. His first goal of the night tied the game at 1-1 in the second period, before he scored the game-winner in overtime, going coast-to-coast to give WMU a 3-2 victory. Whitelaw was named First Star of the Game on Saturday.

Whitelaw was held off the scoresheet in Friday’s series-opening loss, but fired three shots on goal, blocked a shot and had an even plus/minus. The Michigan transfer totaled two goals and two points against UMD, with the pair of tallies tying for the NCHC lead on the weekend. Whitelaw put seven shots on goal in the series and posted a +2 plus/minus, which tied for tops among NCHC forwards. On the season, he now leads the team with nine goals while his 15 points are tied for first on the Broncos.

DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK

Jake Livanavage, North Dakota
Junior Defenseman
Phoenix, Ariz.

Livanavage was a force at both ends of the ice to help now-No. 4/6 North Dakota sweep St. Cloud State on the road last weekend. The UND assistant captain recorded points in both games against the Huskies, while anchoring a penalty kill unit that finished 7-for-8 in the series.

Livanavage recorded a primary assist in Friday’s 4-3 win, setting up North Dakota’s third goal on the power play with a point shot that was deflected. The next night, he erupted for two goals, breaking a 2-2 tie in the third period to lift UND to a 4-2 win. His first goal Saturday was the game-winner and came short-handed, marking his first career short-handed goal. Livanavage then sealed the sweep with an empty-net goal for his first career multi-goal game. The undrafted free agent was named First Star of the Game on Saturday, when he logged more than 27 minutes of ice time.

Livanavage finished the series with two goals and three points, both of which led NCHC defensemen and tied all NCHC skaters for tops on the weekend. He also blocked three shots against the Huskies and posted a +1 plus/minus in the series, while firing three shots on goal. Livanavage now has three goals in 16 games this season, while his 10 assists are second on the team and his 13 points pace UND defensemen. A member of the 2025 U.S. Collegiate Selects Team, Livanavage will compete in the Spengler Cup later this month.

GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Quentin Miller, Denver
Freshman Goaltender
Monreal, Quebec

Miller continued his hot play of late, backstopping No. 5/6 Denver to a sweep of then-No. 19 Miami over the weekend. The reigning NCHC Goaltender of the Month allowed only two goals all series, while starting his 13th and 14th straight games in net for the Pioneers. In Friday’s opener, Miller recorded his third shutout of the season and first in NCHC play, stopping all 22 shots he faced in a 4-0 victory. He was named First Star of the Game on Friday. The next night, Miller made 22 more saves in a 5-2 victory to finish the sweep.

Miller compiled a 1.02 goals-against average and a .957 save percentage against Miami, both of which led the NCHC on the weekend, while totaling 44 saves on 46 shots faced. The Montreal Canadiens draft pick also helped Denver go a perfect 7-for-7 on the penalty kill against the RedHawks, including 5-for-5 on Saturday, totaling seven short-handed saves.

Miller is now unbeaten in regulation in his last 11 starts with eight wins and three overtime losses. He improved to 10-4-1 on the season with the two wins, while upping his season save percentage to .931, which is tops in the NCHC, and lowering his GAA to 1.84, which is third in the conference.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Kyle Chyzowski, Denver
Freshman Forward
Surrey, B.C.

Chyzowski had a breakout weekend in Denver’s sweep of then-No. 19 Miami, tripling his season goal total in the series. Entering with one goal all year, the freshman scored both nights against the RedHawks, marking the first time he’s tallied a goal in back-to-back games for DU. In Friday’s opener, Chyzowski scored Denver’s third goal in a 4-0 shutout, which came in the second period. A night later, he struck on the power play in the third period to double the DU lead in an eventual 5-2 win. Chyzowski was named Second Star of the Game on Saturday.

Chyzowski ended the series with two points, while he was the only NCHC rookie to tally two goals on the weekend. He fired four shots on goal, including three on Friday, and finished with a +1 plus/minus against Miami. He also won seven faceoffs, going 7-of-14 in the center circle over the weekend. On the season, Chyzowski upped his totals to three goals and eight points in 17 games.