Colorado Rubber

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Pioneers sweep NCHC monthly awards for February

 

University of Denver’s Danton Heinen and Dylan Gambrell were recognized for their outstanding months of February, with Heinen being named the NCHC Player of the Month and Gambrell earning NCHC Rookie of the Month honors.

Heinen led all NCAA skaters in scoring last month, registering 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in six games. The Boston Bruins prospect recorded at least two points in all six of his February outings in helping DU amass a perfect 6-0-0 record while outscoring opponents 27-9, the highest average GPG-differential margin (3.00) in all of college hockey for the month. Heinen was twice named the NCHC’s Offensive Player of the Week in February and was named a Star of the Game five times (First Star twice, Second Star twice and Third Star once).

Gambrell finished second to Heinen in points-per-game (2.50 vs. 2.17) nationally last month, registering six goals and 13 points in six games to lead all NCAA freshmen in overall scoring. Currently on an 11-game point streak in which he’s tallied seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points, Gambrell has won the NCHC Rookie of the Week Award three weeks in a row and five times total this season. The NHL Draft-eligible center is also set to be featured in Sports Illustrated this week in the national periodical’s “Faces in the Crowd” section.

The third member of Denver’s ‘Pacific Rim Line’ – junior winger Trevor Moore – finished tied for third in the NCAA in points-per-game for the month after registering four goals and 12 points in six games.

Heinen is from Langley, B.C., Gambrell from Bonney Lake, Wash., and Moore calls Thousand Oaks, Calif., home.

Since Jan. 1, that line ranks 1-2-3 in overall NCHC scoring. Denver has amassed a record of 12-1-3 in that time, which is the best record in the conference since the calendar flipped to 2016.

Entering the final weekend of the regular season, all three members of the line are in contention to win the NCHC’s in-conference scoring title, which was won by Moore in 2014-15.

Currently on its longest winning streak (seven games), since 2010, No. 7 Denver (19-8-5, 15-5-2-0 NCHC) will take on No. 15 Nebraska-Omaha (18-13-1, 8-13-1-0 NCHC) in a two-game series at Magness Arena this coming Friday-Saturday night.

Photo/DU Athletics

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