Player of the Month
Gabe Valenzuela – RIT
Junior, Forward – Brampton, ONT/North York Rangers
After a slow October, Gabe Valenzuela’s scoring really picked up in November as he recorded 11 points in seven games, increasing his season total to 14. He was the top scorer for RIT and the second-leading scorer in Atlantic Hockey, trailing Canisius’ Ryan Schmelzer who had 12 points in 8 games.
Valenzuela opened the month with five straight multi-point games, capping off the run with a three-point effort, one goal and two assists, in a series-opening game at Air Force. RIT went 3-2-0 in games in which Valenzuela tallied a point and 4-3-0 (4-2-0 in conference play) during the month. He finished November with a plus-seven rating and added four blocked shots.
Goalie of the Month
Paul Berrafato – Holy Cross
Senior, Goalie – Williamsville, NY/Amarillo Bulls
Paul Berrafato started all nine November games for Holy Cross, leading the Crusaders to a 2-3-4 record. He was 2-1-3 in Atlantic Hockey contests, helping Holy Cross move into third in the Atlantic Hockey standings. He led all Atlantic Hockey goalies in minutes played (556:41), goals against average (2.37), and save percentage (0.918).
Berrafato played six games against league foes, all coming against teams who went to Rochester last season, Robert Morris, Air Force, and Army West Point. The senior goalie posted two shutouts, one against Air Force and one against Army, which accounted for his two November wins. He posted 25-plus saves in seven games, including the final three games against non-conference opponents.
Rookie of the Month
Brian Wilson – Niagara
Freshman, Goalie – Pickering, ONT/Powell River Kings
Brian Wilson grabbed hold of the Niagara starting goaltending gig during the month of November, helping the Purple Eagles to a 3-3-1 record and putting them atop the Atlantic Hockey standings. Wilson started all seven games, playing over 416 minutes in net. He earned wins over Bentley, Army, and AIC, but could not hold off Cornell’s attack on November 21st as Cornell overcame a 4-2, third-period deficit to top Niagara 5-4.
The game against Cornell was the only one in which Wilson allowed more than three goals, with his best performance coming at AIC in the final weekend of November. He stopped 27-of-28 shots as Niagara held on for a 3-1 victory. Overall, Wilson made 160 saves in the seven games and posted a 2.59 goals against average, the second-best mark in Atlantic Hockey.
