Cornell goaltender David LeNeveu and Colorado College forward Brett Sterling were named winners of the IHCCA Commissioners’ Choice Awards for February. The awards honor the month’s top men’s college player in NCAA Division I and is selected by the Ice Hockey Collegiate Commissioners’ Association (IHCCA).
LeNeveu, a 6-1, 170-pound sophomore, won the Player of the Month Award with a 7-0-1 record, 1.25 goals against average and .947 save percentage in February, as Cornell climbed to No. 2 in the national rankings and claimed its second-straight ECAC regular-season title. The Big Red netminder has led Cornell to the nation’s longest active unbeaten streak (nine games, 8-0-1) heading into the postseason.
The highlight of the month came on Feb. 21 when LeNeveu recorded his sixth shutout of the season, tying a school record set by legendary Montreal Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden, in a 5-0 blanking of Rensselaer. LeNeveu has since broken the school record in a 3-0 win this past Saturday over Yale, making a season-high 31 saves. Yale came into the game with the nation’s fourth highest-scoring offense.
His seven shutouts lead all Division I goaltenders, as does his 1.16 goals against average, .943 save percentage, and .900 winning percentage. LeNeveu’s goals against average is almost a whole goal lower than that of the next lowest average (2.12).
Sterling collected eight goals and 10 points in six games during February. He scored four goals in a 6-2 home-ice victory over defending national champion Minnesota on Feb. 7. In a two-game series at St. Cloud State a week later, he collected three more three goals and a pair of assists. Sterling earned WCHA Offensive Player of the Week honors after both weekends.
With 32 points (22g,10a) for the season, Sterling ranks fourth in the nation among all rookies. He has scored the game-winning goal in CC’s last three victories, including an 8-1 triumph over MSU-Mankato, on Feb. 28 that clinched the WCHA regular-season championship for the Tigers.
