BEMIDJI, Minn. – Bemidji State University Men's Hockey senior Will Zmolek and sophomore Mattias Sholl were each tabbed as Central Collegiate Hockey Association Players of the Month for December announced by the league Wednesday afternoon.
 
Zmolek was named the league's Defenseman of the Month while Sholl was named the Goaltender of the Month.
 
Zmolek, a native of Rochester, Minn., earns his first career CCHA monthly award after helping the Beavers to a 4-1-1 month of December and led all CCHA defensemen with six points off one goal and five assists. During the month, he also held a four-game point streak that included back-to-back multi-point efforts. He also blocked 15 shots defensively, the fourth-highest total among conference skaters and held a +2 rating on the ice.
 
Sholl, a native of Hermosa Beach, Calif., posted a 4-1-1 record during December and led the CCHA with a 2.26 goals against average and .915 save percentage. He recorded the most wins among conference goaltenders during the month and made a total of 150 saves over 371:21 of action including two games of 30 or more saves. The month was capped-off by stopping 65-of-69 shots at then No. 16 Minnesota State University, Mankato for the Beavers first road sweep of MSU since 2006.
 
Joining Zmolek and Sholl were Bowling Green State University's Austen Swankler as the forward of the month and Minnesota State's Christian Fitzgerald as the rookie of the month.
 
No. 20 Bemidji State returns to regular season action this weekend for a home-and-home series with non-conference opponent University of Minnesota Duluth. The Beavers first host the Bulldogs Friday, Jan. 6 at Sanford Center at 7:07 p.m., for game one and then travel east to Duluth for game two at 6:07 p.m., Saturday.
 
For more information on the Bemidji State men's hockey program, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on Twitter or Instagram (@BSUBeaversMHKY), or like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers).
 
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's hockey in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and women's hockey in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
 
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