DENVER – The University of Denver hockey team had two freshmen earn NCHC monthly honors on Tuesday as defenseman Zeev Buium was named Player of the Month while forward Miko Matikka was selected as the conference's Rookie of the Month.
 
This is the first monthly awards for each player and both are now eligible to be selected for National Player of the Month awards, which will be announced later this week by Hockey Commissioners' Association. Denver repeats as winners in the two NCHC categories after Massimo Rizzo was named Player of the Month and Boston Buckberger was named Rookie of the Month in October.
 
Buium becomes just the second freshman in NCHC history to be recognized as Player of the Month, joining North Dakota's Brock Boeser in March/April 2016. The defenseman led all players in the conference in November with 14 points, 11 assists and a plus-13 rating while also contributing three goals in eight games.
 
The San Diego, California, native is on an eight-game point streak, tying Sean Behrens (Jan. 15-Feb. 5, 2022) for the longest by a Pioneer freshman defenseman since 2002. The 17-year-old was named the NCHC's Rookie of the Week on Monday after totaling five points in Denver's weekend sweep of Yale. He scored last Friday before contributing a career-high four assists on Saturday—the most helpers in a game by a DU rookie defenseman since 2002 and just the third instance by a freshman D-man in the NCAA since 2016.
 
Buium leads all Denver rear guards and ranks fourth on the squad with 18 points this season. Nationally, he ranks tied for second among blueliners in the country in scoring and is first among freshman defenseman in points.
 
Matikka recorded his first career points in November, registering seven goals and three assists in eight games. He joins Buium on an active eight-game point streak and scored a goal in six consecutive games from Nov. 4-24. It was the longest goal streak by a Denver player since Dylan Gambrell went on a seven-game run from Feb. 13-March 5, 2016 (8g/14a).
 
The Helsinki, Finland, native recorded his first career point with an assist on Nov. 3 against Colorado College and scored his first goal the next night on Nov. 4 at CC. The Arizona Coyotes draft pick registered his first multi-goal performance in DU's following game on Nov. 10 at Arizona State. He also scored two game-winning goals in the month.
 
Matikka was twice named the NCHC Rookie of the Week in the month, earning the awards consecutively on Nov. 13 and 20. Magnus Chrona was the last Denver player to win back-to-back weekly honors from the conference with Goaltender of the Week on Jan. 17 and 24, 2022.
 
DU's Carter King was also a nominee for the league's Player of the Month while Freddie Halyk was a finalist for Goaltender of the Month.
 
Western Michigan's Cameron Rowe was named Goaltender of the Month after compiling a 5-3-0 record, 1.64 goals-against average, .938 save percentage and two shutouts.
 
 
UP NEXT: No. 3 Denver wraps up its season-long six-homestand this weekend against No. 2 North Dakota at Magness Arena. Friday's game begins at 7 p.m. MT while Saturday's game starts at 6 p.m. MT.

TICKETS: Single-game tickets, as well as 5-Game Packs and full and half-season ticket plans are all available to purchase here.