KAYLEY HERMAN

WAKEFIELD, Mass. – Sam Faber (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.) and Kayley Herman (Weyburn, Saskatchewan) of the No. 1 ranked University of New Hampshire women’s ice hockey team were honored as December’s TPS Hockey Player of the Month and ITECH Goaltender of the Month, respectively, by Hockey East on Wednesday afternoon.

Faber, a junior forward, also garnered the TPS Hockey Player of the Month award for November to become the first player in the five-plus year history of the Hockey East women’s league to win the honor in consecutive months.

Faber tallied four goals and three assists for a total of seven points in five December games. Faber recorded 3-1-4 in three games against nationally-ranked teams as well as 1-2-3 in two Hockey East games. She scored one game-winning goal and assisted on two others as she recorded a point in every game to extend her point-scoring streak to eight. Her highlights included a two-goal game against then-No. 1 Harvard University in which she scored the (shorthanded) game-winning goal. Faber led UNH in goals, points, plus/minus (+6) and shots (24) in the month of December.

Herman, a freshman goaltender, went 4-1-0 with a 1.78 GAA, .918 save percentage and one shutout in playing all five December games; she recorded 20+ saves each of the last four games of the month. Herman

SAM FABER

recorded her third career shutout with a then- career-high 24 saves at Northeastern University on Dec. 2. She compiled a 0.96 GAA and .941 save percentage in two league games. Herman went 2-1-0 with a .920 save percentage against nationally-ranked teams and compiled a personal-best 26 saves in a 5-2 win at sixth-ranked Mercyhurst College (Dec. 8) as well as a 22-save effort in which she yielded just one goal to defeat then-No. 1 Harvard on Dec. 14.

Faber has been feted by the league a total of four times this season, including TPS Hockey Player of the Week on Dec. 17. She currently leads the nation in game-winning goals (seven) and is also among the national leaders in goals (11th; 0.70 per game) and points (13th; 1.45 per game).

Herman has received five Hockey East honors, including Mission Rookie of the Week award Dec. 17 and Rookie of the Month for November. She is the current national leader in wins (15) and is No. 3 in GAA (1.24) as well as sixth in save percentage (.930).

UNH (17-3-0 overall, 9-0-0 Hockey East) returns to action Jan. 5 (2 p.m.) at Brown University. The Wildcats’ next home game is Jan. 19 (2 p.m.) against Providence College. Tickets are available at the Whittemore Center box office or online at www.unhwildcats.com.