BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – For their outstanding play in December, two Minnesota Gophers have been named to national honors.

Taylor Heise has been named National Player of the Month while Skylar Vetter was honored as National Goaltender of the Month by the Hockey Commissioners Association.

Through Minnesota’s four games played in December, Heise net a team-high of 15 points, all against teams receiving votes in the national polls. In addition to recording five goals and 10 assists, Heise skated to a plus-9 rating on the ice while scoring in every situation with a power play goal, a game-winning goal, and a shorthanded goal.

Heise registered a career-high of five points in two different games this month, while scoring her third career hat trick at No. 14 St. Cloud State (Dec. 10). The performance followed up a career-high of four assists in a 6-0 win over No. 14 St. Cloud State on Dec. 9, which ultimately led to a WCHA Forward of the Week title on Dec. 12.

In an undefeated December, Vetter went 4-0-0 in goal for Minnesota, where she posted a .985 save percentage and a 0.25 goals against average through 239:31 of action. Vetter tallied a total of 67 saves on 68 shots faced for just one goal against the entire month.

Posting three straight shutouts in December, including two over No. 14 St. Cloud State, Vetter enters 2023 on an active shutout streak of 226:09. After earning back-to-back WCHA Goaltender of the Week titles on Dec. 5 and Dec. 12, Vetter added her second WCHA Goaltender of the Month title of the season, after earning the honor in October.

The national recognition is the first for Vetter in her career, while it is the third for Heise after being named a two-time Player of the Month in the 2021-22 campaign.

No. 4 Minnesota is back in action this weekend as it hosts the East/West Showcase at Ridder Arena on Jan. 6-7, featuring Merrimack, New Hampshire, and No. 15 St. Cloud State.

For more information on the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, follow the league on Twitter and Instagram @WCHA_WHockey, and online at the new wcha.com.