Minnesota's Abbey Murphy and Sydney Morrow, Wisconsin's Ava McNaughton, and St. Thomas' Dani Strom earned the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Players of the Month honors for January, presented by Sterling Trophy Awards & Engraving.
The Gopher duo of Murphy and Morrow helped Minnesota to nine wins in January to claim the Forward and Defender of the Month honors, respectively. McNaughton claimed her third WCHA Goaltender of the Month nod after recording seven wins between the pipes for the Badgers and St. Thomas' Strom earned her first Rookie of the Month accolade.
WCHA Forward of the Month
Abbey Murphy, R-Sr., Minnesota (Evergreen Park, Ill.)
Minnesota's Abbey Murphy claimed back-to-back WCHA Forward of the Month honors after recording a league-best 18 points in January. The redshirt senior led the league with eight goals and 10 assists on the month while recording a plus/minus of 11 through 10 games. Murphy recorded her 94th career goal in the Gophers 3-1 win against No. 2 Ohio State, which marked ninth-most goals in Minnesota program history.
Other Nominees: Whitney Tuttle, Minnesota State; Jocelyn Amos, Ohio State; Lauren Stenslie, St. Thomas; Casey O'Brien, Wisconsin
WCHA Defender of the Month
Sydney Morrow, Jr., Minnesota (Darien, Conn.)
For the first time this season, Minnesota's Sydney Morrow claimed the WCHA Defender of the Month award. Morrow co-led Gopher defenders with four goals and five assists throughout the month of January and led the team with two power-play goals. The Darien, Connecticut native also recorded a game-winning goal and a plus/minus of 10. Morrow was named the WCHA Defender of the Week on Jan. 6 after a three-goal, one-assist performance against Brown and Penn State. She also tallied four multi-point games in January.
Other Nominees: JuliAnna Gazdik, Minnesota State; Emma Peschel, Ohio State; Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin.
WCHA Goaltender of the Month
Ava McNaughton, So., Wisconsin (Seven Fields, Pa.)
Ava McNaughton was named the WCHA Goaltender of the Month for the third time this season as the sophomore netminder posted seven wins during January including four against nationally-ranked opponents. McNaughton's seven wins were the second most in the WCHA in January. McNaughton's one shutout on the month came against No. 2 Ohio State as she was tied for the second-most shutouts among WCHA goaltenders. Her .938 save percentage was the second-best among goalies with more than four appearances in the month.
Other Nominees: Hannah Clark, Minnesota; Ève Gascon, Minnesota Duluth; Amanda Thiele, Ohio State; Emilia Kyrkkö, St. Cloud State; Dani Strom, St. Thomas.
WCHA Rookie of the Month
Dani Strom, F, St. Thomas (Dayton, Minn.)
After helping St. Thomas to its first series sweep over a nationally-ranked opponent in January, Dani Strom claimed her first WCHA Rookie of the Month honor. Strom led the Tommies to a series sweep of No. 6 Minnesota Duluth where she recorded a combined 73 saves in the series and posted a save percentage of .943 in the opening game. The rookie netminder collected a total of 208 saves on the month, marking the second-most of any WCHA netminder in January.
Other Nominees: Morgan Smith, Bemidji State; Gracie Graham, Minnesota; Caitlin Kraemer, Minnesota Duluth; Audrey Garton, Minnesota State; Mira Jungåker, Ohio State; Emilia Kyrkkö, St. Cloud State.
For more information on the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, follow the league at WCHA.com and on its social platforms: X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
2024-25 WCHA Players of the Month:
January - Forward: Abbey Murphy, Minnesota; Defender: Sydney Morrow, Minnesota; Goaltender: Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin; Rookie: Dani Strom, St. Thomas
December - Forward: Abbey Murphy, Minnesota; Defender: Chloe Primerano, Minnesota; Goaltender: Ève Gascon, Minnesota Duluth; Rookie: Morgan Smith, Bemidji State
November - Forward: Laila Edwards, Wisconsin; Defender: Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin; Goaltender: Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin; Rookie: Caitlin Kraemer, Minnesota Duluth
October - Forward: Casey O'Brien, Wisconsin; Defender: Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin; Goaltender: Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin; Rookie: Emilia Kyrkkö, St. Cloud State
September - Forward: Casey O'Brien, Wisconsin; Defender: Emma Peschel, Ohio State; Goaltender: Ève Gascon, Minnesota Duluth; Rookie: Caitlin Kraemer, Minnesota Duluth