Robert Morris redshirt junior forward Brittany Howard has been named the College Hockey America Player of the Year — the first ever Robert Morris player to earn that honor.
With 48 points in 32 games, Howard is ranked eighth in the nation in scoring. Her 30 assists are also eighth in the country and her six power play goals are tied for fourth in the nation.
Howard was given the award at the CHA banquet in Buffalo, New York on Wednesday night. At the same time, head coach Paul Colontino and three of Howard’s teammates were also honored.
Colontino was named the CHA Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. The No. 9 Colonials skated to their first regular season title. Colontino also won in 2012.
Forward Jaycee Gebhard was honored as the CHA Rookie of the Year. Earlier in the day, Gebhard had won the Rookie of the Month award for February, finishing a clean sweep of the conference’s monthly awards. Gebhard’s 44 points make her the highest-scoring first-year player in the country with a 12-point lead on second place.
Howard was also named to the all-CHA first team, along with senior goaltender Jessica Dodds and sophomore defender Kirsten Welsh. Gebhard was named to the all-CHA second team and the all-rookie team.
The Colonials are in Buffalo for the CHA tournament, which begins on Thursday. They have a bye into the semifinals and will play at 4 p.m. Friday, with their opponent to be announced.
