WAKEFIELD, Mass. – University of Maine men's hockey freshman Jeremy Swayman picked up his second conference award of the week on Thursday, when Hockey East announced that the goaltender has been named its Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Month. Chase Pearson was the Player of the Month runner-up.
 
Swayman went 4-2-2 with 2.34 goals against average and a .928 save percentage in the month of January. He also earned his first career shutout with a 31-save performance in a 3-0 win over BU on Jan. 6. He was first among conference rookies in save percentage and goals against average in January and made a league-high 244 saves in his eight games played.
 
Swayman, who is unbeaten in his last five starts, has 11 wins this season which ties him with Northeastern's Cayden Primeau for first in the league and second in the nation among freshman goaltenders. His .927 save percentage is fifth overall in the nation and first in Hockey East. The Anchorage, Alaska native had five-straight 30-plus save performances to open up the month and now has 11 on the season.
 
Earlier this week, Swayman was named the league's Defensive Player of the Week for his fifth weekly honor of the season, the most in Hockey East. Last week, he was named the Co-Defensive Player of the week alongside goaltender Danny Tirone of New Hampshire. Previously this season, Swayman has been named the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week twice (1/8, 11/20) and Player of the Week once (12/11). In November, Swayman was the Rookie of the Month runner-up and was the Goaltender of the Month runner-up in December.

Pearson led Maine in scoring in January and was third in the league and tied 10th nationally, dishing out six assists and scoring five goals for 11 points. He also led the league in face-off wins with 110, good for fourth overall in the country. He was a plus-7 on the month and had at least one point in seven of eight games played in January. He had one game-winning goal and assist on another, both in conference wins.
 
This is the second consecutive month in which Maine has taken home the Hockey East Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Month. For December, forward Tim Doherty was tabbed as the Hockey East Rookie of the Month while Patrick Holway was named the Hockey East Player of the Month.

The Black Bears – unbeaten in the last five games – return home this weekend to host Merrimack for two games on Friday and Saturday in the penultimate home weekend of the regular season.

-UMaine-