Gordon and Pietila named to Tim Taylor Award Watch List

HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech freshmen Isaac Gordon and Chase Pietila have been named to the Tim Taylor Award Watch List which is given to the National Rookie of the Year. The award is sponsored by the Hockey Commissioners Association and is voted on by the nation's assistant coaches.

Isaac Gordon leads the Huskies with 23 points and 13 goals. The Landmark, Manitoba native ranks second in the CCHA in goals which is seventh amongst NCAA rookies. He is 14th amongst NCAA newcomers in points. Gordon enters the weekend on a four-game point streak and is a three-time selection for CCHA Rookie of the Week. Gordon tallied his first collegiate hat trick on November 3 in a 6-4 win over Augustan with three goals and an assist. He scored the game-winning goal against. Bowling Green (Dec. 2) and had a goal and an assist at Bemidji State (Nov. 11) and against Northern Michigan (Dec. 8).

Defenseman Chase Pietila leads Tech with 16 assists which is tied for the CCHA lead and ranks fourth in the nation amongst rookie defensemen. The Howell, Michigan native also leads the Huskies with 40 blocked shots which is fourth in the CCHA. The youngest Pietila on the roster went on a seven-game point streak from December 8 -January 19. He was named to the Great Lakes Invitational All-Tournament Team with three assists in the tournament and is a two-time recipient of the CCHA Defenseman of the Week Award and was also named the CCHA Rookie of the Week once this season.

At season's end, a ballot consisting of each Division I conference's Rookie of the Year will be presented to the assistant coaches and they will vote, one vote per school, to identify the winner. This year's National Rookie of the Year will be announced during April's Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The Hockey Commissioners Association National Rookie of the Year award was first handed out in 2007 and was changed to the Tim Taylor Award for the 2013-14 season. Tim Taylor was the head coach at Yale from 1976-2006 and passed away in 2013 after a four-year battle with cancer. He received the Legends of College Hockey Award by the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Committee.