More Honours for NOTL's Matteo Giampa

Giampa named to the watch list for the Tim Taylor Award for Divison I hockey rookie of the year; also named AHA's rookie of the month for January

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Virgil resident Matteo Giampa of the Canisius University Golden Griffins is on the watch list for the Tim Taylor Award, given to NCAA Division I hockey's top freshman. Supplied/Tom Wolfe

The honours and recognition just keep coming for 20-year-old NOTL native Matteo Giampa.

Last week he was named as one of almost 80 hockey players from 64 NCAA Division I schools to be nominated for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award, presented to the nation’s top college hockey player.

This week the freshman forward for the Canisius University Golden Griffins finds himself on another nomination list. Giampa has been officially been placed on the watch list for the Tim Taylor Award, given each year to the nation’s best rookie hockey player. Since its inception in 2007, past winners have included former Buffalo Sabres top draft pick Jack Eichel, Kyle Connor, Clayton Keller, Devon Levi and Adam Fantilli.

Giampa continues to set the pace for the Griffs, leading the team with 16 goals and 27 points. Those numbers place him second among all Division I freshmen in goals and ninth in assists. Amazingly, he has earned a point on 36 percent of Canisius’ goals

And if that wasn’t enough, he was also named last week as the Atlantic Hockey Association's Rookie of the Month for January. Giampa also won that same award back in November, when he also captured the AHA’s Player of the Month honours.

Giampa is back in action with Canisius for a three game homestand that began with their Tuesday night game against rival Niagara University. The Bentley University Falcons make the trip from Waltham, Massachusetts to Buffalo’s LECOM Harborcenter to take on the Golden Griffins Friday and Saturday.