Force alumni in NCAA tournament

Good luck to all of our Fargo Force alumni playing in the NCAA D-1 hockey tournament starting this weekend.

• Andy Taranto (Alaska-Fairbanks) - 17 goals, 24 assists, 41 points (tied for team lead), CCHA rookie of the year.
• Mike Lee (SCSU) - 11-9-3, .918 save percentage, 2.74 goals against average.
• Jake Areshenko (Bemidji State) - 3 assists, +11 in 32 games.
• Steve Spinell (Miami) - 1 goal, 3 assists and +12 in 28 games.

Andy Taranto: CCHA Rookie of the Year

Andy Taranto became the first University of Alaska Nanook to be honored as the CCHA Rookie of the Year.  He led all rookies in conference scoring with 31 points (12g, 19a) in 28 games and also finished the regular season ranked third in the nation in rookie scoring with 39 points (16g, 23a).  Taranto tied for the USHL lead with 34 goals during the 2008-09 regular season and ranked tied for second overall with a plus-33 rating on his way to being named All-USHL Second Team.  He also helped guide the Fargo Force to the Clark Cup Finals during their inaugural season scoring 14 points (7g, 7a) in nine postseason contests.  (From USHL.com)

Taranto grabs second CCHA Rookie of the Month Award

Former Fargo Force forward Andy Taranto has earned another CCHA Rookie of the Month Award, this time for the month of February. Taranto is currently leading the Nanooks in scoring with 39 points (16 goals, 23 assists) and boasts a +11 in plus/minus.

Congratulations Andy on yet another impressive feat!

Check out the full article on the Alaska Nanook hockey news page here: University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics - Taranto Grabs Second CCHA Rookie of the Month Award

Taranto tearing it up

Former Fargo Force standout, Andy Taranto, has been named the CCHA Rookie of the Month for November.  He is leading the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks with 18 points (7 goals, 11 assists).

He scored five goals and seven assists for a total of 12 points during November and registered at least one point in seven of the eight games played with five straight multi-point games. Five of his seven goals have come on the power play, which ties him for second in the CCHA and fifth in the nation.

He was also named CCHA Rookie of the Week for November 30 after recording three goals and an assist in a pair of shootout wins over Northern Michigan. He also tallied the decisive shootout goal Friday, Nov. 27 to earn the Nanooks the extra point in the conference standings (Prohockeynews.com)

Andy now wears #29 instead of the #20 that Force fans were accustomed to.

Updates on former Force players

Mike Lee is the starting goaltender as a freshman for the St. Cloud State Huskies.  Lee has played in four games and has played very well.  He is 1-1-2 with a 92.6% save percentage and a 2.18 GAA.  Lee is expected to carry much of the load this year for SCSU and is a shoe in for Team USA at the upcoming 2010 IIHF World Junior Championships that former Force coach Dean Blais will be heading.

Luke Witkowski is playing defense for Western Michigan.  Luke has played in four games with the Broncos and has registered 5 shots with a -2 rating.  Western Michigan is currently 4-0 playing in the CCHA.

Keegan Flaherty is playing with the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs.  Flaherty has played in seven games and has registered one assist as a freshman.  The Bulldogs are 4-2-1 on the young season.

According to this site, Oleg Lee was drafted in the 3rd round, 67th overall in the KHL draft by Atlant Mytischi.  I wasn't able to find anything else for Oleg Lee.

Jake Areshenko is playing for Bemidji State.  He has played in three games for the Beavers, but has yet to register anything statistically.

Former Fargo Force fan favorite, Andy Taranto, is playing for the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.  He has one goal, two assists for a total of three points in four games for the Nanooks.

Josh Birkholz is playing for the University of Minnesota.  He has played in three games only to register two penalty minutes.  Birkholz is one of four freshmen for the Golden Gophers.

Steve Spinell is playing for the University of Miami (Ohio) Redhawks.  The Redhawks are the top ranked team in college hockey right now and Spinell has seen action in two games registering two penalty minutes for the nation's number one team.