Former Trail Smoke Eaters captain and Michigan Tech Huskies forward Jake Lucchini was named the co-WCHA Offensive Player of the Month (PoM) for March on Friday.
Lucchini led the charge offensively for the fifth-seeded Huskies as they won the WCHA tournament for the second year in a row. The 22-year-old Trail native tied for the conference postseason lead with 10 points as he carried his team to a quarterfinal sweep of Bemidji State, posting back-to-back three-point games.
Lucchini scored twice and added an assist to rally Tech from a 3-1 deficit to a 5-3, Game 1 victory, then had a goal and two helpers in a 5-4, Game 2 triumph the next night. In the WCHA Championship, Tech’s assistant captain set up an empty-net goal that sealed the Huskies’ 2-0 win at Northern Michigan. He, along with former Smoke Eaters Brent Baltus and Greyson Reitmeier, helped Huskies win its second straight McNaughton Cup, awarded to the WCHA champion.
Michigan Tech advanced to the NCAA final 16, where Lucchini was named to the NCAA East Region All-Tournament Team after assisting on the Huskies’ first two goals in a 4-3 overtime loss to eventual Frozen-Four finalist Notre Dame in the first round of the national tournament.
In his junior season, Lucchini led the Huskies in scoring and finished seventh overall in the conference with 39 points (16-23-39) in 44 games.
Lucchini spent three seasons with the Smoke Eaters. As Trail’s captain in 2014-15, he led the team in scoring, finishing fourth overall in the BCHL with 35 goals and 83 points in 58 games, while amassing 117 career points in 168 games.
Lucchini was one of three Tech players to be recognized. WCHA goaltender of the month went to Huskies goalie Patrick Munson, while Seamus Donohue was named the WCHA Rookie of the month.
Lucchini also received the WCHA Player of the Week honour on Feb. 5 after a five-point weekend. It was a good week for former Smoke Eaters, as Nick Halloran earned the NCHC PoW for Colorado, and Luke Santerno got the PoW nod for Bentley University in the Atlantic Hockey division.
