HAVERHILL, Mass. - Freshman forward Daniel Bahntge of the Mercyhurst men's hockey team has been named the Atlantic Hockey Association's Rookie of the Month for his performance during the month of November. The announcement was made by the league office on Wednesday afternoon.

The freshman from Westlake, Ohio averaged one point per game during the month of November, scoring eight points (two goals, six assists) in eight games, as the Lakers went 4-3-1 overall. Bahntge had at least one point in six of the eight games, including two multiple point games against Connecticut and against Bentley, where he had a goal and an assist in each of those games. Bahntge scored his first-ever game winning goal (which was also his first-ever power play goal) in a 2-1 win over Bentley on November 19. He also assisted on the game-tying goal in the win over the Falcons. During the month, Bahntge took 24 shots and had a +4 plus/minus rating.

With his eight-point month, Bahntge is now tied for the team lead in scoring with 10 points (three goals, seven assists). He became the first player on this year's roster to reach 10 points for the season with an assist in the first period against Wisconsin last Saturday. He was later joined by senior Derek Elliott, who scored a third period goal against the Badgers, to reach double figures in scoring.

Bahntge is tied for 12th in the conference with his 10 points, but is tied for third in the conference among freshmen. His seven assists is tied for eighth overall in the conference and is third among freshmen.

Mercyhurst currently sits in second place in the Atlantic Hockey Association, two points behind Air Force. After taking on Wisconsin last weekend, the Lakers (6-7-1, 5-1-1 AHA) will return to conference action this weekend as they travel to Army (1-6-5, 1-4-3 AHA) for a pair of contests on Friday, December 2 and Saturday, December 3. Faceoffs are scheduled for 7:05 p.m. both nights from West Point, N.Y.