Previous Winners
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – With the regular season complete, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) announced its final Bauer NCHC Players of the Week for the season on Monday as four different teams were represented. The winners for the week of March 2-8 (week 20) are Miami senior forward Austin Czarnik for Offensive Player of the Week, Omaha freshman blue liner Joel Messner for Defenseman of the Week, Denver freshman defenseman Adam Plant for Rookie of the Week and Western Michigan junior netminder Lukas Hafner for Goaltender of the Week. Hafner has now captured NCHC Goaltender of the Week three times this season, while it is the first NCHC weekly honor of the season for each of the other three.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Austin Czarnik, Miami
Senior Forward
Washington, Mich.
Czarnik tallied a four-point weekend to lead Miami to a split against top-ranked North Dakota. After being held scoreless on Friday, the team captain exploded for four points on Senior Night, including his first career hat trick, to power Miami to a 6-3 victory. Two of Czarnik’s three goals came short-handed, while he also added an assist and posted a plus-4 rating in the win. He scored Miami’s first two goals of the game Saturday, first tying the game and then putting the RedHawks in front short-handed. Czarnik then capped his hat trick with an unassisted short-handed tally late in the second period, which turned out to be the game-winning goal as well, as that put Miami up, 4-2. Czarnik capped his career night with the primary assist on Miami’s fifth goal to restore a two-goal lead. He put six shots on goal Saturday and was named the game’s first star. His three goals more than doubled his season total of two entering the night. Czarnik finished the weekend with a plus-3 rating and went .545 in the faceoff circle (30-25).
DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK
Joel Messner, Omaha
Freshman Defenseman
Lorette, Manitoba
Messner contributed at both ends of the ice to help Omaha pick up four points in its regular-season finale series against Colorado College. Offensively, he chipped in three assists, including two in Saturday’s win. In Friday’s overtime tie, he assisted on UNO’s first goal of the game, which came short-handed in the first period. He put three shots on goal in the draw and was named the game’s third star. The next night, he recorded his first collegiate multi-point game with a pair of helpers in a 4-2 win. He set up Omaha’s tying goal in the second period and then assisted on the game-winner late in the third period to break a 2-2 tie. He finished with a plus-3 rating in Saturday’s win and totaled five shots on goal in the series. Defensively, Messner blocked a shot in each game for two on the weekend, while he led a UNO penalty kill that went 5-for-6 in the series and he finished with a plus-3 rating on the weekend.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Adam Plant, Denver
Freshman Defenseman
Penticton, B.C.
Plant stepped up his game to help Denver earn a split at St. Cloud State and also clinch home ice for the NCHC Quarterfinals. In Friday’s 3-2 win, he scored the game-winning goal in the third period to break a 2-2 tie, which was also his first career goal as a Pioneer. Plant put three shots on goal in the game and also posted a plus-2 rating in the victory. He was named the game’s first star for his efforts. On Saturday, Plant logged increased minutes on the back end as DU was without senior defenseman Joey LaLeggia due to injury. He put two more shots on goal Saturday and finished with five on the weekend. Plant also blocked a shot Saturday. He compiled a plus-2 rating on the weekend and helped DU’s penalty kill go 2-for-4 in the series.
GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Lukas Hafner, Western Michigan
Junior Goaltender
Toledo, Ohio
Hafner was stellar in his only appearance of the weekend, pitching a shutout against No. 6/6 Minnesota Duluth Saturday in a 3-0 Bronco victory. He stopped all 18 shots that came his way to lead WMU to its first shutout of the season and first since Dec. 28, 2013. It was Hafner’s third career shutout. Of his 18 saves, 15 came over the final two periods as the Bulldogs picked up the pressure in a one-goal game. Hafner also stopped seven shots on UMD’s power plays as he helped the Broncos go 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. He was named the game’s second star Saturday while earning his 11th win of the season in net. Hafner finished the weekend with a 1.000 save percentage and a 0.00 goals-against average.
OTHER NOMINEES:
Offensive Player of the Week
Jonny Brodzinski, Jr., F, SCSU – Notched a four-point weekend in a split with Denver, assisting on a goal in Friday’s loss, while scoring two goals and assisting on the game-winner Saturday when he had a plus-4 rating.
Matt Hansen, So., F, CC – Scored his first two goals of the season at Omaha with Friday’s goal tying the game at 2-2 in an eventual tie, while he also scored a goal to tie the game in a loss Saturday.
Trevor Moore, So., F, DU – Tallied two points and a plus-3 rating in a split at SCSU, assisting on the game-winning goal Friday, while scoring a goal in Saturday’s loss when he was plus-2.
Justin Parizek, So., F, Omaha – Notched three goals in a win and a tie with CC, scoring both goals in Friday’s 2-2 tie, one short-handed and one on the power play, while he added another goal in Saturday’s win and posted a plus-2 rating in the series.
Defenseman of the Week
None
Rookie of the Week
None
Goaltender of the Week
Tanner Jaillet, Fr., G, DU – In his only game of the weekend, backstopped DU to a 3-2 win at SCSU, making 40 saves while allowing just two goals for a .952 save percentage.
Tyler Marble, So., G, CC – Went 0-1-1 in net at Omaha, backstopping CC to an OT tie and shootout win on Friday with 32 saves and three more in the shootout, while Saturday he stopped 31 shots and finished the series with a .926 save percentage and a 2.42 GAA.
Zane McIntyre, Jr., G, UND – Went 1-1 in a split at Miami, making 43 saves and allowing just one goal in Friday’s victory to clinch the Penrose Cup while he finished the weekend with 66 saves, a .917 save percentage and a 3.03 GAA.
--#NCHCHockey--