Bauer NCHC Player of the Week Archive

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – While only four National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) were in action last weekend, there were still several impressive performances on display with the lone NCHC team to win both games over the weekend picking up three of the four Bauer NCHC Players of the Week honors for the week of Nov. 21-27. Garnering NCHC weekly honors for week eight are Denver sophomore forward Dylan Gambrell for Offensive Player of the Week, DU senior blue liner Will Butcher for Defenseman of the Week, Pioneers freshman forward Henrik Borgström for Rookie of the Week and Omaha sophomore netminder Evan Weninger for Goaltender of the Week.

This is Gambrell’s first Offensive Player of the Week award, though he was a five-time NCHC Rookie of the Week last season. Butcher has now earned NCHC Defenseman of the Week three times this season and eight times in his career. This is Borgström’s first career NCHC weekly honor, though he was NCHC Rookie of the Month for October, while Weninger picked up his fourth career NCHC weekly honor and first this season, including second career Goaltender of the Week nod.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Dylan Gambrell, Denver
Sophomore Forward
Bonney Lake, Wash.

Gambrell powered the Pioneers to a pair of wins with a five-point weekend, scoring a goal and adding four assists. In Friday’s 4-3 overtime win at Air Force, the San Jose Sharks prospect tallied a power play goal in the first frame, while he set up the game-winning goal in overtime with the primary assist. He also put five shots on goal in the win and had a plus-1 rating. The next night, Gambrell tied a career high with both three points and three assists, including two primary helpers, while he again set up the game-winning goal in the third period in a 6-5 win over Wisconsin. He finished the weekend with seven shots on goal and a plus-1 rating, while three of his five points came on the power play.

Defenseman of the Week

Will Butcher, Denver
Senior Defenseman
Sun Prairie, Wis.

Butcher anchored Denver’s blue line while also chipping in four points on the offensive end. In DU’s 4-3 overtime win at Air Force, the Colorado Avalanche draft pick handed out two assists, putting the Pioneers in front each time. He also put seven shots on goal and had a plus-1 rating in the win. Butcher compiled two more points on Saturday in a win over Wisconsin, scoring a goal to put DU in front in the first period, while he assisted on a power play goal in the second stanza, and was again plus-1 with five shots on goal. The team captain finished the weekend with three blocked shots, 12 shots on goal and a plus-2 rating, while playing on a penalty kill unit that went 8-for-13 in the two games.

Rookie of the Week

Henrik Borgström, Denver
Freshman Forward
Helsinki, Finland

Borgström led Denver’s offense with a five-point weekend in a pair of wins, scoring two goals and adding three assists. In Friday’s 4-3 overtime win at Air Force, the Florida Panthers prospect dished out two helpers, including on the game-winner in overtime, while putting five shots on goal and posting a plus-2 rating. A night later, Borgström tied a career high with three points, tallying two goals in the second period to give DU a three-goal lead, while he also set up the game-winning goal on the power play in the final frame in an eventual 6-5 win over Wisconsin. The rookie put six shots on goal in the win as well, to go with a plus-1 rating as he was named the game’s First Star. Borgström finished the weekend with a plus-3 rating and 11 shots on goal while winning 17-of-33 faceoffs in the two games.

GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Evan Weninger, Omaha
Sophomore Goaltender
Saskatoon, Sask.

In his only outing of the weekend, Weninger pitched his second career shutout, and the first since his collegiate debut on Oct. 10, 2015, in a 2-0 win at Northern Michigan on Saturday.  Weninger made 31 saves, including 19 in the third period, to pick up Omaha’s first whitewash of the year.  With his 1.000 save percentage in the game, he lowered his season goals-against average to 2.67 and his save percentage to .903, both fifth-best in the NCHC. Weninger also helped kill off all three NMU power plays in the victory, his fifth win of the season.

OTHER NOMINEES:

Offensive Player of the Week
Justin Parizek, Sr., F, Omaha – Scored two goals at Northern Michigan, tallying UNO’s first goal in Friday’s 2-2 tie, while scoring Omaha’s second marker in a 2-0 shutout on Saturday and posting a plus-3 rating in the series.

Defenseman of the Week
None

Rookie of the Week
None

Goaltender of the Week
None

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