Men's Ice Hockey 2/21/2017 2:30:00 AM By NCHC

Bauer NCHC Players of the Week: February 13-19, 2017

Denver’s Terry and Butcher, UMD’s Miska and WMU’s Blacker honored for week 18

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – With the top three teams in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) the only NCHC teams to pick up wins last weekend, their players also picked up all the Bauer NCHC Player of the Week honors for the week of Feb. 13-19, 2017. Collecting NCHC Players of the Week for week 18 are Denver sophomore forward Troy Terry for Offensive Player of the Week, DU senior blue liner Will Butcher for Defenseman of the Week, Minnesota Duluth freshman goaltender Hunter Miska for Rookie of the Week and Western Michigan freshman netminder Ben Blacker for Goaltender of the Week.

Terry earned his second Offensive Player of the Week nod this season and of his career, while Butcher’s honor is the 11th Defenseman of the Week award of his career and sixth this season. Miska and Blacker are both now five-time NCHC weekly award winners, including Miska’s second Rookie of the Week honor and Blacker’s third Goaltender of the Week award.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Troy Terry, Denver
Sophomore Forward
Highlands Ranch, Colo.

Terry tallied his first points since returning from injury, potting three goals in a pair of 5-2 wins to lead Denver to a sweep at Miami. On Friday, he scored Denver’s second goal of the game on the power play early in the second period, while putting four shots on net. The next night, the Anaheim Ducks prospect notched his third multi-goal game this season. Terry scored DU’s first goal of the night, again on the power play, to tie the game in the first period, while burying the game-winner in the second period to break a 2-2 tie. He was named First Star of the Game while posting a plus-1 rating. Terry ended the weekend with two power play goals, seven shots on goal and a plus-1 rating. He now has 25 points on the season, including 14 goals, which is second on the team.

Defenseman of the Week

Will Butcher, Denver
Senior Defenseman
Sun Prairie, Wis.

Butcher was a force at both ends of the ice in Denver’s sweep at Miami last weekend. He led the NCHC with four points on the weekend, while anchoring a penalty kill unit that went 8-for-9 in the series. The team captain tied a career high with three points on Friday, setting up DU’s second goal on the power play, while scoring the game-winner with six minutes to play to break a 2-2 tie and assisting on an insurance goal minutes later. He also put four shots on net, blocked three shots and posted a plus-2 rating to earn First Star of the Game. In a second straight 5-2 win Saturday, Butcher set up DU’s first goal, again on the power play, to tie the game in the first period. The Colorado Avalanche prospect finished the weekend with a goal, three assists, a plus-3 rating, four shots on goal and three blocked shots. On the season, Butcher leads all NCHC defensemen with 30 points, including a conference-best 24 assists.

Rookie of the Week

Hunter Miska, Minnesota Duluth
Freshman Goaltender
Stacy, Minn.

Miska continued his stellar rookie campaign by backstopping Minnesota Duluth to a five-point weekend at Colorado College, picking up a win and a tie while allowing only three goals in the series. On Friday, he compiled 20 saves in a 2-1 win with the only goal allowed coming on the power play, though he still stopped four shots short-handed. The next night he was named Second Star of the Game after racking up 34 saves in a 2-2 overtime tie, his most saves in nearly a month, turning aside 15 shots in the third period. He helped UMD’s penalty kill go 9-for-10 Saturday, making 11 saves short-handed, plus three saves in 3-on-3 overtime with CC on a five-minute power play, allowing the Bulldogs to earn the extra point in a shootout after he denied the Tigers on their only shootout attempt. Miska finished the weekend with a .947 save percentage, a 1.44 goals-against average and 54 total saves on 57 shots faced. On the season, he ranks second in the NCHC with both a .929 save percentage and a 1.93 GAA while posting an 18-4-4 record with an NCAA-best-tying five shutouts.

GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Ben Blacker, Western Michigan
Freshman Goaltender
Oakville, Ont.

Blacker played a critical role in leading Western Michigan to the program’s first ever weekend sweep of North Dakota, compiling 76 saves in the series while allowing two goals each night. On Friday, he made 32 saves in a 4-2 victory, including eight saves on UND’s two power plays as WMU killed both, en route to Second Star of the Game. The following night, Blacker piled up a career-high 44 saves in a 3-2 win, including 16 saves in each of the final two periods. He made seven of his saves short-handed as the Broncos were 3-for-4 on the penalty kill while he was tabbed First Star of the Game. Blacker ended the weekend with a .950 save percentage and a 2.00 goals-against average. On the season he ranks third in the NCHC with both a .923 save percentage and a 2.26 GAA, while posting a 13-3-1 record and three shutouts.

OTHER NOMINEES:

Offensive Player of the Week
None

Defenseman of the Week
Cole McCaskill, So., D, CC – Tallied the game-tying goal late in Saturday’s 2-2 tie with UMD, while putting eight shots on goal and posting a plus-1 rating in the series.

Rookie of the Week
None

Goaltender of the Week
Tanner Jaillet, Jr., G, DU – Backstopped Denver to a road sweep at Miami, compiling 41 saves while posting a .911 save percentage and a 2.01 GAA in the series.

Alex Leclerc, Fr., G, CC – Went 0-1-1 against UMD, totaling 49 saves while allowing four goals with a .925 save percentage and a 1.92 GAA in the series.

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