Bauer NCHC Player of the Week Archive

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Leading their teams to unbeaten weekends, a pair of seniors and a pair of freshmen make up the Bauer National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Players of the Week for week eight of the season. Earning Bauer NCHC Player of the Week honors for Nov. 19-25, 2018 are Omaha senior forward Mason Morelli for Offensive Player of the Week, North Dakota freshman blue liner Jacob Bernard-Docker for Defenseman of the Week, Denver freshman forward Tyler Ward for Rookie of the Week and Omaha senior netminder Evan Weninger for Goaltender of the Week.

This is the first career NCHC weekly award for Morelli, Bernard-Docker and Ward, while Weninger collected his ninth career NCHC weekly honor, including seventh Goaltender of the Week nod, but his first this season.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Mason Morelli, Omaha
Senior Forward
Minot, N.D.

Morelli had the best weekend of his career, totaling seven points in a pair of wins over No. 16 Arizona State to power Omaha to its first sweep of the season. On Friday, the team captain tallied a career-high four points and a career-best three assists in a 6-4 victory. He scored a power play goal in the first period and then had the primary assist on UNO’s next three tallies, including the game-tying and game-winning goals in the third period after Omaha trailed 4-3. Morelli was tabbed Second Star of the Game Friday and was +2. The next night, he chipped in three more points in a shutout victory, including his first multi-goal game of the season and third of his career. Morelli opened the scoring with a power play goal early in the first frame, which held as the game-winner, while assisting on UNO’s third goal and sealing the 4-0 victory with an empty-netter. He was again Second Star of the Game Saturday when he was also +2. Morelli finished the series with three goals, four assists, four shots on goal and a +4 plus/minus, while going 9-1 in the faceoff circle (.900).

Defenseman of the Week

Jacob Bernard-Docker, North Dakota
Freshman Defenseman
Canmore, Alberta

Bernard-Docker had his best offensive weekend as a Fighting Hawk so far in a sweep of Alaska Anchorage, as he totaled four points, including the first two multi-point games of his career. In Friday’s 5-2 victory, the Ottawa Senators draft pick dished out a pair of assists, both on the power play in the second period, setting up UND’s second and fourth goals. He also fired three shots on goal and was +1 Friday. The next night, Bernard-Docker played a key role in UND rallying for a 4-3 comeback win. Trailing 2-0, he scored North Dakota’s first goal unassisted in the second period Saturday, while he had the lone assist on the game-tying goal in the third period. The Canadian was tabbed Second Star of the Game Saturday, while firing six shots on goal. Bernard-Docker ended the series with a goal, three power play assists, an NCHC-best nine shots on goal and a +2 plus/minus. He also blocked two shots, led a power play that went 4-for-8 and helped UND’s penalty kill go 7-for-9 against the Seawolves.

Rookie of the Week

Tyler Ward, Denver
Freshman Forward
Kamloops, B.C.

Ward had a breakout weekend against Providence, tallying three points in a win and a tie. In Friday’s 3-1 victory, he notched his second straight multi-point game, setting up the game’s first goal on the power play in the second period, while finishing some beautiful tic-tac-toe passing in the third period for his first career goal to double DU’s lead to 3-1. He was named Third Star of the Game Friday and was +1. Ward then scored his second career goal a night later on the power play, tying the game at 3-3 in the second period of an eventual 4-4 tie. Ward completed the weekend with the first two goals of his career, while adding an assist, putting four shots on goal and posting a +1 plus/minus. He also blocked two shots in the series and is now riding a three-game point streak with five points in that span.

GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Evan Weninger, Omaha
Senior Goaltender
Saskatoon, Sask.

Weninger backstopped Omaha to a sweep of No. 16 Arizona State last weekend, the Mavericks’ first of the season. On Friday, Weninger made 23 saves, including 12 in the third period, in a 6-4 win over the Sun Devils. He helped the Mavericks kill off two five-minute majors as Omaha went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. The next night, the senior was at his best, making 44 saves in a 4-0 shutout over ASU – his and Omaha’s first whitewash of the season – to earn First Star of the Game. Weninger was key to the Mavericks stopping all four ASU power plays and has helped the team kill off 19 straight opponent power plays. The shutout was the fifth of Weninger’s career, moving him into third all-time at UNO.  Weninger finished the weekend with 67 saves on 71 shots faced, good for a 2.00 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage.

OTHER NOMINEES:

Offensive Player
Rhett Gardner, Sr., F, UND – Tallied three goals in a sweep of UAA, including two Saturday when he scored the game-winner, while going 52-17 in the faceoff circle (.754).

Jaakko Heikkinen, So., F, Denver – Scored two goals against Providence with one each night, including tallying the game-winner on Friday and the game-tying goal in Saturday’s draw.

Defenseman
None

Rookie
Taylor Ward, Fr., F, Omaha – Totaled three points in a sweep of ASU, with a goal and an assist Friday, while setting up the game-winner on Saturday.

Goaltender
Devin Cooley, So., G, Denver – In his only game of the weekend, turned aside 39 of 40 shots faced for a .975 save percentage in a 3-1 win over Providence on Friday.

Peter Thome, So., G, UND – In his only action of the weekend, stopped 20 of 22 shots faced for a .909 save percentage in a 5-2 win over UAA on Friday.

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