Bauer Players of the Week Archive

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Leading their teams to sweeps on the road last weekend, three teams are represented among the Bauer National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Players of the Week for the week of Dec. 2-8, 2019. Earning Bauer NCHC week 10 honors are Colorado College senior Chris Wilkie for Forward of the Week, St. Cloud State senior Jack Ahcan for Defenseman of the Week, North Dakota forward Judd Caulfield for Rookie of the Week and UND sophomore Adam Scheel, who repeated as Goaltender of the Week.

Wilkie is now a two-time NCHC Forward of the Week this season and for his career, while Ahcan collected his third career NCHC Defenseman of the Week nod and sixth career NCHC weekly award, but first this season. Scheel garnered Goaltender of the Week for the fourth time this season and third time in four weeks, while he has now claimed the award five times in his career and has six NCHC weekly awards overall. This is Caulfield’s first NCHC honor.

Forward of the Week

Chris Wilkie, Colorado College
Senior Forward
Omaha, Neb.
 
Wilkie had a monster weekend to lead Colorado College to a sweep at Princeton, racking up five points in the two wins, including a pair of goals in both games. He also had a hand in both game-winning goals in the sweep. In Friday’s opener, the Florida Panthers draft pick tied a season high with three points, scoring CC’s fourth and sixth goals in a 7-2 victory, while assisting on the game-winner to make it 3-1 in the second period. He fired four shots on goal and was +3 Friday, while earning First Star of the Game. The next night, Wilkie scored both CC tallies in a 2-1 victory, breaking a scoreless deadlock early in the third period, then potting the game-winner only 19 seconds into overtime for his first career game-winning goal. He was tabbed Second Star of the Game Saturday. Wilkie finished the battle of the Tigers with four goals, an assist, a +5 plus/minus and seven shots on goal, while also blocking two. On the season, he has 16 points in 12 games and is tied for the NCHC lead with nine goals.

Defenseman of the Week

Jack Ahcan, St. Cloud State
Senior Defenseman
Savage, Minn.
 
Ahcan played a key role in helping St. Cloud State snap a four-game losing streak and earn its first sweep of the season, recording three points at Miami last weekend for the Huskies’ first NCHC wins of the season. In Friday’s 2-1 nailbiter, he handed out an assist on the game’s first goal late in the first period that helped spring a breakaway. He also fired five shots on goal and was +1, while helping kill all four Miami power plays. A night later, Ahcan dished out the primary assist on the Huskies’ first two goals, staking SCSU to a lead each time, with the second coming on the power play and putting SCSU up for good. The team captain was +2 in Saturday’s 5-3 victory and earned Second Star of the Game. Ahcan completed the series with three assists, a +3 plus/minus, six shots on goal and two blocked shots (one each night), while anchoring a penalty kill that finished 5-for-5 in the sweep. On the season, he is third among NCHC defensemen with 13 points on three goals and 10 assists.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Judd Caulfield, North Dakota
Freshman Forward
Grand Forks, N.D.
 
Caulfield had a breakout weekend to help North Dakota sweep at Western Michigan and stretch its unbeaten streak to 13 games. After being held in check in Friday’s 1-0 overtime win, Caulfield erupted for a career-high three points, his first career multi-point game, in Saturday’s 8-2 sweep-clinching victory, including scoring the first two goals of his collegiate career. After no goals by either team in 60 minutes on Friday, Caulfield wasted only 93 seconds breaking through on Saturday, scoring his first career goal to put UND ahead 1-0. He then tacked on his second career goal eight minutes later, striking on the power play to make it 3-0, with that goal serving as the game-winner, his first game-winning goal.  The Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick also had the lone assist on UND’s fourth goal, while he finished the game +3 with three shots on goal and was named First Star on Saturday. He finished the series with two goals, an assist, a +3 plus/minus, three shots on goal and one blocked shot. For the season, Caulfield now has seven points on two goals and five assists.

GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Adam Scheel, North Dakota
Sophomore Goaltender
Lakewood, Ohio
 
Once again Scheel was stellar in net to backstop North Dakota to a pair of road wins, allowing only two goals all weekend in a sweep at then No. 17 Western Michigan. On Friday, he made a career-high 41 saves to record his second shutout of the season and third of his career and UND needed all 41, pulling out a 1-0 win in overtime. Nineteen of Scheel’s stops came in the second period, while 15 came short-handed throughout the game to help kill all five WMU power plays. Scheel earned First Star of the Game honors Friday. On Saturday, he made 27 more saves, conceding only two goals, including only one even strength, both coming in the third period of an 8-2 victory. Scheel was tabbed Third Star of the Game on Saturday. He finished the weekend 2-0 with a shutout, a .971 save percentage and a 0.97 goals-against average, while totaling 68 saves on 70 shots faced. This season, Scheel leads the NCHC with a 14-1-2 record, a 1.56 GAA and a .927 save percentage, having played every minute in net for UND.

OTHER NOMINEES:

Forward of the Week
Noah Cates, So., F, UMD – Totaled four points in a sweep at Omaha, tallying two goals and an assist on Friday, while setting up the game-winner on Saturday.
 
Shane Pinto, Fr., F, UND – Pinto chipped in a career-high three points in Saturday’s 8-2 win at WMU, scoring two goals and adding an assist while finishing +3.
 
Nick Poehling, Sr., F, SCSU – Tallied three points in Saturday’s 5-3 win at Miami, scoring a goal and setting up two others while finishing +2.
 
Defenseman of the Week
Matt Kiersted, Jr., D, UND – Had two points in an 8-2 win at WMU on Saturday, scoring a goal and setting up the game-winning goal.
 
Connor Mayer, Fr., D, CC – Handed out two assists in a 7-2 win at Princeton on Friday, including setting up the game-winner, while blocking four shots in the sweep.
 
Rookie of the Week
Sam Renlund, Fr., F, CC – Scored his first career goal in Friday’s win at Princeton, while assisting on the overtime game-winner Saturday to complete a sweep and finish the series +3.
 
Goaltender of the Week
None