Previous NCHC Players of the Week

OMAHA, Neb. – With the opening week of the 2020-21 season completed in the Pod at Baxter Arena, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) announced its Bauer Players of the Week for the week of games Dec. 1-6, 2020. Claiming inaugural weekly honors for the eighth season of the NCHC are North Dakota sophomore Shane Pinto for Forward of the Week, UND sophomore Ethan Frisch for Defenseman of the Week, Omaha forward Matt Miller for Rookie of the Week and Minnesota Duluth sophomore Ryan Fanti for Goaltender of the Week.

This is the first career NCHC weekly honor for Frisch, Miller and Fanti, while Pinto was a three-time NCHC Rookie of the Week last season.

Forward of the Week

Shane Pinto, North Dakota
Sophomore Forward
Franklin Square, N.Y.

Pinto started his sophomore campaign strong, tallying two multi-point games to help North Dakota to a 3-0-0 start to the season. The 2019-20 NCHC Rookie of the Year recorded a NCHC-tying-best five points with a pair of goals and three assists in the first week of the NCHC Pod. He dished out an assist on the game-winning goal in the 2-0 season-opening win Wednesday against Miami, while going 18-0 in the faceoff circle in an overtime win against Denver on Friday. Pinto capped his first week with a three-point game in the 8-2 rout of Western Michigan Sunday, potting a pair of goals, including the game-winner, for his third career multi-goal game. The Ottawa Senators draft pick finished the week 47-17 on faceoffs (.734), was +3 and put 12 shots on goal.

Defenseman of the Week

Ethan Frisch, North Dakota
Sophomore Defenseman
Moorhead, Minn.

Frisch notched a point in all three games to open his season, while helping North Dakota record a shutout and surrender only five goals en route to a 3-0-0 start in 2020-21. He opened his campaign with an assist on UND’s second goal of the season in a 2-0 blanking of Miami on Wednesday. On Friday, he scored North Dakota’s second goal to tie the game in an eventual, 4-3 overtime win over then-No. 4 Denver, which was his third career goal. Frisch then capped his first week in the Pod with the lone assist on UND’s fourth goal in an 8-2 defeat of Western Michigan on Sunday, when he was +3. He finished the week +5 with seven shots on goal and five blocked shots.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Matt Miller, Omaha
Freshman Forward
Leo, Ind.

Miller had an excellent start to his collegiate career, totaling five points on three goals and two assists in Omaha’s first four games of the 2020-21 season. After being held scoreless in his first game, he recorded points in the Mavericks’ final three games during week one of the NCHC Pod. Miller tallied his first three points in a 10-2 win over then-No. 17 Western Michigan on Thursday, book-ending the scoring with the first two goals of his collegiate career, while adding an assist in between. He followed that performance with another assist in a 2-1 overtime win over Miami on Saturday and again scored Omaha’s first goal in the final game this week, a 5-3 loss to St. Cloud State Sunday night. Miller finished the week with a +4 rating, fired eight shots on goal and is tied for the NCHC lead in scoring.

GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Ryan Fanti, Minnesota Duluth
Sophomore Goaltender
Thunder Bay, Ont.

Fanti was sharp in his collegiate debut, backstopping the Bulldogs to a 3-0-0 start to the 2020-21 season. He stopped 80 of 87 shots he faced during week one of the NCHC Pod for a .920 save percentage and a 2.33 goals-against average. Fanti turned aside 26 shots in a 5-3 season-opening win over Omaha on Tuesday to start the Pod, for his first career win in his first start, while making 28 more saves in a 2-1 win over then-No. 4 Denver a night later to earn Second Star of the Game. The 6-foot-3 netminder capped his week with another 26-save showing in a 5-3 victory over Miami on Sunday. Fanti was the lone goalie in the NCHC to post a 3-0-0 record in the first week of the Pod, while making the second-most total saves.

OTHER NOMINEES:

Forward of the Week
Kobe Roth, Sr., Minnesota Duluth
Carter Savoie, Fr., Denver
Martin Sundberg, Sr., Omaha

Defenseman of the Week
Mike Benning, Fr., Denver
Wyatt Kaiser, Fr., Minnesota Duluth
Nick Perbix, Jr., St. Cloud State
Jason Smallidge, Jr., Omaha

Rookie of the Week
Riese Gaber, F, North Dakota
Wyatt Kaiser, D, Minnesota Duluth
Veeti Miettinen, F, St. Cloud State
Carter Savoie, F, Denver

Goaltender of the Week
Adam Scheel, Jr., North Dakota

--#NCHCHockey--