Previous Bauer NCHC Players of the Week
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – All four classes are represented among the Bauer National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Players of the Week for the week of Nov. 22-28, 2021, with a freshman, a sophomore, a junior and a senior earning the honors. Garnering Bauer NCHC Players of the Week for week 9 are Western Michigan senior Drew Worrad for Forward of the Week, WMU sophomore Aidan Fulp for Defenseman of the Week, Minnesota Duluth junior Ryan Fanti for Goaltender of the Week and Miami freshman forward Red Savage for Rookie of the Week.
Western Michigan claimed Forward and Defenseman of the Week honors for the second straight week, but these are the first honors of the season for both Worrad and Fulp. Fanti and Savage are both repeat winners from earlier this season.
Forward of the Week
Drew Worrad, Western Michigan
Senior Forward
Birr, Ont.
Worrad continued his stellar senior campaign by racking up six points in a sweep at St. Lawrence over the weekend. On Friday, he tallied a season-high four points in an 8-2 victory. He dished out three assists, including on the game-winning goal, and scored WMU’s fifth goal of the game. A night later in a 5-1 win, Worrad handed out two more helpers, again setting up the game-winner and assisting on WMU’s final goal of the night.
Worrad finished the series with a goal, five assists, six shots on goal and a +3 plus/minus. On the season, he continues to lead the country with both 25 points (in 14 games) and 1.79 points per game, while his 20 assists this year tie for the NCAA lead.
This is Worrad’s second career NCHC Forward of the Week honor, earning it once as a sophomore in 2019-20.
Defenseman of the Week
Aidan Fulp, Western Michigan
Sophomore Defenseman
Westfield, Ind.
Fulp chipped in three points and played a key role on WMU’s blue line in the Broncos’ sweep at St. Lawrence last weekend. Offensively, Fulp dished out an assist in Friday’s 8-2 thrashing, then set up the game’s first goal Saturday and scored WMU’s fourth goal in a 5-1 victory for his first multi-point game of the season. Defensively, he helped limit the Saints to only three goals all weekend and logged big minutes on a penalty kill unit that finished the series 10-for-11, including 6-for-7 Friday and 4-for-4 on Saturday.
Fulp ended the weekend with a goal, two assists, a +3 plus/minus, three shots on goal and a blocked shot. The sophomore doubled his goal total on the season and quadrupled his point total as he now has two goals and two assists for four points in nine games this year.
This is Fulp’s first career NCHC weekly award.
GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Ryan Fanti, Minnesota Duluth
Junior Goaltender
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Fanti was nearly perfect against Alaska, backstopping UMD to a sweep of the Nanooks while allowing only one goal on the weekend and none even strength. On Friday, he made 10 saves and allowed only a power-play goal in a 5-1 victory. A night later, Fanti stopped all 19 shots he faced in a 1-0 overtime win for his fourth career shutout, all of which have come in the last month.
Fanti finished the series with a 2-0-0 record, totaling 29 saves on 30 shots for a .966 save percentage, while posting a 0.50 goals-against average. On the season, Fanti ranks third nationally with both a .946 save percentage and a 1.25 GAA, while his four whitewashes tie for third in the NCAA. He has a record of 9-2-1 on the season in 12 games played.
Fanti has now won NCHC Goaltender of the Week twice in the last three weeks, while this is his fourth career NCHC weekly honor.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Red Savage, Miami
Freshman Forward
Scottsdale, Ariz.
Savage scored his first collegiate goal to power Miami to a win and split against Long Island over the weekend. After being held off the board Friday, the Detroit Red Wings draft pick tallied his first goal as a RedHawk Saturday with a short-handed, breakaway goal in the first period. It doubled Miami’s lead to 2-0 in an eventual 4-1 win, with Savage’s tally serving as the game-winner.
Savage scored his goal on his only shot on goal of the weekend, while also blocking two shots, with one block each game. The centerman was also strong in the faceoff circle, going 11-9 on his 20 draws for a .550 win percentage. He finished with an even plus/minus in the series. On the season, Savage has six points with a goal and five assists in 14 games.
This is Savage’s second NCHC Rookie of the Week honor, also earning it for the week of Oct. 18-24 after a three-assist weekend.
OTHER NOMINEES:
Forward of the Week
Noah Cates, Sr., UMD
Ryan Savage, Jr., Miami
Mark Senden, Sr., UND
Defenseman of the Week
Connor Kelley, So., UMD
Dylan Moulton, So., Miami
Goaltender of the Week
Brandon Bussi, Jr., WMU
Logan Neaton, Jr., Miami
Rookie of the Week
Jake Schmaltz, F, UND
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