Previous Bauer NCHC Players of the Week
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – With several National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) teams in action the last couple weeks, five NCHC student-athletes have been honored as Bauer NCHC Players of the Week for games played during the weeks of Dec. 12, 2021 through Jan. 2, 2022. Earning the first Bauer NCHC weekly honors of 2022 are Denver senior Brett Stapley for Forward of the Week, St. Cloud State senior Spencer Meier for Defenseman of the Week, DU forward Jack Devine for Rookie of the Week, as well as Omaha junior Isaiah Saville and Western Michigan junior Brandon Bussi sharing Goaltender of the Week.
Stapley and Devine each garnered their second honor in three weeks, while Saville gloved his fifth Goaltender of the Week nod this season and second straight. Bussi has now twice won Goalie of the Week this season, while this is Meier’s first career NCHC weekly honor.
Forward of the Week
Brett Stapley, Denver
Senior Forward
Campbell River, B.C.
Stapley continued his strong month of December, racking up six points in a pair of multi-point games against Alaska. In Friday’s 7-2 victory on New Year’s Eve, the Montreal Canadiens draft pick chipped in two points, including scoring the game-winning goal and assisting on DU’s fifth goal. A night later, Stapley tied his career high with four points in a 4-4 tie with the Nanooks. He had a hand in all four DU goals on New Year’s Day, scoring the first while handing out the primary assist on the Pioneers’ next three. He also fired a career-high eight shots on goal in Saturday’s stalemate.
On the weekend, Stapley tallied two goals, four assists, 11 shots on goal and a +4 plus/minus. His goal Friday came on the power play, while he also had a power-play assist. Stapley now has 13 points (6g/7a) in his last six games and is tied for second on the team with 22 points this season (8g/14a).
This is Stapley’s second career NCHC Forward of the Week honor (both in the last month) and fourth career NCHC weekly honor, twice earning Rookie of the Week as a freshman in 2018-19.
Defenseman of the Week
Spencer Meier, St. Cloud State
Senior Defenseman
Sartell, Minn.
Meier contributed at both ends of the ice in St. Cloud State’s home-and-home sweep of Bemidji State to ring in the New Year. He chipped in three points offensively, while helping limit the Beavers to three goals all weekend. On Friday, the team captain scored his second goal of the season on the power play and assisted on the game-winning goal in a 4-1 road victory for only his seventh-career multi-point game. The next night at home, Meier dished out another assist, also on the power play, which put SCSU up 2-1 in an eventual 5-2 victory. He anchored a penalty kill unit that finished a perfect 4-for-4 on the weekend, as well.
Meier finished the series with a goal, two assists and five shots on goal, all five of which he fired on Friday. He also blocked four shots in the series, with two each night.
This is Meier’s first career NCHC weekly award of any kind.
Co-Goaltender of the Week
Brandon Bussi, Western Michigan
Junior Goaltender
Sound Beach, N.Y.
Bussi was stellar in net in his lone game over the holidays, backstopping Western Michigan to a 3-1 win at Michigan State on Wednesday, Dec. 29 in the Great Lakes Invitational. He totaled 28 saves in the game, including 11 in both the second and third periods. He also stopped a penalty shot in the first frame. The lone goal Bussi allowed came on the power play as he didn’t surrender an even-strength goal throughout the night. In addition, he had an assist on WMU’s first goal of the game, his second helper of the season.
Bussi finished with a .965 save percentage in the win. On the season, Bussi is now 14-5-0 with a .916 save percentage and a 2.39 goals-against average.
This is Bussi’s third career NCHC Goalie of the Week nod and second this season.
Co-Goaltender of the Week
Isaiah Saville, Omaha
Junior Goaltender
Anchorage, Alaska
Saville backstopped Omaha to a split at St. Lawrence over the weekend, allowing only three goals in the series and only one even strength. On Friday, the Vegas Golden Knights draft pick made 26 saves in a 3-2 defeat, with two of SLU’s goals coming on the power play and all three coming in the final frame. The next night, Saville bounced back with a 21-save shutout in a 5-0 victory, his fourth shutout of the season and sixth of his career. He allowed goals in only one of six periods in the series.
Saville finished the road trip with a 1-1-0 record, a .940 save percentage and a 1.52 goals-against average, stopping 47 of 50 shots he faced.
This is Saville’s fifth NCHC Goaltender of the Week honor this season and second straight. He is now a six-time Goalie of the Week for his career and has eight career NCHC weekly accolades.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Jack Devine, Denver
Freshman Forward
Glencoe, Ill.
Devine continued his hot play of late, chipping in four points in DU’s win and tie with Alaska over the weekend. In Friday’s 7-2 beatdown, the freshman set up the Pioneers’ third goal, which served as the game-winner. In the series finale, Devine tallied a career-high three points with assists on DU’s first and third goals, while scoring the fourth to make it a 4-2 game in an eventual 4-4 tie. He also fired a career-high six shots on goal Saturday and was +2 in the fourth multi-point game of his career.
Devine ended the series with a goal, three assists, nine shots on goal and a +2 plus/minus. He now has nine points (2g/7a) in his last six games and 13 points (2g/11a) in 17 games this season.
This is Devine’s second NCHC Rookie of the Week honor this season, both coming in the last three game weeks.
OTHER NOMINEES:
Forward of the Week
Sam Hentges, Sr., SCSU
Hunter McKown, So., CC
Brannon McManus, Gr., Omaha
Defenseman of the Week
Chase Foley, So., CC
Justin Lee, Jr., Denver
Goaltender of the Week
Dominic Basse, So., CC
Rookie of the Week
Mason Salquist, F, SCSU
Max Sasson, F, WMU
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