COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After leading their teams to wins over nationally ranked opponents and recording career firsts at their school, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) announced its Players of the Week for the week of Oct. 17-23, 2022 on Monday. Earning NCHC Week 4 honors are St. Cloud State fifth-year senior Grant Cruikshank for Forward of the Week, Western Michigan junior Cedric Fiedler for Defenseman of the Week, WMU junior Cameron Rowe for Goaltender of the Week and Denver forward Rieger Lorenz for Rookie of the Week.
 
Cruikshank earns his first NCHC Forward of the Week honor and second career NCHC weekly award, claiming Rookie of the Week as a freshman at Colorado College in 2018-19. These are the first career NCHC weekly awards for Fiedler, Rowe and Lorenz.
 
FORWARD OF THE WEEK
Grant Cruikshank, St. Cloud State
Fifth-Year Forward
Delafield, Wis.
 
Cruikshank continued his strong start to his St. Cloud State career, tallying five points to help the Huskies sweep then-No. 2 Minnesota State. In Friday’s series opener, the transfer from CC and Minnesota rallied SCSU to a 3-2 win. He scored the game-tying goal late in the second period and then set up the game-winning goal early in the third period with a primary assist on the power play. The next night, Cruikshank compiled three points, including book-ending the scoring in a 4-3 victory. He opened the scoring with a short-handed goal Saturday, then tallied a helper on SCSU’s second goal, before scoring the game-winner with less than four minutes remaining in regulation to break a 3-3 tie.
 
Cruikshank completed the series with three goals and two assists. The short-handed goal and game-winning goal were both his first as Husky. He also fired six shots on goal in the series and finished with a +2 plus/minus. Cruikshank had a hand in five of SCSU’s seven goals on the weekend.
 
Cruikshank is now riding a five-game goal-scoring streak with six goals in that span, a scoring stretch not seen by an SCSU skater since Judd Peterson did so from Oct. 15-29, 2016. Cruikshank’s six goals this season tie for second nationally, while his 10 points on the year tie for fourth in the NCAA.
 
DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK
Cedric Fiedler, Western Michigan
Junior Defenseman
Zug, Switzerland

Fiedler had a breakout weekend offensively and contributed at both ends of the ice to help Western Michigan split with then-No. 13 Notre Dame. After WMU was held scoreless in the series opener in South Bend on Friday, Fiedler took it upon himself to provide offense on Saturday. The Swiss defenseman scored the first two goals of his collegiate career in the series finale in Kalamazoo, both in the first period in a span of 2:42, to put WMU up 2-0 in an eventual 4-0 shutout. His first goal served as the game-winner, as well.
 
Fiedler finished the split series with two goals, four shots on goal, two blocked shots and a +3 plus/minus, as he was on the ice for three of WMU’s four goals on the weekend. He also helped limit the Fighting Irish to only two goals all weekend, both on Friday, as the Broncos blanked Notre Dame on Saturday. Fielder played on a penalty kill that finished the weekend a perfect 6-for-6, as well.
 
On the season, Fiedler now has three points (2g/1a) in seven games.
 
GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Cameron Rowe, Western Michigan
Junior Goaltender
Wilmette, Ill.
 
Rowe compiled his best weekend yet in net for the Broncos, allowing only two goals all series in a split with Notre Dame. On Friday, the Wisconsin transfer gave up only a pair of second-period goals and made 30 saves in a 2-0 defeat in South Bend. Nine of his saves came short-handed to help kill all three Fighting Irish power plays. The next night in Kalamazoo, Rowe turned aside all 22 shots he faced in a 4-0 victory for his first shutout as a Bronco and the third of his college career. Over half of his 22 saves came in the final frame when he made 12 stops.
 
Rowe finished the series with a 1.03 goals-against average and a .963 save percentage, compiling 52 saves on 54 shots faced. On the season, he lowered his GAA to 1.66, while upping his save percentage to .928. Rowe is now 4-2-0 in five starts and six appearances this season.
 
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Rieger Lorenz, Denver
Freshman Forward
Calgary, Alta.
 
Lorenz tripled his season point total in Denver’s sweep of then-No. 11 Providence. In Friday’s 4-1 victory, he scored his first collegiate goal, which opened the game’s scoring in the first period on the power play. The next night, the Minnesota Wild second-round draft pick had the primary assist on Jack Devine’s overtime game-winning goal to give DU a sweep of the Friars with a 3-2 win.
 
Along with his goal and assist in the series, Lorenz fired three shots on goal against Providence and posted a +2 plus/minus. After entering the weekend with only one point (an assist), Lorenz now has three points (1g/2a) in six games this season.
 
OTHER NOMINEES:
 
Forward of the Week
Matthew Barbolini, Jr., Miami
Riese Gaber, Jr., North Dakota
Jack Randl, Sr., Omaha
Massimo Rizzo, So., Denver
 
Defenseman of the Week
Shai Buium, So., Denver
Chris Jandric, Gr., North Dakota
Davis Pennington, So., Omaha
 
Goaltender of the Week
Dominic Basse, Jr., St. Cloud State
Magnus Chrona, Sr., Denver
Drew DeRidder, 5^th, North Dakota
Ludvig Persson, Jr., Miami
 
Rookie of the Week
Jackson Blake, F, North Dakota