COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After a big weekend in conference play, Omaha claimed three of the four KJ Branding National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Players of the Week for the week of Nov. 21-27, 2022, while Western Michigan needed only one game to snag the fourth weekly award. Garnering KJ Branding NCHC honors for Week 9 are Omaha junior Matt Miller for Forward of the Week, Omaha grad student Jonny Tychonick for Defenseman of the Week, UNO senior Jake Kucharski for Goaltender of the Week and Western Michigan forward Ryan McAllister for Rookie of the Week.

McAllister landed Rookie of the Week for the fourth time in nine weeks this season, with all of his honors coming in the last seven weeks. This is Miller’s first career NCHC Forward of the Week nod and second career NCHC weekly award, earning Rookie of the Week his first week of collegiate hockey in 2020-21. Kucharski gloved his second NCHC Goaltender of the Week award this season, while Tychonick earned his first career NCHC weekly award on Monday.

FORWARD OF THE WEEK
Matt Miller, Omaha
Junior Forward
Leo, Ind.

Miller powered Omaha to a split at No. 1 Denver last weekend, racking up five points in the series. In Friday’s series-opening, 3-0 shutout of the Pioneers, Miller scored Omaha’s final two goals, less than two minutes apart, in the second period. It was Miller’s first multi-goal game this season and only the second of his career. His second goal Friday came on the power play. The next night, Miller tied a career high and set a season high with three points as he had a hand in all three UNO goals in a 6-3 defeat. The UNO assistant captain dished out primary assists on each of the Mavericks’ first two goals Saturday, then scored his third goal of the weekend early in the third period to make it a 4-3 contest.

With his three goals on the weekend, Miller extended his goal-scoring streak to a career-long four games. He also doled out two assists and fired six shots on goal, with three each night. Miller posted a +2 plus/minus in the series.

On the season, Miller is now second on the team with six goals, after doubling his season total entering the weekend. He is now tied for fourth among the Mavericks with 11 points in 11 games.

DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK
Jonny Tychonick, Omaha
Grad Student Defenseman
Calgary, Alta.

Tychonick was a force at both ends of the ice to help Omaha earn a split at No. 1 Denver over the weekend, including UNO earning its first-ever win over a top-ranked DU squad. On Friday, the Ottawa Senators draft pick assisted on all three of the Mavericks’ goals, while helping keep the Pioneers off the scoreboard at home for the first time this season in a 3-0 shutout win. He had secondary assists on the first (game-winner) and third goals, and the primary assist on the second tally. A night later, Tychonick dished out another apple on Omaha’s third goal to get UNO within one in an eventual 6-3 loss.

Tychonick racked up four assists in the series and blocked three shots, including two on Saturday. He also played on a penalty kill unit that went 4-for-5 against Denver and finished with a +2 plus/minus, while putting two shots on goal.

On the season, Tychonick now has 11 points, which leads all UNO defensemen, while chipping in nine assists and scoring two goals.

GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Jake Kucharski, Omaha
Senior Goaltender
Erie, Pa.
 
Kucharski backstopped Omaha to a road split at No. 1 Denver last weekend, including his first shutout as a Maverick. In Friday’s opener, the American International College (AIC) transfer stopped all 22 shots he faced, holding DU scoreless at home for the first time all season. Of his 22 saves, 10 came in the opening period to keep the game scoreless, while two of his saves came short-handed to kill Denver’s lone power play. It was Kucharski’s fourth career collegiate shutout, but first this season. A night later, the Carolina Hurricanes draft pick made 29 more saves, including 12 in the third period, on 34 shots faced in a 6-3 defeat.
 
Kucharski ended the series with 51 saves on 56 shots faced for a .911 save percentage, tops in the NCHC over the weekend. He also posted a 2.52 goals-against average in the series with the Pioneers, while going 1-1-0 in net. On the season, Kucharski is now 4-5-2 in 11 games played, with a .920 save percentage and a 2.38 GAA, both of which rank in the top five in the NCHC this season.
 
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Ryan McAllister, Western Michigan
Freshman Forward
London, Ont.
 
McAllister continued his tear in his first year of college hockey, tallying three points in Western Michigan’s lone game of the weekend. The undrafted rookie dished out three assists to help lead the Broncos to a 6-4 win over then-No. 18 Northeastern last Friday in the Music City Hockey Classic in Nashville. McAllister doled out a helper on the game’s first goal, then had the lone assist on WMU’s third goal to make it 3-1, while he capped his scoring with another assist on a power play goal that broke a 4-4 tie and proved to be the game-winner.

Along with his three assists, McAllister fired five shots on goal in the victory and posted a +2 plus/minus. He now leads the entire NCAA with both 29 points and 22 assists in 16 games this season.
 
OTHER NOMINEES:
 
Forward of the Week
Judd Caulfield, Sr., North Dakota
Jason Polin, Sr., Western Michigan
 
Defenseman of the Week
Mike Benning, Jr., Denver
Tyler Kleven, Jr., North Dakota
 
Goaltender of the Week
Magnus Chrona, Sr., Denver
Jakob Hellsten, So., North Dakota
 
Rookie of the Week
Dylan James, F, North Dakota
Aidan Thompson, F, Denver