COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Hat tricks and shutouts were on full display by the KJ Branding National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Players of the Week during the week of Dec. 5-11, 2022, with three teams claiming awards. Garnering KJ Branding NCHC honors for Week 11 are Colorado College junior Hunter McKown for Forward of the Week, CC senior Connor Mayer for Defenseman of the Week, North Dakota fifth-year senior Drew DeRidder for Goaltender of the Week and Miami forward John Waldron for Rookie of the Week.

This is McKown’s second NCHC Forward of the Week honor this season and third career NCHC weekly award (also Rookie of the Week once). For Mayer, it’s his first Defenseman of the Week nod and second career NCHC weekly award, also earning Rookie of the Week one time. These are the first ever NCHC weekly awards for both DeRidder and Waldron.

FORWARD OF THE WEEK
Hunter McKown, Colorado College
Junior Forward
San Jose, Calif.

McKown provided CC the offensive spark it needed to sweep Omaha, scoring four of the Tigers seven goals in the series. In Friday’s opener, McKown tallied his second career hat trick to rally the Tigers to a 6-4 victory. All three of his goals came in the third period, which started with CC trailing, 3-2. McKown scored his first goal unassisted only 48 seconds into the final frame, then added a power play goal less than four minutes later to give the Tigers the lead. The assistant captain capped his hat trick with an empty-net goal to seal the win. McKown’s first goal Friday was a highlight-reel tally that was the No. 3 play on SportsCenter’s Top 10 that night. The next night, he scored the game’s only goal in a 1-0 win, which came on the power play in the second period on Saturday.

McKown finished the weekend with four goals, including two power play tallies and one game-winning goal. He also fired nine shots on goal in the series, including seven on Friday.

On the season, McKown now leads the Tigers with both 16 points and 13 goals. His 13 goals tie for third nationally, while his nine power play goals lead the country by three.

DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK
Connor Mayer, Colorado College
Senior Defenseman
Champlin, Minn.
 
Mayer was a force at both ends of the ice in CC’s sweep of Omaha, providing some offense on Friday and playing shut-down defense on Saturday. In Friday’s 6-4 victory, Mayer tallied a season-high two points and tied a career high with a +3 plus/minus. He scored the game’s opening goal Friday only 4:59 into the contest, which was his first marker of the season. He then added the lone assist on the game-winning goal late in the third period, which broke a 4-4 tie. On Saturday, Mayer blocked five shots to match his career high, while helping blank Omaha in a 1-0 victory.
 
Mayer ended the series with a goal, an assist, six blocked shots and a +3 plus/minus, the latter two of which tied for the NCHC lead on the weekend. He also played on a penalty kill unit that finished 5-for-6 in the series and did not commit a penalty all weekend.

Mayer doubled his season point total against Omaha, as he now has four points on a goal and three assists in 14 games this year.

GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Drew DeRidder, North Dakota
Fifth-Year Senior Goaltender
Fenton, Mich.

Back in his home state, DeRidder backstopped North Dakota to a five-point weekend at then-No. 17 Western Michigan, earning a win and a tie. In Friday’s 2-2, overtime tie, the Michigan State transfer stopped 26 of 28 shots, including 10 short-handed, to help UND go 6-for-6 on the penalty kill. He also made three saves in the ensuing shootout to allow UND to win it and earn the extra NCHC standings point. On Saturday, DeRidder was even better, recording his second shutout of the season and sixth of his career in a 3-0 victory. He racked up 25 saves in the whitewash against what was the nation’s top-scoring offense.

DeRidder finished the series with a 1-0-1 record, while posting a 0.96 goals-against average. He turned aside 51 of the 53 shots he faced against WMU for a pristine .962 save percentage. DeRidder improved to 4-4-2 on the season, while upping his season save percentage to .890 and lowering his season GAA to 2.86.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
John Waldron, Miami
Freshman Forward
Batavia, Ill.
 
Waldron had the best weekend of his young career, racking up five points for the RedHawks in a split with No. 4 St. Cloud State. On Friday, Waldron tallied his first collegiate hat trick, scoring all three of Miami’s goals in a 7-3 loss. It was the first hat trick by a RedHawk since 2016. All three of his goals came in the second period, tying a Miami record, including his first on the power play only 26 seconds into the middle stanza, as he pulled Miami within one at 4-3 after 40 minutes. The next night, Waldron tacked on two more points. He assisted on Miami’s first goal, which served as the game-winner, and tallied another power play goal in a 5-0 shutout of the Huskies. Saturday marked the first time SCSU was blanked all season, while it was Miami’s first win over a top-five team since 2018.
 
Waldron ended the weekend with four goals and one assist, while firing six shots on goal (three each night). Three of his five points came on the power play as he helped Miami go 5-for-12 on the man advantage against the Huskies.
 
On the season, Waldron is now tied for the team lead with seven goals, more than doubling his season total in the series. His 11 points on the year are second among the RedHawks in 14 games.
 
OTHER NOMINEES:
 
Forward of the Week
Judd Caulfield, Sr., North Dakota
Jami Krannila, Sr., St. Cloud State
Carter Mazur, So., Denver
 
Defenseman of the Week
Dylan Anhorn, Sr., St. Cloud State
Mike Benning, Jr., Denver
Chris Jandric, Gr., North Dakota
Axel Kumlin, Fr., Miami

Goaltender of the Week
Magnus Chrona, Sr., Denver
Kaidan Mbereko, Fr., Colorado College
 
Rookie of the Week
Jackson Blake, F, North Dakota
Kaidan Mbereko, G, Colorado College
Aidan Thompson, F, Denver