COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After a strong showing in non-conference play across the board from National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) teams last weekend, five players have been selected as the KJ Branding NCHC Players of the Week for the week of Oct. 16-22, 2023, the NCHC announced on Monday. Earning KJ Branding NCHC honors for Week 3, including co-Goaltenders of the Week, are a trio of seniors and a pair of freshmen:

• Forward – Sam Colangelo, Western Michigan, Sr.
• Defenseman – Boston Buckberger, Denver, Fr.
• Co-Goaltender – Ludvig Persson, North Dakota, Sr.
• Co-Goaltender – Zach Stejskal, Minnesota Duluth, Sr.
• Rookie – Matthew Perkins, Minnesota Duluth, Forward

Persson repeats his Goaltender of the Week honor after also winning it last week, while picking up his ninth career NCHC Goalie of the Week award. Stejskal gloved his second NCHC weekly honor of the season as well, and third of his career. These are the first career NCHC weekly awards for Colangelo, Buckberger and Perkins.
 
FORWARD OF THE WEEK
Sam Colangelo, Western Michigan
Senior Forward
Stoneham, Mass.
 
Colangelo had a huge weekend for the Broncos, racking up five points, including four goals, in a sweep of rival Bowling Green. In Friday’s series opener on the road, the Northeastern transfer scored WMU’s fourth goal to help seal a 5-2 victory. The next night in Kalamazoo, Colangelo erupted for four points, while recording his first collegiate hat trick in another 5-2 win. The Anaheim Ducks draft pick assisted on the game’s first goal a minute into the contest, then tallied the Broncos’ second, fourth and fifth goals to again put away the victory.
 
Colangelo was an impressive +4 on Saturday and finished the weekend with a +5 plus/minus. He also fired nine shots on goal in the sweep of the Falcons.
 
Colangelo nearly quadrupled his point total on the season in the series, as he now has seven points in four games, including five goals and two assists. His five goals tie for the NCHC lead this season.
 
DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK
Boston Buckberger, Denver
Freshman Defenseman
Saskatoon, Sask.
 
Buckberger continued the strong start to his collegiate career, tallying a point in both games of Denver’s trip to the East Coast, while facing a pair of top-10 teams. On Friday at then-No. 10 Providence, he dished out an assist on the Pioneers’ second goal that put them up, 2-1, in an eventual 4-3 defeat. Buckberger was +1 with a blocked shot against the Friars, as well. On Saturday at No. 3 Boston College, he handed out another assist on DU’s tying goal in the third period, which Denver went on to win, 4-3.
 
Buckberger posted a +1 plus/minus in the two games and fired two shots on goal to go with his two helpers. He also doubled his season point total to four, with a goal and three assists in four games. Buckberger has at least a point in three of his first four games.
 
CO-GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Ludvig Persson, North Dakota
Senior Goaltender
Hindas, Sweden
 
Persson earned his second straight Goaltender of the Week nod after backstopping North Dakota to a split with No. 1 and long-time rival Minnesota last weekend in Grand Forks. In Friday’s 4-0 loss, he made 28 saves while allowing three goals. The next night, he turned aside 21 of 22 shots faced in a 2-1 victory to earn Second Star of the Game. Seven of his saves on the weekend came short-handed, as he helped UND finish a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.
 
Persson ended the series with a .925 save percentage, making 49 saves on 53 shots faced, which tied for the NCHC lead on the weekend with UMD’s Zach Stejskal. Persson also posted a 2.01 goals-against average against Minnesota. On the season, the Swede now carries a 3-1-0 record with a .937 save percentage and a 1.51 GAA, both tops among NCHC goalies with more than one game played.
 
CO-GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Zach Stejskal, Minnesota Duluth
Senior Goaltender
Cohasset, Minn.
 
Stejskal was strong in net to keep Minnesota Duluth unbeaten on the season with a home-and-home sweep of in-state foe Bemidji State. He recorded his first collegiate shutout on Friday in Duluth, stopping all 23 shots he faced in a 4-0 win to earn Third Star of the Game. The next night in Bemidji, Stejskal made 26 saves in a 5-4 overtime victory to cap the sweep. He allowed only two even-strength goals all weekend, while helping UMD go 10-for-12 on the penalty kill with nine short-handed saves.
 
Stejskal finished the weekend with an NCHC-best 1.99 GAA, while matching UND’s Ludvig Persson with 49 saves and a .925 save percentage in the series against the Beavers. Stejskal improved to 2-0-2 on the season with a .917 save percentage and a 2.64 GAA.
 
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Matthew Perkins, Minnesota Duluth
Freshman Forward
Balgonie, Sask.
 
Perkins had a breakout game in Friday’s 4-0 win over Bemidji State, racking up a career-high three points, while scoring his first collegiate goal. The Vancouver Canucks draft pick had a hand in each of UMD’s first three goals Friday, including scoring the game’s opening goal on the power play, which served as the game-winner and was his first career goal. Perkins then dished out two more assists on the power play, all in the first period, to help the Bulldogs build an insurmountable, 3-0 lead. He was named First Star of the Game on Friday.
 
On Saturday, Perkins was held off the scoresheet, but blocked two shots and was 8-for-16 in the faceoff circle in a 5-4 overtime win at BSU. He finished the series going 15-for-29 on faceoffs (51.7 percent) and fired four shots on goal to go with his three points. Perkins now has four points (1g/3a) in five games this year.
 
OTHER NOMINEES:
 
Forward of the Week
Jack Devine, Denver, Jr.
Massimo Rizzo, Denver, Jr.
Veeti Miettinen, St. Cloud State, Sr.

Defenseman of the Week
Daniel Hilsendager, Western Michigan, Sr.
Riley Bodnarchuk, Minnesota Duluth, So.

Goaltender of the Week
Matt Davis, Denver, Jr.
Kaidan Mbereko, Colorado College, So.
Cameron Rowe, Western Michigan, Sr.
 
Rookie of the Week
Zeev Buium, Denver, Defenseman
Cole Crusberg-Roseen, Western Michigan, Defenseman
Jake Livanavage, North Dakota, Defenseman
Evan Werner, Colorado College, Forward