COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After leading their teams to unbeaten weekends on the road, a trio of Western Michigan Broncos and a Miami RedHawk have earned KJ Branding National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Players of the Week for the week of Jan. 30-Feb. 5, 2023. Garnering KJ Branding weekly honors for week 18 are Western Michigan junior Chad Hillebrand for Forward of the Week, WMU senior Zak Galambos for Defenseman of the Week, WMU junior Cameron Rowe for Goaltender of the Week and Miami forward Max Dukovac for Rookie of the Week.
 
These are the first career NCHC weekly awards for both Hillebrand and Dukovac. Galambos grabbed his second Defenseman of the Week award this season, while Rowe gloved his fourth NCHC Goaltender of the Week nod, including second in three weeks.
 
FORWARD OF THE WEEK
Chad Hillebrand, Western Michigan
Junior Forward
Park Ridge, Ill.
 
Hillebrand helped lead the Broncos to a pair of wins and a five-point weekend at Minnesota Duluth, tallying three points himself. After WMU earned a 3-2 overtime win on Friday, Hillebrand tied a career high with three points in a 4-1 win in Saturday’s series finale. He opened the scoring with a goal midway through the first period, before tallying the lone assist on Luke Grainger’s goal that made it a 3-1 game in the third period. Hillebrand then sealed the victory with an empty-net goal from his own end of the ice.
 
Hillebrand finished the series with two goals, an assist, four shots on goal and a +1 plus/minus. Three of his four shots on goal came Saturday when he was +2. On the season, he now has 15 points on six goals and nine assists in 23 games played.
 
DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK
Zak Galambos, Western Michigan
Senior Defenseman
Walnut Creek, Calif.
 
Galambos led all NCHC defensemen with three points on the weekend, while anchoring a blue line that allowed only three goals in a pair of wins at Minnesota Duluth. On Friday, Galambos handed out a pair of assists in a 3-2 overtime victory, while firing five shots on goal and blocking a shot. His first helper came on a power play goal that broke a 1-1 tie in the second period. He then dished out the primary assist on the overtime game-winner to complete the victory. A night later, Galambos scored a short-handed goal to double WMU’s lead in the second period in an eventual 4-1 victory. His goal served as the game-winner, while he was +2 on Saturday with two more blocked shots.
 
Galambos ended the weekend with a game-winning, short-handed goal, two assists, eight shots on goal and a +3 plus/minus to lead all NCHC players last weekend. He also blocked three shots in the series and helped Western Michigan go a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill against UMD.
 
On the season, Galambos leads all Bronco blueliners with 25 points on 11 goals and 14 assists in 30 games. His 11 tallies lead all NCAA defensemen, as well.
 
GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Cameron Rowe, Western Michigan
Junior Goaltender
Wilmette, Ill.
 
Rowe backstopped the Broncos to two wins at Minnesota Duluth last weekend, while allowing only three goals. On Friday, he made 32 saves, the most by any NCHC netminder on the weekend, with UMD’s goals coming off an unlucky bounce off the glass and with an extra attacker in the final minute. Rowe made 12 saves in the third period and overtime to allow WMU to get the 3-2 overtime win. The next night, the Wisconsin transfer made 25 more saves in a 4-1 win, including 14 stops in the third period. He also picked up his first assist of the season on Chad Hillebrand’s empty-net goal that sealed the victory.
 
Rowe compiled 57 saves in the series for a .950 save percentage, while posting a 1.48 goals-against average. In doing so, he lowered his season GAA to 2.47, while upping his season save percentage to .905. Rowe also improved to 18-9-1 on the season in net.
 
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Max Dukovac, Miami
Freshman Forward
Aurora, Ill.
 
Dukovac was a key contributor in helping Miami earn a pair of overtime ties at then-No. 5 St. Cloud State for the RedHawks’ first unbeaten weekend in NCHC play since February of 2022. He dished out an assist both nights against the Huskies and helped Miami’s penalty kill finish the weekend 12-of-13. In Friday’s 3-3 tie, Dukovac had the primary helper on the go-ahead goal in the third period that broke a 2-2 tie. The next night in a 1-1 draw, he picked up an assist on Miami’s only goal, which tied the game with 35 seconds remaining in regulation.
 
Dukovac ended the series with two assists, two shots on goal and a +1 plus/minus. On the season, Dukovac is now tied for third on the team with 12 points and is second on the RedHawks with 11 assists in 25 games. He has a point in four of his last five games.
 
OTHER NOMINEES:
 
Forward of the Week
None
 
Defenseman of the Week
Jack Clement, Sr., Miami
 
Goaltender of the Week
Dominic Basse, Jr., St. Cloud State
Magnus Chrona, Sr., Denver
Ludvig Persson, Jr., Miami
 
Rookie of the Week
Ben Steeves, F, Minnesota Duluth