COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – With the regular season complete, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) announced its final KJ Branding NCHC Players of the Week for the 2022-23 season on Monday with three teams represented. After leading their teams to a pair of wins during the week of Feb. 27-March 5 (week 22), Western Michigan sophomore Max Sasson is the Forward of the Week, North Dakota senior Ethan Frisch is the Defenseman of the Week, UND forward Dylan James is the Rookie of the Week and Denver sophomore Matt Davis is the Goaltender of the Week.
 
This is Sasson’s second NCHC Forward of the Week nod this season and of his career, while he was a two-time Rookie of the Week last season. Frisch claimed his third career NCHC Defenseman of the Week award, but first this season, while James and Davis collected NCHC weekly honors for the first time.

FORWARD OF THE WEEK
Max Sasson, Western Michigan
Sophomore Forward
Birmingham, Mich.
 
Sasson had a career-best weekend to lead Western Michigan to a pair of wins at rival Miami to close out the regular season. The sophomore racked up seven points in the series to help WMU pick up five points in the standings and finish second in the NCHC, the program’s highest finish ever in the conference. In Friday’s 5-0 shutout, Sasson tallied his first collegiate hat trick, scoring the game’s final three goals for a natural hat trick. He also assisted on the second goal of the night to tie his career high with four points. The following night, Sasson scored twice with an extra attacker exactly one minute apart late in the third period to erase a two-goal deficit and force overtime. He then handed out the lone assist on the overtime game-winner to cap a three-point night in the 5-4 victory.
 
Sasson finished the series with five goals and two assists, while earning First Star of the Game Friday and Second Star on Saturday. He fired 12 shots on goal, with six each night, to rank second in the NCHC on the weekend, while leading the conference with a +5 plus/minus.
 
Sasson is now second on the team with 14 goals and third on the Broncos with 39 points this season. His 39 points tie for 15th nationally.

DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK
Ethan Frisch, North Dakota
Senior Forward
Moorhead, Minn.
 
Frisch delivered clutch goals in both wins over Omaha on the offensive side, while anchoring UND’s blue line and penalty kill as the Fighting Hawks picked up five points on the weekend. On Friday, the assistant captain scored the overtime game-winning goal 1:06 into the extra session to break a 4-4 tie. It was his first career OT game-winner. He also blocked four shots, fired three shots on goal and was part of a penalty kill that kept UNO scoreless on four power play chances. A night later on Senior Night, the senior broke a scoreless deadlock early in the third period with his second goal of the weekend, as UND would go on to win, 2-1. Frisch also blocked three more shots in Saturday’s win.
 
Frisch earned Third Star of the Game both nights against the Mavericks. He finished with two goals, both at even strength, which were his first even strength goals of the season. Last weekend also marked the first time Frisch scored a goal in back-to-back games this season. He totaled seven blocked shots in the series and finished with a +1 plus/minus. Frisch was also a mainstay on UND’s penalty kill that finished 7-for-7 against Omaha.
 
Frisch now ranks fourth on the team with 17 points and second among Fighting Hawks defensemen, while his six goals tie for the UND lead among blueliners. He also now has 61 blocked shots on the year, which lead the NCHC.

GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Matt Davis, Denver
Sophomore Goaltender
Calgary, Alta.
 
Davis was superb last weekend, filling in for the injured Magnus Chrona. He backstopped the Pioneers to a sweep of in-state rival Colorado College, while allowing only three goals all series. In Friday’s 2-1 win at home, the sophomore made 21 saves, with CC’s lone goal coming on the power play, to earn Third Star of the Game. The next night in a 4-2 victory, Davis compiled 25 saves, while giving up only two goals, including only one even strength. He was tabbed Second Star of the Game on Saturday in Colorado Springs.
 
Davis posted a .939 save percentage against the Tigers to lead the NCHC on the weekend, racking up 46 saves on 49 shots faced. His 1.50 goals-against average in the series also led the NCHC last weekend. Davis improved to 6-1-0 on the season with the two wins, while making only his fifth and sixth starts of the season and first since Dec. 17. He upped his season save percentage to .923 after the weekend, while lowering his GAA to 1.72 this year.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Dylan James, North Dakota
Freshman Forward
Calgary, Alta.
 
James had one of his best weekends as a freshman, tallying three points to power North Dakota to a pair of wins over Omaha in the final regular-season series. In Friday’s 5-4 overtime win, the Detroit Red Wings draft pick scored a pair of unassisted goals for his first career multi-goal game. His second goal broke a 3-3 tie late in the third period, while he was named First Star of the Game. James had four shots on goal and was +2 in Friday’s opener, as well. In Saturday’s finale, he dished out an assist on the game-winning goal with 3:02 remaining in regulation to break a 1-1 tie as UND went on to a 2-1 victory.
 
James completed the series with two goals, an assist, six shots on goal and a +3 plus/minus. He also blocked two shots and logged big minutes on a penalty kill that finished the series a perfect 7-for-7. James now has six goals on the season and eight assists for 14 points in 32 games.

OTHER NOMINEES:
 
Forward of the Week
Dylan James, Fr., North Dakota
Kyler Kupka, Sr., St. Cloud State
Matt Miller, Jr., Omaha
 
Defenseman of the Week
Wyatt Kaiser, Jr., Minnesota Duluth
 
Goaltender of the Week
Drew DeRidder, 5th, North Dakota
 
Rookie of the Week
Isaac Howard, F, Minnesota Duluth
Tristan Lemyre, F, Denver
Ryan McAllister, F, Western Michigan